The relationship between structure and function of macromolecules is crucial for understanding how biological systems work. Over the past thirty years, the number of macromolecule structures that have been determined has increased exponentially. These structures are stored in and can be retrieved from a database called the Protein Data Bank (PDB).
Today’s structure determinations are moving away from single macromolecules and towards the interactions of these molecules. Therefore, the 2006 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was given to Roger D. Kornberg. He and his colleagues provided 3-dimensional structures of components involved eukaryotic transcription at the atomic level. They then used these structures to propose a mechanism for how these components interact with on another in transcription.
In support of the descriptions below, 3-dimensional, interactive molecule models will be provided using a program known as Jmol. When Kornberg and his colleagues determined the structure of these macromolecules they really determined the coordinates of individual atoms. Jmol then uses these coordinates to represent the arrangement of atoms in a 3-dimensional space. Feel free to rotate the model by clicking and dragging the mouse cursor. Clicking and rotating the mouse wheel will allow you to zoom in and out.
Using these 3-dimensional models and descriptions, this review will provide a framework for Roger D. Kornberg’s contributions to structural biology. It will also illustrate the importance of the protein structure-function relationship in biological systems.