Louis Sullivan (1856 - 1924)
revolutionized architecture by designing the first skyscraper, but he also
became famous by proclaiming that “form follows function”. When x-ray
crystallographers could have the first look at the structures of DNA and
proteins, the structural biology field embraced the view that “function follows
form”. Visualization of the 3D-architecture of proteins could unveil various
aspects of protein function.
Yet,
our current understanding has shifted from the original relationship of “1 gene
- 1 protein structure - 1 function” to a far more complicated picture where the
flexibility and dynamics of an individual protein can play a central role in a
multitude of functions. The ultimate forms that a protein adopt when
interacting with (a) partner molecule(s) are the most biologically relevant and
in this context Sullivan’s quote is appropriate: the conFORMation that the
protein adopts follows from the function of that protein.
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