DNA, RNA and proteins are undoubtedly the most important biological molecules. Being large macromolecules, their physical, chemical and biological properties can differ from those of the monomers from which they are made. This book describes their structures, origins and other key issues.

The book is structured in nine sections, each containing several chapters. The volume starts with an overview of analytical techniques and progresses through purification of proteins; protein modification and inactivation; protein size, shape, and structure; enzyme kinetics; protein-ligand interactions; industrial enzymology; and laboratory quality control. The book is targeted at all scientists interested in protein research.

This new text examines thebiophysics and biochemistry of nucleic acids and proteins, carving outthe dynamic interface between chemistry and molecular biology, and providing adetailed picture of nucleic acids and proteins, their structures, biologicalproperties, and origins and evolution.

The first of its kind, Introduction to Biophysical Methods for Protein and Nucleic Acid Research serves as a text for the experienced researcher and student requiring an introduction to the field. Each chapter presents a description of the physical basis of the method, the type of information that may be obtained with the method, how data should be analyzed and interpreted and, where appropriate, practical tips about procedures and equipment.Key Features* Modern Use of Mass Spectroscopy* NMR Spectroscopy* Molecular Modeling and Graphics* Macintosh and DOS/Windows 3.x disks

Providing a comprehensive account of the structures and physical chemistry properties of nucleic acids, with special emphasis on biological function, this text has been organized to meet the needs of those who have only a basic understanding of physical chemistry and molecular biology.

Today, courses on biophysics are taught in almost all universities in the world, often in separate biophysics departments or divisions. This reflects the enormous growth of the field, even though the problem of its formal definition remains unsettled. In spite of this lack of definition, biophysics, which can be considered as an amalgamation of the biological and the physical sciences, is recognized as a major scientific activity that has led to spectacular developments in biology. It has increased our knowledge of biological systems to such an extent that even industrial and commercial interests are now beginning to put their stamps on biological research. A major part of these developments took place during the last two decades. Therefore, an introductory textbook on biophysics that was published a dozen years ago (c. Sybesma, An Introduction to Biophysics, Academic Press, 1977) no longer could fulfil " ... the need for a comprehensive but elementary textbook ... -" (R. Cammack, Nature 272 (1978), 96). However, because of the increased proliferation of biophysics into higher education, the need for introductory course texts on biophysics is stronger than ever. This fact, together with valuable comments of many readers, have encouraged me to revise the original book.

Proteins are central to all living systems and are described in this title. The first chapter describes the chemical properties of polypeptide chains and the implications of their covalent structures (Chapter 1). The conformational properties of polypeptides determine the structures that proteins can adopt (Chapter 2), to produce three-dimensional structures of incredible diversity and amazing functional properties (Chapter 3). Proteins in solution have very important dynamic properties that are crucial for their biological activities (Chapter 4). They also have a propensity to lose their folded structures and unfold, and how proteins do this and how they manageto fold to their native three-dimensional structure remains a major question (Chapter 5). The final three chapters describe the most fundamental functional properties of proteins. Central is their interactions with other molecules (Chapter 6). The most impressive and important property of proteins is their ability of catalyze the rates of chemical reactions by many orders of magnitude, and usually incredibly specifically (Chapter 7). Such potent chemical capabilities must be controlled very closely (Chapter 8).

"Provides a physical interpretation of the data obtained in macromolecular transport phenomena in a given system and also addresses some important issues and concepts related to biopolymers such as proteins and nucleic acids"--

A physicist's guide to the phenomena of life Interactions between the fields of physics and biology reach back over a century, and some of the most significant developments in biology—from the discovery of DNA's structure to imaging of the human brain—have involved collaboration across this disciplinary boundary. For a new generation of physicists, the phenomena of life pose exciting challenges to physics itself, and biophysics has emerged as an important subfield of this discipline. Here, William Bialek provides the first graduate-level introduction to biophysics aimed at physics students. Bialek begins by exploring how photon counting in vision offers important lessons about the opportunities for quantitative, physics-style experiments on diverse biological phenomena. He draws from these lessons three general physical principles—the importance of noise, the need to understand the extraordinary performance of living systems without appealing to finely tuned parameters, and the critical role of the representation and flow of information in the business of life. Bialek then applies these principles to a broad range of phenomena, including the control of gene expression, perception and memory, protein folding, the mechanics of the inner ear, the dynamics of biochemical reactions, and pattern formation in developing embryos. Featuring numerous problems and exercises throughout, Biophysics emphasizes the unifying power of abstract physical principles to motivate new and novel experiments on biological systems. Covers a range of biological phenomena from the physicist's perspective Features 200 problems Draws on statistical mechanics, quantum mechanics, and related mathematical concepts Includes an annotated bibliography and detailed appendixes