ABSTRACT
I. PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF PROTEINS Because proteins play key roles in nearly all biological processes, their physi cochemical properties have attracted scientists worldwide and been the subject of extensive study for decades. It is, therefore, impossible to cover all physico chemical properties of proteins in this section. Physicochemical properties that govern a protein’s surface activity include: protein size, shape, amino acid composition, net charge and charge distribution, amino acid sequence and their higher structure, surface hydrophobicity or hydrophilicity, and molecular flex ibility and rigidity. All these properties are related to the amino acid composi tion and sequence of proteins. The structure and functions of proteins depend on their amino acid sequences and the dynamic behavior of protein conforma tions.
