In molecular biology, a protein may change its shape in order to undertake a new function; each possible shape is called a conformation, and a transition between them is called a conformational change. Molecular biology is the study of biology at a molecular level. ...

It is usually the tertiary structure of the molecule that is affected, as it is usually this structure that determines a protein's function. In biochemistry, the tertiary structure of a protein is its overall shape. ...

A conformational change may be induced with many scenarios, such as a change in temperature, pH, or the binding of a ligand to a receptor. In chemistry, a ligand is an atom, ion, or molecule (see also: functional group) that generally donates one or more of its electrons through a coordinate covalent bond to, or shares its electrons through a covalent bond with one or more central atoms or ions (these ligands act as a...