Nature's robots: A history of proteins

Abstract

Nature's Robots: A History of Proteins Tanford, C., and Reynolds, J., Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2003 (paper cover, hardback first published in 2001), 304 pp., ISBN 0-19-860694-X, $15.95. Charles Tanford and Jacqueline Reynolds have made major contributions to the field of protein chemistry. The title “Nature's Robots,” the authors say, is based on the notion that proteins are robots—they are automatons, you don't need to tell them what to do, they already know. In the introduction to this largely historical but easy to read text, they point out that in September 2000 the National Institutes of Health National Institute of General Medical Sciences launched a project to solve the three-dimensional structures of 10,000 proteins. Of course we already have the three-dimensional structures of thousands of proteins and the amino acid sequences of tens of thousands. Genes are important, but it is mostly the proteins that do the work! They carry out every little step of every conceivable task in a living organism. Although this is a “popular” text, a certain level of chemical knowledge is a prerequisite, but the writing is fluent. The first part of the book deals with “chemistry” but it is really about the history of proteins and polypeptides and how their structure was gradually uncovered. The titles of the chapters will indicate what to expect: crystallinity, hemoglobin, the peptide bond, macromolecules, charges, fibrous proteins, amino acid sequences, subunits, and domains—all starting from Mulder's analyses of around 1838 and the naming of the substances of “proteins” meaning “standing in front” or “in the lead”—depending on how you translate the Greek proteios. This part has many photographs of the key participants. The second part deals with detailed structures, including the folding problem, part III deals with physiological function (enzymes, antibodies, muscle contraction, membranes), and the last section briefly with genetics (“How proteins are made”). There are extensive and interesting notes for each chapter. I read this book with a mixture of nostalgia (having worked in protein chemistry) and sadness (contemplating how many students over the years I have tried to convince that protein chemistry is really exciting, with only limited evidence of success). Whether students themselves would find the book very interesting I rather doubt: they are used to three-color texts that summarize the points they need to learn (in order to pass the exam).