protein structure
"Looking at the protein's structure is like opening up a clock and understanding how all the parts fit together and work in unison," said co-author Joseph Noel. "With x-ray instruments from our lab at the Salk Institute, we looked at Orf2 from 30 feet away. With SSRL, we can look at it with a magnifying glass if we need to. That's an essential part of the whole process."
"..Seattle biochemist David Baker explains it, a protein's structure is like a ball on a sloping floor: It will find its lowest energy state just as the ball will naturally roll to the surface's lowest point. Figuring out the "correct" shape of a given protein, then means finding the shape with the lowest energy level."
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