Determining protein structures by a real-coded genetic algorithm

Protein structure determination is one of the most important problems in molecular biology. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and X-Ray crystallography currently are the only techniques capable of determining the three-dimensional structures of proteins. In determining protein structures by using NMR spectroscopy, Nuclear Overhauser Effect (NOE) signal assignment is the most laborious and time-consuming process. In this paper, we propose a new automatic assignment method of NOE signals based on a real-coded genetic algorithm and examine its effectiveness by applying it to determining the structure of a-helix. which is a well-known common sub-structure of proteins.