Beyond Folding Proteins: Learning from
Nature's Adapted Energy Landscape
Professor Peter G. Wolynes
University of Illinois
School of Chemical Sciences
A544 CLSL, Box 16-6, MC-172
600 South Mathews
Urbana, IL 61801
(217) 333-7385
(217) 244-0789 FAX
Proteins and nucleic acids represent the only examples provided by Nature of material systems whose properties can be said to have arisen form "adaptation". To have complex responses, proteins have a semi-organized structure, which arises in each individual case by self-assembly of a molecule which has information content contained in an evolved sequence. I will discuss what has been learned about the requirements of this adaptation by the study of folding proteins and discuss prospects for achieving this kind of organization in other nonbiological systems.