ABSTRACT
Chemically, proteins are no more than long, polymeric
molecules comprised of amino-acid subunits. Yet when
folded into the proper three-dimensional structures,
proteins have remarkable catalytic, binding, or structural
properties that make them useful in diverse industrial and
pharmaceutical applications. However, the properly folded
structure of most proteins is quite fragile, usually only
5-15 kcal/mol more stable than unfolded conformations.[1]
Additionally, the variety of chemical groups found within
a protein molecule makes it susceptible to chemical degra-
dation that can compromise its structure and/or catalytic
activity.
