Torsion Angles | Ramachandran Plot | Protein Folding Basics

Overview of the different torsion angles Bond lengths, bond angles, and torsion angles A torsion angle, also known as a dihedral angle, is formed by three consecutive bonds in a molecule and defined by the angle created between the two outer bonds. The backbone of a protein has three different torsion angles. The phi-angle (φ) - around the N-Cα bond The psi-angle (ψ) - around the Cα-C bond The omega-angle (ω) - around the peptide bond between C and N. The ω-bond has a slightly double-bond character and is therefore almost always 180 degrees. The structure of a protein is mainly formed by the φ- and ψ-angles. Every secondary structure element forces the backbone into a specific range of torsion angles, this can be visualized in a ramachandran plot. Side chains can also contain torsion angles, they are indicated as chi-angles. Keywords: Alpha helices are compatible with: A) All possible phi-psi angle combinations B) A limited range of phi-psi angle combinations C) A limited range of phi angles with all possible psi angles D) A limited range of psi angles with all possible phi angles. #RamachandranPlot #bioinformatics #computationalBiology #proteinFolding #aminoAcids #polypeptide #peptideBond #NikolaysGeneticsLessons #protein #aminoAcid #peptide #disulfideBridges #covalentBounding #ionicBounding #hydrophobicInteraction #proteinStructure #proteinSequence #proteins #Polypeptides #ImidazolRing #condensationSynthesis #peptides #globularProteins #fibrousProteins #Genetics