Importance of Protein Folding

“Understanding protein structure, function and dynamics ranks among the most challenging and fascinating problems faced by science today. Since the function of a protein is related to its three dimensional structure, manipulation of the latter by means of mutation in the protein sequence generates functional diversity. The keys that will help us understand this mechanism and consequently protein sequence evolution lie in the yet unknown laws that govern protein folding. The knowledge of these laws would also prove useful for engineering protein molecules to optimize their activities as well as to alter their pharmacokinetic properties in the case of therapeutically important molecules.” Patrice Koehl, Stanford University Importance of Protein Folding