# Structural

> Structural biology fundamentals

- Skill: `ffsshhttiikk/structural` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add ffsshhttiikk/structural`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/ffsshhttiikk/structural/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- License: MIT
- Author: ffsshhttiikk (https://skillmd.com/u/ffsshhttiikk)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/ffsshhttiikk/structural

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## What I do

- Explain molecular structure principles
- Describe protein structure organization
- Discuss structural analysis methods
- Analyze molecular interactions
- Connect structure to function
- Explain structural determination techniques

## When to use me

- When learning structural biology basics
- When explaining protein structure
- When studying molecular interactions
- When preparing educational content

## Key Concepts

### Biomolecular Structure

**Proteins**
- Amino acids linked by peptide bonds
- 20 standard amino acids
- Primary through quaternary structure
- Folding into 3D conformation

**Nucleic Acids**
- DNA: Double helix (B-form)
- RNA: Various structures (A, Z, hairpins)
- Nucleotides: Phosphate-sugar-base

### Molecular Interactions

```python
# Common interactions
interactions = {
    'covalent': 'Strong, ~350 kJ/mol, shared electrons',
    'ionic': 'Moderate, ~250 kJ/mol, charge-charge',
    'hydrogen': 'Weak-moderate, ~20-40 kJ/mol, X-H---Y',
    'hydrophobic': 'Weak, ~5 kJ/mol, entropy-driven',
    'van_der_waals': 'Very weak, ~1 kJ/mol, induced dipoles'
}

# Bond types in biomolecules
bonds = {
    'peptide': 'N-C, backbone',
    'glycosidic': 'Sugar-sugar, sugar-base',
    'phosphodiester': 'Nucleotide backbone'
}
```

### Techniques Overview

- X-ray crystallography
- NMR spectroscopy
- Cryo-EM
- Mass spectrometry
- Spectroscopy (UV, CD, fluorescence)
- Computational modeling

### Structure Databases

- PDB: Protein Data Bank
- NCBI Structure
- EMDB: Electron Microscopy DB
- AlphaFold DB