Understanding protein folding through peptide models

From the time it was recognized that proteins are made up primarily of secondary structures, theories of protein folding have used secondary structural elements as important building blocks. Peptides have played a central role in elucidating the factors that stabilize individual elements of secondary structure and are now being employed to study higher levels of organization. The control of conformation in peptides has taken on new relevance with the realization that protein folding plays a central role in many disease states.