Hydrogen bonding in globular proteins

A global census of the hydrogen bonds in 42 X-ray-elucidated proteins was taken and the following demographic trends identified: (1) Most hydrogen bonds are local, i.e. between partners that are close in sequence, the primary exception being hydrogen-bonded ion pairs. (2) Most hydrogen bonds are between backbone atoms in the protein, an average of 68%. (3) All proteins studied have extensive hydrogen-bonded secondary structure, an average of...