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Structure of Proteins
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  • Published: 18 February 1939

Structure of Proteins

  • W. T. ASTBURY1 &
  • FLORENCE O. BELL1 

Nature volume 143, page 280 (1939)Cite this article

  • 395 Accesses

  • 2 Citations

  • Metrics details

Abstract

WE have naturally followed with much interest recent developments in the ‘cyclol’ hypothesis and the structure of the globular proteins1; but among other things we find difficulty in correlating the following two statements, presumably arrived at by applying the same theory to the same facts: (1) “The properties of proteins shown by our experiments seem to be in accord with the view that the protein monolayer is a two-dimensional network held together by strong elastic springs and are not in accord with a structure consisting of polypeptide chains” 2; (2) “This we interpret to mean that, in the formation of monolayers, some or all of the cyclol bonds are opened, few or none of the peptide links being broken, so that protein monolayers consist of polypeptide chains partially or wholly decyclized. This type of structure explains many of their striking characteristics: for example, viscosity, elasticity, etc.”3

References

  1. Wrinch, D. M., NATURE, 137, 411 (1936), et seq.; Wrinch, D. M., and Langmuir, I., J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 60, 2274 (1938); Langmuir, I., and Wrinch, D. M., NATURE, 142, 581 (1938): Bragg, W. L., NATURE, 143, 73 (1939); Bernal, J. D., NATURE, 148, 74 (1939); Robertson, J. M., NATURE, 143, 75 (1939).

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  2. Langmuir, I., Schaefer, V. J., and Wrinch, D. M., Science, 85, 76 (1937).

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  3. Langmuir, I., and Wrinch, D. M., NATURE, 143, 49 (1939).

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

  4. Astbury, W. T., Bell, F. O., Gorter, E., and Van Ormondt, J., NATURE, 142, 33 (1938).

    Article  CAS  ADS  Google Scholar 

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Textile Physics Laboratory, University of Leeds,

    W. T. ASTBURY & FLORENCE O. BELL

Authors
  1. W. T. ASTBURY
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  2. FLORENCE O. BELL
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ASTBURY, W., BELL, F. Structure of Proteins. Nature 143, 280 (1939). https://doi.org/10.1038/143280a0

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  • Issue Date: 18 February 1939

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/143280a0

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