Original title: The Physical Logic of Protein Machines
Authors: John M. McBride, Tsvi Tlusty
This article discusses the complexity of proteins and how their functionality is influenced by their interaction with other components of living organisms. Proteins are made up of different types of amino acids and their interactions with one another determine their structure and function. While recent advancements in machine learning have helped understand how protein sequences determine their structure, the article highlights that the fundamental question of how proteins function as a whole remains unanswered. Specifically, the article explores how the collective physics of proteins contribute to their functionality and how a sequence of amino acids encode the various dynamics and chemical interactions necessary for protein function. The article proposes a physical approach that views proteins as mechano-chemical machines that undergo concerted evolution of structure, motion, and chemical interactions to adapt and function effectively.
Original article: https://arxiv.org/abs/2311.09565