World of proteins: Structure-function relationships and engineering techniques

Abstract

Proteins are the key biomolecules in almost all the physiological and pathological processes that are occurring in the cell. Functionality of proteins is related to its conformation, which is ultimately dictated by their unique amino acid sequence. In the current chapter, a brief overview will be provided on the nature of amino acids, structural characteristics and functional versatility of proteins. A glimpse on various interactions present in stabilizing the protein fold and the methods for unraveling their atomic level structures are also discussed. Finally, we present the role of engineered synthetic proteins for the welfare of humanity with huge potential in research and industrial sectors including biotechnological and biomedical fields under the emerging concepts of biomolecular/protein engineering.