Protein Conformational Dynamics

Protein Conformational Dynamics
Author: Ke-li Han
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 488
Release: 2014-01-20
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 3319029703

This book discusses how biological molecules exert their function and regulate biological processes, with a clear focus on how conformational dynamics of proteins are critical in this respect. In the last decade, the advancements in computational biology, nuclear magnetic resonance including paramagnetic relaxation enhancement, and fluorescence-based ensemble/single-molecule techniques have shown that biological molecules (proteins, DNAs and RNAs) fluctuate under equilibrium conditions. The conformational and energetic spaces that these fluctuations explore likely contain active conformations that are critical for their function. More interestingly, these fluctuations can respond actively to external cues, which introduces layers of tight regulation on the biological processes that they dictate. A growing number of studies have suggested that conformational dynamics of proteins govern their role in regulating biological functions, examples of this regulation can be found in signal transduction, molecular recognition, apoptosis, protein / ion / other molecules translocation and gene expression. On the experimental side, the technical advances have offered deep insights into the conformational motions of a number of proteins. These studies greatly enrich our knowledge of the interplay between structure and function. On the theoretical side, novel approaches and detailed computational simulations have provided powerful tools in the study of enzyme catalysis, protein / drug design, protein / ion / other molecule translocation and protein folding/aggregation, to name but a few. This work contains detailed information, not only on the conformational motions of biological systems, but also on the potential governing forces of conformational dynamics (transient interactions, chemical and physical origins, thermodynamic properties). New developments in computational simulations will greatly enhance our understanding of how these molecules function in various biological events.

Protein Allostery in Drug Discovery

Protein Allostery in Drug Discovery
Author: Jian Zhang
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 386
Release: 2019-11-09
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 9811387192

The book focuses on protein allostery in drug discovery. Allosteric regulation, ʹthe second secret of lifeʹ, fine-tunes virtually most biological processes and controls physiological activities. Allostery can both cause human diseases and contribute to development of new therapeutics. Allosteric drugs exhibit unparalleled advantages compared to conventional orthosteric drugs, rendering the development of allosteric modulators as an appealing strategy to improve selectivity and pharmacodynamic properties in drug leads. The Series delineates the immense significance of protein allostery—as demonstrated by recent advances in the repertoires of the concept, its mechanistic mechanisms, and networks, characteristics of allosteric proteins, modulators, and sites, development of computational and experimental methods to predict allosteric sites, small-molecule allosteric modulators of protein kinases and G-protein coupled receptors, engineering allostery, and the underlying role of allostery in precise medicine. Comprehensive understanding of protein allostery is expected to guide the rational design of allosteric drugs for the treatment of human diseases. The book would be useful for scientists and students in the field of protein science and Pharmacology etc.

From Protein Structure to Function with Bioinformatics

From Protein Structure to Function with Bioinformatics
Author: Daniel John Rigden
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 330
Release: 2008-12-11
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1402090587

Proteins lie at the heart of almost all biological processes and have an incredibly wide range of activities. Central to the function of all proteins is their ability to adopt, stably or sometimes transiently, structures that allow for interaction with other molecules. An understanding of the structure of a protein can therefore lead us to a much improved picture of its molecular function. This realisation has been a prime motivation of recent Structural Genomics projects, involving large-scale experimental determination of protein structures, often those of proteins about which little is known of function. These initiatives have, in turn, stimulated the massive development of novel methods for prediction of protein function from structure. Since model structures may also take advantage of new function prediction algorithms, the first part of the book deals with the various ways in which protein structures may be predicted or inferred, including specific treatment of membrane and intrinsically disordered proteins. A detailed consideration of current structure-based function prediction methodologies forms the second part of this book, which concludes with two chapters, focusing specifically on case studies, designed to illustrate the real-world application of these methods. With bang up-to-date texts from world experts, and abundant links to publicly available resources, this book will be invaluable to anyone who studies proteins and the endlessly fascinating relationship between their structure and function.

Structure and Function of GPCRs

Structure and Function of GPCRs
Author: Guillaume Lebon
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 299
Release: 2019-08-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3030245918

This book introduces readers to the latest advances in G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) biology. It reviews our current understanding of the structural basis of ligand binding and allosteric mechanisms, following a decade of technological breakthroughs. Several examples of structure-based drug discovery are presented, together with the future challenges involved in designing better drugs that target GPCRs. In turn, the book illustrates the important concept of GPCR biased signaling in physiological contexts, and presents fluorescent- and light-based methodologies frequently used to measure GPCR signaling or to trace their dynamics in cells upon ligand activation. Taken together, the chapters provide an essential overview and toolkit for new scientific investigators who plan to develop GPCR projects. All chapters were written by experts in their respective fields, and share valuable insights and powerful methodologies for the GPCR field.

In-Silico Lead Discovery

In-Silico Lead Discovery
Author: Maria A. Miteva
Publisher: Bentham Science Publishers
Total Pages: 201
Release: 2011
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1608051420

Computer-aided drug design and in silico screening have contributed to the discovery of several compounds that have either reached the market or entered clinical trials. In silico Lead Discovery is a compilation of the efforts of several experts on bioinf

Bioinformatics in the Post-genomic Era

Bioinformatics in the Post-genomic Era
Author: Ivan Y. Torshin
Publisher: Nova Publishers
Total Pages: 282
Release: 2006
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 9781600210488

Biomedicine is one of the most important fields for the prospective applications of the information from human genome studies. However, there are many 'white spots' in the present-day understanding of the biomedical implications of this information. Given that at least half of the proteins in the established sequence of the human genome have no annotation whatsoever and that the sequence similarity searches are not likely to produce any, definite research strategies to analyse the functions of these unknown proteins as well as other enigmatic aspects of the human genome are being elaborated. The elaboration of the logistics of these research strategies, of the relevant computational methodologies as well as the general management of the informational complexity of the biological systems belong to the main tasks for the post-genomic bioinformatics. This volume concentrates on the role of the biophysical studies and biophysical concepts that can assist the endeavour.

Chemical and Structural Approaches to Rational Drug Design

Chemical and Structural Approaches to Rational Drug Design
Author: David B. Weiner
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 291
Release: 2020-12-17
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 1000099059

This book is the first to provide both a broad overview of the current methodologies being applied to drug design and in-depth analyses of progress in specific fields. It details state-of-the-art approaches to pharmaceutical development currently used by some of the world's foremost laboratories. The book features contributors from a variety of fields, new techniques, previously unpublished data, and extensive reference lists.