Esr Spectroscopy In Membrane Biophysics

Starting from a comprehensive quantum mechanical description, this book introduces the optical (IR, Raman, UV/Vis, CD, fluorescence and laser spectroscopy) and magnetic resonance (1D and 2D-NMR, ESR) techniques. The book offers a timely review of the increasing interest in using spin-label ESR as an alternative structural technique for NMR or X-ray diffraction. Future aspects are treated as well, but only as an illustration of the progress of ESR in this field.

This book provides a multidisciplinary overview to the application of high order derivative spectrophotometry and Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) spectroscopy in biology and ecology. The characteristics of the principle methods as well as the generation of reliable spectra are discussed in general terms allowing the reader to gain an idea of these methods’ potentials. Furthermore the authors give an extended overview to the spectroscopic and spectro-photometric analysis of specific biological materials. This volume is a well condensed description of an analytical method and a clear review to its application in biology and related fields and an essential tool for researchers who are new in the field of spectroscopic methods and their applications in the life sciences.

This book is based on two keywords: Bioradical and ESR. Bioradical is a newly coined word which encompasses paramagnetic species in biological systems, such as active oxygen radicals and transition metal ions. Research on the structure and function of bioradicals has been attrac ting growing attention in the field of biological science, and comprehensive investigations from many fields are helping to understand the real features of these species. ESR spectroscopy also has interdisciplinary features in that its techniques have been applied to many fields, ranging from physics to medicine. It was our hope, therefore, that this book would help to clarify many aspects of bioradicals and that significant progress would be achieved in combining basic research from many different fields. This book arises from the First International Conference on Bioradicals Detected by ESR Spectroscopy (ICBES), which was held in Yamagata, a city in the Yamagata Prefecture of Japan, in 1994. About 300 participants from 16 different countries attended this conference, and about 170 papers were presented. This book is a collection of contributions from the conference and also contains eleven chapters selected by the editorial board, based on sugges tions from the members of the international editorial board of ICBES. The Yamagata Technopolis Foundation is developing a biomedical technology for the 21st century based on life science fused with material and physical science. Based on such a techno logy, the Foundation plans to share its fruits all over the world.

In his thesis, Matthias Junk takes an innovative approach to assess the local structure and dynamics of biological and synthetic amphiphilic macromolecules capable of transporting small molecules. Replacing the latter with stable radicals, he uses state-of-the-art electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy to describe the highly relevant transport function from the viewpoint of the guest molecules. Such, he demonstrates that the functional structure of human serum albumin in solution significantly differs from its crystal structure – a consequence of the protein’s adaptability to host various endogenous compounds and drug molecules. Further, he shows that the thermal collapse of thermoresponsive hydrogels and dendronized polymers leads to static and dynamic heterogeneities on the nanoscale. These heterogeneities bear consequences for the material’s hosting properties and enable unforeseen complex catalytic functionalities.

E.S.R. techniques which are mature from a fundamental point of view. now constitute a routine investigation tool in chemistry as well as in biophysics in order to study and to follow the behaviour of radical species. Among the practical applications. let us mention for instance : -diffusion phenomena (solid -solid. liquid -solid such as the diffusion of molecules through membranes. films fibers ... ). -study of radical species to improve the elaboration of materials with high added value (composites). -detection of ionised food. -liquid crystals. polymers. -radiochemistry. -targetting of drugs. toxicology. A better understanding of basic phenomena allows to optimize industrial products and processes applied as well as in advanced fields as in well established ones. The high sensivity of ESR Spectroscopy and its derived specific techniques (spin labelling. spin probe. spin trapping ... ) offer information on the fme morphological structure of the matter as well as on its behaviour under various treatments otherwise not available. A Symposium was organized in Lyon (France) in January 1990 to promote the use of ESR. Its originality was to deal with the practical applications of ESR to organic and bioorganic materials. The scope of this meeting was to enlarge the field of application from basic research to more applied subjects and this may concern industrial as well as academic researchers. Moreover. the purpose of this symposium was to promote exchanges between European specialists working in public or private areas.

Spin-label electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy is a versatile molecular probe method that finds wide application in molecular biophysics and structural biology. This book provides the first comprehensive summary of basic principles, spectroscopic properties, and use for studying biological membranes, protein folding, supramolecular structure, lipid-protein interactions, and dynamics. The contents begin with discussion of fundamental theory and practice, including static spectral parameters and conventional continuous-wave (CW) spectroscopy. The development then progresses, via nonlinear CW-EPR for slower motions, to the more demanding time-resolved pulse EPR, and includes an in-depth treatment of spin relaxation and spectral line shapes. Once the spectroscopic fundamentals are established, the final chapters acquire a more applied character. Extensive appendices at the end of the book provide detailed summaries of key concepts in magnetic resonance and chemical physics for the student reader and experienced practitioner alike. Key Features: Indispensable reference source for the understanding and interpretation of spin-label spectroscopic data in its different aspects. Tables of fundamental spectral parameters are included throughout. Forms the basis for an EPR graduate course, extending up to a thorough coverage of advanced topics in Specialist Appendices. Includes all necessary theoretical background. The primary audience is research workers in the fields of molecular biophysics, structural biology, biophysical chemistry, physical biochemistry and molecular biomedicine. Also, physical chemists, polymer physicists, and liquid-crystal researchers will benefit from this book, although illustrative examples used are often taken from the biomolecular field. Readers will be postgraduate researchers and above, but include those from other disciplines who seek to understand the primary spin-label EPR literature.

EPR Spectroscopy in Catalysis, by Sabine Van Doorslaer und Damien M. Murphy Radicals in Flavoproteins, by Erik Schleicher und Stefan Weber EPR Spectroscopy in Polymer Science, by Dariush Hinderberger EPR in Protein Science, by Intrinsically Disordered Proteins, by Malte Drescher Site-Directed Spin Labeling of Membrane Proteins, by Enrica Bordignon Structure and Dynamics of Nucleic Acids, by Ivan Krstić, Burkhard Endeward, Dominik Margraf, Andriy Marko und Thomas F Prisner New Directions in Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy on Molecular Nanomagnets, by J. van Slageren

Structural and Resonance Techniques in Biological Research discusses the fundamentals and applications of nuclear magnetic resonance, electron spin resonance, Mössbauer spectroscopy, x-ray absorption spectroscopy, macromolecular crystallography, and small-angle x-ray scattering and diffraction. The chapters are aimed at a level such that only a general understanding of chemistry and biology is required. The objective is to present material in a way that allows the research worker to assess quickly the applicability, utility, and significance of the specific technique to his or her problem or field of interest. Together with Optical Techniques in Biological Research, this book marks the introduction of a new series of volumes, Physical Techniques in Biology and Medicine, which is intended to replace a previous treatise, Physical Techniques in Biological Research.