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Figure 1 | BMC Biology

Figure 1

From: Q&A: What is biophysics?

Figure 1

A composite of processes addressed by biophysics. The depicted processes include the binding of the large and small subunits of the ribosome, the folding of a nascent protein, its binding to another protein, and its aggregation. The equilibrium constants and rate constants of these processes can be computed according to basic theories of physical chemistry, and can be changed by many orders of magnitudes by the structures, dynamics, and interactions of the constituent molecules. It should also be recognized that these biophysical properties in the crowded native environment can differ significantly from those determined under dilute conditions of typical in vitro experiments (Zhou et al., Annu Rev Biophys 2008, 37:375-397).

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