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US 4,378,218 AGranted
Protein molecule model
OwnerRobert J. Fletterick, Bruce Argetsinger +1inventors
InventorsRobert J. Fletterick, Bruce Argetsinger, Raymond Matela
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OwnerRobert J. Fletterick, Bruce Argetsinger +1inventors
InventorsRobert J. Fletterick, Bruce Argetsinger, Raymond Matela
Estimating the term…
A ball-and-stick model system representing alpha carbon positions and the peptide link between adjacent alpha carbons as modeling elements of two-piece sets. Each two-piece set comprises complementary ring rods and ball rods, the latter having a generally cylindrical body enlarged at one end to a sphere form with a slot through a portion of the enlargement. The ring rod also includes a generally cylindrical body with an enlarged end portion to fit snugly within the slot of the ball rod so that when they are fitted together they appear as a sphere with the cylindrical body portions extending outwardly therefrom. The cylindrical portions of adjacent model sets are united by a pintle and hole structure configured so that when fitted together a continuous cylindrical body extends between adjacent spheres. Scales and indices are arranged on the adjacent surfaces of the rod and ball elements to mark the angles or bend and torsion of consecutive amino acids in the molecule and the sets are color coded to identify particular amino acids in the molecule.
In a three dimensional physical model of a protein molecule formed of ball-and-stick construction to represent the relative position of a plurality of constituent amino acids of such molecule, the improvement wherein portions of the model are made from interconnected ball-and-stick components which are relatively movable during assembly along at least two angularly related axes, and means on said components adjacent to the connections forming scales and indices serving to mark the angle of bend and the angle of torsion of consecutive amino acids in the molecule.
An improved three dimensional molecular model wherein the consecutive constituent amino acids or alpha carbon components or the like may be related directly to one another without reference to X-Y-Z locational data, comprising a plurality of first and second members, said members being joinable at one end to define an enlarged portion serving to symbolize an alpha carbon and joinable at their other ends to define a rod like element symbolizing a peptide bond between two adjacent alpha carbons, and scale means arranged along the joining portions of said members so each the enlarged portion and the rod like element may be angularly related for establishing the relative bond and rotational position of consecutive components within the molecule.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.