"Alberto Diaspro has been choreographing light's dance for over 20 years, and in Nanoscopy and Multidimensional Optical Fluorescence Microscopy, he has assembled a diverse group of experts to explain the methods they use to coax light to reveal biology's secrets."- From the Foreword by Daniel Evanko, editor, Nature Methods Nanoscopy and Multidimens

A detailed overview of current research in kernel methods and their application to computational biology.

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.

The lock-and-key principle formulated by Emil Fischer as early as the end of the 19th century has still not lost any of its significance for the life sciences. The basic aspects of ligand-protein interaction may be summarized under the term 'molecular recognition' and concern the specificity as well as stability of ligand binding. Molecular recognition is thus a central topic in the development of active substances, since stability and specificity determine whether a substance can be used as a drug. Nowadays, computer-aided prediction and intelligent molecular design make a large contribution to the constant search for, e. g., improved enzyme inhibitors, and new concepts such as that of pharmacophores are being developed. An up-to-date presentation of an eternally young topic, this book is an indispensable information source for chemists, biochemists and pharmacologists dealing with the binding of ligands to proteins.

Recent advances in molecular and cell biology enabling the cloning, expression, and mutagenesis of signal transduction proteins has prompted an explosion of knowledge in the field of receptor regulation, facilitating the discovery of new classes of regulatory proteins, and providing a basis and means for manipulating receptor function through multiple intracellular targets. This volume covers methods used to examine how the function(s) of receptors are regulated. Understanding how to regulate the function and expression of these receptors is critical in determining how to modify receptors and to translocating receptors away from the cell surface and its recycling. Individual chapters focus on specific techniques used to characterize receptors (epitope tagging, measurement and analysis of receptor phosphorylation, analysis of the kinetics of receptor desensitization, and assessment of receptor/G protein coupling); the role of regulatory proteins (receptor kinases and phosphatases, arrestins) in modulating receptor function; and the methods used to measure receptor trafficking (ligand binding, immunofluoresence) and expression (transcriptional and translational regulation). * Covers a broad range of important concepts and methodologies which are current in the study of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) * G-protein coupled receptors make up over 40% of the current pharmacological targets * Provides detailed protocols for executing various strategies and offers informed judgments as to what approaches are and aren't useful * Volume Editor, Jeffrey Benovic, is a dominant world leader in the study of receptor regulation of GPCR kinases and is highly respected in the field

Protein-protein interactions (PPI) are at the heart of the majority of cellular processes, and are frequently dysregulated or usurped in disease. Given this central role, the inhibition of PPIs has been of significant interest as a means of treating a wide variety of diseases. However, there are inherent challenges in developing molecules capable of disrupting the relatively featureless and large interfacial areas involved. Despite this, there have been a number of successes in this field in recent years using both traditional drug discovery approaches and innovative, interdisciplinary strategies using novel chemical scaffolds. This book comprehensively covers the various aspects of PPI inhibition, encompassing small molecules, peptidomimetics, cyclic peptides, stapled peptides and macrocycles. Illustrated throughout with successful case studies, this book provides a holistic, cutting-edge view of the subject area and is ideal for chemical biologists and medicinal chemists interested in developing PPI inhibitors.

Understanding the Basics of QSAR for Applications in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Risk Assessment describes the historical evolution of quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) approaches and their fundamental principles. This book includes clear, introductory coverage of the statistical methods applied in QSAR and new QSAR techniques, such as HQSAR and G-QSAR. Containing real-world examples that illustrate important methodologies, this book identifies QSAR as a valuable tool for many different applications, including drug discovery, predictive toxicology and risk assessment. Written in a straightforward and engaging manner, this is the ideal resource for all those looking for general and practical knowledge of QSAR methods. - Includes numerous practical examples related to QSAR methods and applications - Follows the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development principles for QSAR model development - Discusses related techniques such as structure-based design and the combination of structure- and ligand-based design tools

With the most comprehensive and up-to-date overview of structure-based drug discovery covering both experimental and computational approaches, Structural Biology in Drug Discovery: Methods, Techniques, and Practices describes principles, methods, applications, and emerging paradigms of structural biology as a tool for more efficient drug development. Coverage includes successful examples, academic and industry insights, novel concepts, and advances in a rapidly evolving field. The combined chapters, by authors writing from the frontlines of structural biology and drug discovery, give readers a valuable reference and resource that: Presents the benefits, limitations, and potentiality of major techniques in the field such as X-ray crystallography, NMR, neutron crystallography, cryo-EM, mass spectrometry and other biophysical techniques, and computational structural biology Includes detailed chapters on druggability, allostery, complementary use of thermodynamic and kinetic information, and powerful approaches such as structural chemogenomics and fragment-based drug design Emphasizes the need for the in-depth biophysical characterization of protein targets as well as of therapeutic proteins, and for a thorough quality assessment of experimental structures Illustrates advances in the field of established therapeutic targets like kinases, serine proteinases, GPCRs, and epigenetic proteins, and of more challenging ones like protein-protein interactions and intrinsically disordered proteins