Complex Network Models of Protein Structures

The book "Complex Network Models of Protein Structures" offers a comprehensive examination of the structural properties of proteins and their relationship to folding kinetics. Proteins are essential biomolecules that perform specific functions in cells. The author, Ganesh Bagler, employs a coarse-grained graph-theoretical approach, also known as complex network analysis, to explore the properties of protein structures. This methodology has proven useful in analyzing various complex systems, including social networks, technological networks, and biological networks. The results reveal remarkable common features across these different systems. Notably, the discovery of a generic property known as 'assortativity' has been identified in the network models of protein structures. These findings emphasize the importance of coarse-grained models for understanding the function and kinetics of proteins and could be crucial for solving the protein folding problem as well as for the targeted design of enzymes.