Spectroscopy Of Biological Molecules New Directions

Investigation of the structure and function of biological molecules through spectroscopic methods is a field rich in revealing, clever techniques and demanding experiments. It is most gratifying to see that the basic concepts are applied to more and more complex systems, making feasible the study of the behaviour of whole systems in relation to molecular disturbances. The analytical potential of spectroscopy and spectroscopic imaging enables species identification of bacteria and tissue recognition. Clear opportunities for in vivo applications become apparent in the medical field. The methods developed in biophysics start to generate spin-off in the direction of biotechnology, where in previous years we have seen this happen for biochemical techniques. New directions are manifest. Tools are being developed to investigate the behaviour of single molecules in interaction with their environment. Individual interactions can now be investigated and individual molecules in complexes can be visualized. Processes that were previously unobservable as a result of ensemble averaging can now be investigated on a single molecule level. Completely new information with regard to molecular behaviour is obtained in this way. The insights amaze us and the prospect that this development will continue is exciting. The 8th European Conference on the Spectroscopy of Biological Molecules is proud to have contributed to the dissemination of these new directions. This proceedings book is an appropriate reflection of the progress obtained so far in the spectroscopy of biological molecules.

Infrared and Raman Spectroscopy of Biological Materials facilitates a comprehensive and through understanding of the latest developments in vibrational spectroscopy. It contains explains key breakthroughs in the methodologies and techniques for infrared, near-infrared, and Raman spectroscopy. Topics include qualitative and quantitative analysis, biomedical applications, vibrational studies of enzymatic catalysis, and chemometrics.

Comprises the proceedings of the Second European Conference on the Spectroscopy of Biological Molecules, held in Freiberg, West Germany, September 1987. Presents the latest developments in the application of vibrational spectroscopy to biological systems. Includes use of optical and vibrational techniques to study protein structure and dynamics, enzyme mechanisms, biomembranes, nucleic acids, and other biological systems containing specific chromophors. Also discusses the growing use of medical and in vivo applications.

The determination of the three-dimensional structure of a biological molecule is the starting point in the understanding of molecular mechanisms involved in its complex biochemical reactions. The molecular architecture of multimolecular systems such as membranes and chromosomes provides the key to the fascinating field of molecular biology. Stereochemical details of biological macromolecules and their interactions with pharmacological agents form the basis for drug design. Naturally, the study of the structure and function of biological molecules has aroused tremendous interest and investigations in this area are being carried out in a large number of laboratories. The techniques used for this purpose include both experimental methods (X-ray and neutron diffraction measurements, study of NMR, ESR, vibrational and electronic spectra, ORD, CD and dipole moment measurements, biochemical modifications etc. ) and the oretical methods (quantum mechanical and classical potential energy calculations, Monte Carlo simulations and molecular graphics). F or several years now, X-ray diffraction [1] has served as our only source of infor mation on the three-dimensional arrangements of atoms in biopolymers. Fiber-diffrac tion of DNA led to the proposal of the DNA double helix. Fibers of long~hain polymers show ordering in the direction of the fibre-axis but not in the transverse plane. Accurate estimates of the dimensions of helical structures can be made using techniques on the basis of which models of biopolymers can be constructed.

Although infrared spectroscopy has been applied with success to the study of important biological and biomedical processes for many years, key advances in this vibrant technique have led to its increasing use, ranging from characterisation of individual macromolecules (DNA, RNA, lipids, proteins) to human tissues, cells and their components. Infrared spectroscopy thus has a significant role to play in the analysis of the vast number of genes and proteins being identified by the various genomic sequencing projects. Whilst this book gives an overview of the field it highlights more recent developments, such as the use of bright synchrotron radiation for recording infrared spectra, the development of two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy and the ability to record infrared spectra at ultrafast speeds. The main focus is on the mid-infrared region, since the great majority of studies are carried out in this region but there is increasing use of the near infrared for biomedical applications and a chapter is devoted to this part of the spectrum. Major advances in theoretical analysis have also enabled better interpretation of the infrared spectra of biological molecules and these are covered. The editors, Professor Andreas Barth of Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden and Dr Parvez I. Haris of De Montfort University, Leicester, U.K., who both have extensive research experience in biological infrared spectroscopy per se and in its use in the solution of biophysical problems, have felt it timely therefore to bring together this book. The book is intended for use both by research scientists already active in the use of biological infrared spectroscopy and for those coming new to the technique. Graduate students will also find it useful as an introduction to the technique.

The 1997 European Conference on Spectroscopy of Biological Molecules (ECSBM) is the seventh in a biennial series of conferences devoted to the applications of molecular spectroscopy to biological molecules and related systems. The interest of these conferences rests mainly on the relationship between the structure and physiological activity of biological molecules and related systems of which these molecular species form part. This volume ofECSBM contains articles prepared by the invited lecturers and those making poster presentations at the seventh ECSBM. The reader will find mainly applications of vibrational spectroscopy to protein structure and dynamics, biomembranes, molecular recognition, nucleic acids and other biomolecules and biological systems containing specific chromophors. Biomedical applications of vibrational spectroscopy are expanding rapidly. On the other hand, a significant number of the papers describe applications of other methods, such as NMR, circular dichroism, optical absorption and fluorescence, X-ray absorption and diffraction and other theoretical methods. One aim has been to achieve a well balanced, critically comparative review of recent progress in the field of biomolecular structure, bonding and dynamics based on applications of the above spectroscopic methods. A great part of the contributions included in this volume are devoted to biomedical and biotechnological applications and provide a broadly based account of recent applicationS in this field. The content of this book has been organized in sections corresponding mainly to the different types of biological molecules investigated. This book includes also another section related to theoretical methods where MO calculations of vibrational frequencies dominate clearly the topic.

With contributions by more than 30 expert researchers, this handbook covers the whole spectrum from chemistry to cell biology and from theory to application. In so doing, it deals with a broad range of topics from the chemistry and biophysics of caged compounds to their application in time-resolved studies, comparing the properties of different caging groups. The authors describe in detail light-activation of proteins as well as nucleic acids, while a special section is devoted to multiphoton phototriggers. A must-have for every biochemist, biophysicist and molecular biologist developing and working with these novel methods.