Physics and biology team up to tackle protein folding debate

This unique book covers all the modern approaches and the many advances experienced in the field during the last 10 years. There is much emphasis on computational methods and studies of protein aggregation which have really flourished in the last decade. It includes chapters in the areas that have witnessed major developments and written by top experts including: computer simulations of folding, fast folding, single molecule spectroscopy, protein design, aggregation studies (both computational and experimental).

Readers will obtain a unique perspective of the problems faced in the biophysical study of protein conformational behavior in aqueous solution and how these problems are being solved with a multidisciplinary approach that combines theory, experiment and computer...

The first half of this invaluable book contains a concise but relatively complete review of relevant topics in statistical mechanics and kinetic theory. It includes standard topics such as thermodynamics, the Maxwell–Boltzmann distribution, and ensemble theory. Special discussions include the dynamics of phase transitions, and Brownian motion as an illustration of stochastic processes.

The second half develops topics in...

This book covers elements of both the data-driven comparative modeling approach to structure prediction and also recent attempts to simulate folding using explicit or simplified models. Despite the unsolved mystery of how a protein folds, advances are being made in predicting the interactions of proteins with other molecules, such as small ligands, nucleic acids or other proteins. Also rapidly advancing are the methods for solving the inverse folding problem, the problem of finding a sequence to fit a structure. This book focuses on the various computational methods for prediction, their successes and their limitations, from the perspective of their most well known practitioners.

This is the first monograph to provide a comprehensive overview of this exciting and rapidly developing area. It offers in-depth insights into the mechanisms of in vivo and in vitro oxidative folding of proteins as well as mono- and multiple-stranded peptides. Procedures applied for laboratory and industrial purposes are also discussed by top experts in the field.

The book describes the enzymes involved in the correct oxidative folding of cysteine-containing proteins in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. It then goes on to discuss the mimicking of these enzymes for successful in vitro folding of proteins (including synthetic replicates) and to deal with important issues concerning cysteine-rich peptides.

The ability of natural bioactive peptides to fold correctly, and in high...

In the areas of biochemistry and cell biology, characterizations of stability and molecular interactions call for a quantitative approach with a level of precision that matches the fine tuning of these interactions in a living cell. Supporting and up-dating previous Methods in Molecular Biology™ volumes, Protein Structure, Stability, and Interactions approaches its subject with a focus on theory and practical applications for both established methods as well as exciting new procedures. The volume presents an overview of many techniques currently used to study protein stability and interactions, including scanning and titration calorimetry, spectroscopic methods, high field NMR, and analytical ultracentrifugation. As a volume of the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology™...

Prediction of Protein Structures, Functions and Interactions presents a comprehensive overview of methods for prediction of protein structure or function, with the emphasis on their availability and possibilities for their combined use. Methods of modeling of individual proteins, prediction of their interactions, and docking of complexes are put in the context of predicting gene ontology (biological process, molecular function, and cellular component) and discussed in the light of their contribution to the emerging...