> Hi All,
>
> I, too, am a little unsure of the question
> here...do you mean symmetry within the individual
> monomer that helps make a symmetrical multimer, or the
It's not possible to get rotational symmetry *within* a monomer
(though it *is* possible to get limited translational symmetry as in
multidomain proteins, although this is usually approximate.)
> symmetry of the multimer itself? (I think it's the
> latter, but I'm new at this stuff!) I am still working
Yes. The symmetry has to be rotational and normally forms a
3-dimensional point group (e.g. your viruses are I, insulin hexamer is
C3 or D3, etc.) The highest symmetry I know of is in the TMV disk which
is D17 - have a look for that one.
> on my project (don't give up on me, it may show up after
> the class ends!), which concerns the protein coat
> structures of simple viruses...helical rod shapes and
> spherical, icosahedral shapes (hexamer/pentamer)...will
Very interesting. When you get rotation and translation combined
you get a helix.
> that be of use...I'll try to get more work done, and
> sooner!
>
Keep at it :-)
> Gail (Schuman)
> schuman@bnlstb.bio.bnl.gov
>
Peter Murray-Rust, Glaxo Research & Dev. (pmr1716@ggr.co.uk); (BioMOO: PeterMR)
Birkbeck College, ubcg09q@cryst.bbk.ac.uk, CBMT/Daresbury mbglx@seqnet.dl.ac.uk
http://www.cryst.bbk.ac.uk/PPS/index.html, http://www.dl.ac.uk/CBMT/HOME.html