A new approach to the rapid determination of protein side chain conformations.

Two efficient algorithms have been developed which allow amino acid side chain conformations to be optimized rapidly for a given peptide backbone conformation. Both these approaches are based on the assumption that each side chain can be represented by a small number of rotameric states. These states have been obtained by a dynamic cluster analysis of a large data base of known crystallographic structures. Successful applications of these algorithms to the prediction of known protein conformations are presented.