Abstract
Principles of the structure prediction of membrane proteins is discussed : (1) Dominant interaction for the binding between transmembrane helices is polar interactions. (2) A helix may be simplified to a continuum rod with surface charges. (3) The configuration of helices is determined by the interactions between transmembrane helices and the structure of linking segments. These principles are based upon various denaturation experiments and physical considerations. A software system for the strcture prediction of membrane proteins is being developed and applied to bacteriorhodopsin whose molecular structure has been already reported.
