ABSTRACT
The first globular protein structure that was determined, myoglobin, belongs to the class of alpha-(a-) domain structures. The structure illustrated in Figure 2.9 is called the globin fold and is a representative example of one class of a domains in proteins; short a helices, the building blocks, are connected by loop regions and packed together to produce a hydrophobic core. Packing interactions within the core hold the helices together in a stable globular structure, while the hydrophilic residues on the surface make the protein soluble in water. In this chapter we will describe some of the different a-domain structures in soluble proteins.
