| RefNo | EC/1989/20 |
| Previous numbers | Cert XXII, 164 |
| Level | Item |
| Title | McLachlan, Andrew David: certificate of election to the Royal Society |
| Date | 1985 |
| Description | Citation typed |
| Citation | Distinguished for his theoretical work in chemical physics and molecular biology. He provided a firm basis for the pairing properties of alternant hydrocarbons, and made important contributions to the theory of the electron resonance spectra of organic free radicals and molecules in triplet states. He simplified Casimir and Polder's theory of retarded dispersion forces, and extended it to cover the interaction between molecules in the condensed phase. In molecular biology McLachlan's powerful methods for interpreting and analysing the sequences and structures of proteins and genes have led to important results. He invented the most widely used method for detecting and evaluating similar or repeated protein sequences. He devised sensitive , practical and statistically rigorous criteria for comparing three-dimensional structures, for Fourier analysis of structural patters and for analysis of codon usage in genes. He showed that many proteins evolved by duplications of an ancestral motif which forms pseudo-symmetric structures about an active centre: e.g. inchymotrypsin and pepsin. In fibrous proteins like keratin and collagen his analyses revealed linear motifs that control assembly by a vernier process of recognition. His structural analysis of tropomyosin revealed 14 actin-binding sites and led to a "rolling rod" model for muscle regulation. He discovered the remarkable pattern of multiple repeats and alternating charge clusters in the myosin sequence and interpreted it in terms of a staggered chain model for the thick filament of muscle. He is now developing a maximum-entropy approach to refine protein X-ray structures. |
| AccessStatus | Closed |
Fellows associated with this archive
| Code | PersonName | Dates |
| NA4203 | McLachlan; Andrew David (1989-2022) | 1989-2022 |