Electrostatic potentials of the alpha helix dipole and of elastase

Abstract Molecular graphics has been used to display the electrostatic potentials of the α-helix dipole and that of elastase calculated using atomic charges obtained by a new, simple method 1–3 . Calculations on the α-helix dipole support the simple dipole model in which the helix is represented by single, half integral charges at the helix termini. The potentials of elastase show some interesting features which may be related to the binding processes.