Physics Colloquium
Tuesday, January 20th, 2004 4 P.M.
E300 Math/Science Center
Lisa J. Lapidus
Stanford University
The Physics of Protein and RNA folding
In this talk I shall present some aspects of macromolecular folding,
the process by which polypeptide and RNA chains assume biologically
active conformations. Folding is spontaneous and depends in detail
on the physical interactions within the chain and with the surrounding
water. In particular I shall focus on the early stages of folding
in which the chain is relatively unstructured and may be described
by models from polymer physics. The exact nature of the unfolded
state may determine the subsequent folding steps and play a crucial
role in aggregation, misfolding and subsequent disease.
Refreshments 3:30 P.M. Room E200 Math/Science Center
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