Volume 72, Peptide Solvation and H-bonds, addresses the role of peptide backbone solvation in the energetics of protein folding. Particular attention is focused on modeling and computation. This volume will be of particular interest to biophysicists and structural biologists. - Challenges the longstanding and basic assumptions of structural biology - Discusses how to solve the problem of protein structure prediction - Addresses the quantitation of the energetics of folding

Organic chemists working on the synthesis of natural products have long found a special challenge in the preparation of peptides and proteins. However, more reliable, more efficient synthetic preparation methods have been developed in recent years. This reference evaluates the most important synthesis methods available today, and also considers methods that show promise for future applications. This text describes the state of the art in efficient synthetic methods for the synthesis of both natural and artificial large peptide and protein molecules. Subjects include an introduction to basic topics, linear solid-phase synthesis of peptides, peptide synthesis in solution, convergent solid-phase synthesis, methods for the synthesis of branched peptides, formation of disulfide bridges, and more. The book emphasizes strategies and tactics that must be considered for the successful synthesis of peptides.

Completely revised to reflect the innovations in HPLC from the past decade, this authoritative reference presents practical strategies for the evaluation and analysis of proteins, peptides, and polynucleotides. Offering class-specific applications for the characterization and fractionation of biological macromolecules, the book contains material on organic supports, size exclusion, ion exchange, hydrophobic interaction, and metal interaction chromatography. Leading experts summarize specialized detection systems, provides discussions on the chemical and biological properties of specific biomolecules, include detailed guidelines for the development of analytical techniques, and more.

Human cells produce at least 30,000 different proteins. Each has a specific function characterized by a unique sequence and native conformation that allows it to perform that function. While research in this post-genomic era has created a deluge of invaluable information, the field has lacked for an authoritative introductory text needed to inform

This book deals with a subject that has been studied since the beginning of physical chemistry. Despite the thousands of articles and scores of books devoted to solvation thermodynamics, I feel that some fundamen tal and well-established concepts underlying the traditional approach to this subject are not satisfactory and need revision. The main reason for this need is that solvation thermodynamics has traditionally been treated in the context of classical (macroscopic) ther modynamics alone. However, solvation is inherently a molecular pro cess, dependent upon local rather than macroscopic properties of the system. Therefore, the starting point should be based on statistical mechanical methods. For many years it has been believed that certain thermodynamic quantities, such as the standard free energy (or enthalpy or entropy) of solution, may be used as measures of the corresponding functions of solvation of a given solute in a given solvent. I first challenged this notion in a paper published in 1978 based on analysis at the molecular level. During the past ten years, I have introduced several new quantities which, in my opinion, should replace the conventional measures of solvation thermodynamics. To avoid confusing the new quantities with those referred to conventionally in the literature as standard quantities of solvation, I called these "nonconventional," "generalized," and "local" standard quantities and attempted to point out the advantages of these new quantities over the conventional ones.

In spite of the enticing promises of the post-genomic era, the pharmaceutical world is in a state of disarray. Drug discovery seems now riskier and more uncertain than ever. Thus, projects get routinely terminated in mid-stage clinical trials, new targets are getting harder to find, and successful therapeutic agents are often recalled as unanticipated side effects are discovered. Exploiting the huge output of genomic studies to make safer drugs has proven to be much more difficult than anticipated. More than ever, the lead in the pharmaceutical industry depends on the ability to harness innovative research, and this type of innovation can only come from one source: fundamental knowledge. This book squarely addresses this crucial problem since it introduces fundamental discoveries in basic biomolecular research that hold potential to broaden the technological base of the pharmaceutical industry. The book takes a fresh and fundamental look at the problem of how to design an effective drug with controlled specificity. Since the novel transformative concepts are unfamiliar to most practitioners, the first part of this book explains matters very carefully starting from a fairly elementary physico-chemical level. The second part of the book is devoted to practical applications, aiming at nothing less than a paradigm shift in drug design. This book is addressed to scientists working at the cutting edge of research in the pharmaceutical industry, but the material is at the same time accessible to senior undergraduates or graduate students interested in drug discovery and molecular design.

In recent years, research has shown the importance of peptides in neuroscience, immunology, and cell biology. Active research programs worldwide are now engaged in developing peptide-based drugs and vaccines using modification of natural peptides and proteins, design of artificial peptides and peptide mimetics, and screening of peptide and phage libraries. In this comprehensive book, the authors discuss peptide synthesis and application within the context of their increasing importance to the pharmaceutical industry. Peptides: Synthesis, Structures, and Applications explores the broad growth of information in modern peptide synthetic methods and the structure-activity relationships of synthetic polypeptides. - The history of peptide chemistry - Amide formation, deprotection, and disulfide formation in peptide synthesis - Solid-phase peptide synthesis - a-helix formation by peptides in water - Stability and dynamics of peptide conformation - An overview of structure-function studies of peptide hormones - Neuropeptides:peptide and nonpeptide analogs - Reversible inhibitors of serine proteinases - Design of polypeptides - Current capabilities and future possibilities of soluble chemical combinatorial libraries - Epitope mapping with peptides - Synthesis and applications of branched peptides in immunological methods and vaccines

The book will discuss classes of proteins and their folding, as well as the involvement of bioinformatics in solving the protein folding problem. In vivo and in vitro folding mechanisms are examined, as well as the failures of in vitro folding, a mechanism helpful in understanding disease caused by misfolding. The role of energy landscapes is also discussed and the computational approaches to these landscapes.

This book focuses primarily on the role of interfacial forces in understanding biological phenomena at the molecular scale. By providing a suitable statistical mechanical apparatus to handle the biomolecular interface, the book becomes uniquely positioned to address core problems in molecular biophysics. It highlights the importance of interfacial tension in delineating a solution to the protein folding problem, in unravelling the physico-chemical basis of enzyme catalysis and protein associations, and in rationally designing molecular targeted therapies. Thus grounded in fundamental science, the book develops a powerful technological platform for drug discovery, while it is set to inspire scientists at any level in their careers determined to address the major challenges in molecular biophysics. The acknowledgment of how exquisitely the structure and dynamics of proteins and their aqueous environment are related attests to the overdue recognition that biomolecular phenomena cannot be effectively understood without dealing with interfacial behaviour. There is an urge to grasp how biologically relevant behaviour is shaped by the structuring of biomolecular interfaces and how interfacial tension affects the molecular events that take place in the cell. This book squarely addresses these needs from a physicist perspective. The book may serve as a monograph for practitioners and, alternatively, as an advanced textbook. Fruitful reading requires a background in physical chemistry and some basics in biophysics. The selected problems at the end of the chapters and the progression in conceptual difficulty make it a suitable textbook for a graduate level course or an elective course for seniors majoring in chemistry, physics, biomedical engineering or related disciplines.

Dancing Protein Clouds: Intrinsically Disordered Proteins in the Norm and Pathology, Part C, Volume 183 represents a set of selected studies on a variety of research topics related to intrinsically disordered proteins. Topics in this volume include discussions on the evolution of disorder, consideration of the peculiarities of phase separation of the prion protein, a general discussion of the relationships between intrinsic disorder and protein functions, coverage of the structural and functional characterization of several important intrinsically disordered proteins, such as transcription factors, outer membrane porins, trans-membrane and membrane associated proteins with ID regions, discussion of molecular simulations of IDPs, and much more. Provides recent studies on the intrinsically disordered proteins and their functions, along with the involvement of intrinsically disordered proteins in the pathogenesis of various diseases Contains numerous illustrative materials (color figures, diagrams and tables) to help readers delve into the information provided Includes contributions from recognized experts in the field