Summary
A small number of high-energy hot spot interactions can dominate the binding energy of a protein-protein interface (1). In the human growth hormone-receptor interface, alanine scanning identified a compact cluster of residues that contributed most of the binding energy despite a much larger contact surface.
See also
- Binding affinity of protein-protein interactions correlates with buried surface area
- Antibodies often target cognate ligand epitopes without reproducing ligand contacts
1.
Clackson T, Wells JA. A Hot Spot of Binding Energy in a Hormone-Receptor Interface. Science. 1995;267(5196):383–6. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.7529940