Our major objective is to determine the precise molecular architecture of certain a -proteins that have dynamic as well as structural roles in the cell. The chief methods are X-ray crystallography together with molecular biology and biochemistry.
Muscle proteins are a central focus and provide the background for studying related systems.
Myosin is the fundamental protein involved in muscle contraction. Atomic structures of these switches are being sought to see how the motor activity is controlled. We are also working on the protein folding problem. This simple example of pattern recognition is an important first step in solving structures from sequence data alone. By making as many connections as possible among apparently diverse protein classes, we hope to establish some of the physical principles underlying protein folding.