Induced fit

Induced fit describes a conformational change in a protein when it binds a ligand, in contrast to a lock-and-key model of ligand binding. A classic example of induced fit is binding of glucose to hexokinase, depicted in a morph between 3o8m and 3o80 in the picture at right.

Morph of hexokinase in the open 3o80 and glucose-bound closed 3o8m conformation. For reference, glucose (purple) is shown throughout the morph. Two views are shown, an overview as spacefill and a detail of the binding site in wireframe.

History of the conceptHistory of the concept

Induced fit was suggested by Koshland in 1958 , providing an alternative to the lock-and-key binding model that Emil Fischer proposed in 1899 .

Interactive examplesInteractive examples

This is a morph of the (be patient when loading this). The first and the last frame of the animation are models based on crystallographic data while the intermediate states are somewhat arbitrary, but chosen to show a smooth transition between conformations.

spinqualitylabelsall models Show:Asymmetric Unit Biological Assembly Drag the structure with the mouse to rotate   Export Animated Image

See AlsoSee Also

• A morph of induced fit when Tamiflu binds to Neuraminidase.