Recent progress in sequencing proteins directly from the gene structure rather than by step by step degradation techniques has exponentially increased the number of available protein sequences. Where crystal structures for members of a protein family exist suitable computer graphic models can be constructed. It is with few exceptions impossible to build a model directly from the amino acid sequence. This is true because in general we do not understand how proteins fold. The understanding of the folding of a protein into a compact three-dimensional structure after synthesis by the ribosome has been slow to develop. In order to be able to develop a mental picture of the entire structure of the protein, we first developed a graphical sample of protein structure. Using CHARMM (Chemistry at Harvard Molecular Mechanics) and the array processor, we were able to represent the backbone of a protein as a smooth, wire-like object. With this procedure we have processed all the protein data sets in the Protein Data Bank from the Brookhaven National Laboratory. In order to make these results understandable to a wider scientific audience, we have prepared a package of slides for distribution.
