Structural Studies On Nucleic Acids And Other Biopolymers

Physico-chemical Properties of Nucleic Acids, Volume II basically deals with the structural studies on nucleic acids and other biopolymers. This volume gives much emphasis on conformational changes using spectroscopic techniques and also on methods of thermodynamics and hydrodynamics. Volume II begins with Chapter 10 as continuation of Volume I and discusses the infrared and Raman spectroscopy of nucleic acids and polynucleotides. Chapter 11 delves further into the topic of infrared and Raman spectra particularly the vibrations in the base-residues. This volume also highlights the topic of RNA, where the structure of viral RNA and nuclear magnetic resonance studies of transfer RNAs in solution are covered. The last two chapters discuss the concept of thermodynamic and hydrodynamic properties of conformation transitions and changes. This volume caters to both students and researchers in various fields of science, such as biology, chemistry, molecular biology, biophysics, and microbiology.

This volume collects a number of the invited lectures and a few selected contrib utions presented at the International Symposium on Structure and Dynamics of Nucleic Acids, Proteins and Membranes held August 31st through September 5th, 1986, in Riva del Garda, Italy. The title of the conference as well as a number of the topics covered represent a continuation of two previous conferences, the first held in 1982 at the University of California in San Diego, and the second in 1984 in Rome at the Accademia dei Lincei. These two earlier conferences have been documented in Structure and Dynamics: Nucleic Acids and Proteins, edited by E. Clementi and R. H. Sarma, Adenine Press, New York, 1983, and Structure and Motion: Membranes, Nucleic Acids and Proteins, edited by E. Clementi, G. Corongiu, M. H. Sarma and R. H. Sarma, Adenine Press, New York, 1985. At this conference in Riva del Garda we were very hesitant to keep the name of the conference the same as the two previous ones. Indeed, a number of topics discussed in this conference were not included in the previous ones and even the emphasis of this gathering is only partly reflected in the conference title. An alternative title would have been Structure and Dynamics of Nucleic Acids, Proteins, and Higher Functions, or, possibly, "higher components" rather than "higher functions.

In this 1993 text, Nobel Prize winner Professor Steitz reviews the wide-ranging research in structural studies of DNA-binding proteins and their complexes with DNA. The author clearly and concisely describes the uses of techniques in molecular genetics, DNA synthesis, protein crystallography and nuclear magnetic response.

Biopolymers are a special class of polymers produced by living organisms. Starch, proteins and peptides, DNA, and RNA are all examples of biopolymers, in which the monomer units, respectively, are sugars, amino acids, and nucleic acids.A major but defining difference between polymers and biopolymers can be found in their structures. Polymers, including biopolymers, are made of repetitive units called monomers. Biopolymers inherently have a well defined structure: The exact chemical composition and the sequence in which these units are arranged is called the primary structure. Many biopolymers spontaneously fold into characteristic compact shapes (see also "protein folding" as well as secondary structure and tertiary structure), which determine their biological functions and depend in a complicated way on their primary structures. Structural biology is the study of the structural properties of the biopolymers. In contrast most synthetic polymers have much simpler and more random (or statistic) structures. This book presents leading-edge research from around the world in this dynamic field.

Nature has evolved sequence-controlled polymers, such as DNA and proteins, over its long history. The recent progress of synthetic chemistry, DNA recombinant technology, and computational science, as well as the elucidation of molecular mechanisms in biological processes, drive us to design ingenious polymers that are inspired by naturally occurring polymers, but surpass them in specialized functions. The term “designer biopolymers” refers to polymers which consist of biological building units, such as nucleotides, amino acids, and monosaccharides, in a sequence-controlled manner. This book particularly focuses on the self-assembling aspect of designer biopolymers. Self-assembly is one common feature in biopolymers that is used to realize their dynamic biological activities and is strictly controlled by the sequence of biopolymers. In a broad sense, the self-assembly of biopolymers includes a double-helix formation of DNA, protein folding, and higher-order protein assembly (e.g., viral capsids). Designer biopolymers are now going beyond what nature evolved: researchers have generated DNA origami, protein cages, peptide nanofibers, and gels. This book illustrates the latest interdisciplinary work on self-assembling designer biopolymers. As shown by this book, the self-assembly of biopolymers has a great impact on a variety of research fields, including molecular biology, neurodegenerative diseases, drug delivery, gene therapy, regenerative medicine, and biomineralization. Designer biopolymers will help researchers to better understand biological processes, as well as to create innovative molecular systems. We believe that this book will provide readers with new ideas for their molecular design strategies for frontier research.

This book integrates modern computational studies of nucleic acids, ranging from advanced electronic structure quantum chemical calculations through explicit solvent molecular dynamics (MD) simulations up to mesoscopic modelling, with the main focus given to the MD field. It gives an equal emphasis to the leading methods and applications while successes as well as pitfalls of the computational techniques are discussed.

The definitive guide to mass spectrometry techniques in biology and biophysics The use of mass spectrometry (MS) to study the architecture and dynamics of proteins is increasingly common within the biophysical community, and Mass Spectrometry in Structural Biology and Biophysics: Architecture, Dynamics, and Interaction of Biomolecules, Second Edition provides readers with detailed, systematic coverage of the current state of the art. Offering an unrivalled overview of modern MS-based armamentarium that can be used to solve the most challenging problems in biophysics, structural biology, and biopharmaceuticals, the book is a practical guide to understanding the role of MS techniques in biophysical research. Designed to meet the needs of both academic and industrial researchers, it makes mass spectrometry accessible to professionals in a range of fields, including biopharmaceuticals. This new edition has been significantly expanded and updated to include the most recent experimental methodologies and techniques, MS applications in biophysics and structural biology, methods for studying higher order structure and dynamics of proteins, an examination of other biopolymers and synthetic polymers, such as nucleic acids and oligosaccharides, and much more. Featuring high-quality illustrations that illuminate the concepts described in the text, as well as extensive references that enable the reader to pursue further study, Mass Spectrometry in Structural Biology and Biophysics is an indispensable resource for researchers and graduate students working in biophysics, structural biology, protein chemistry, and related fields.