Nucleic Acid-Protein Recognition covers the proceedings of a symposium on ""Nucleic Acid-Protein Recognition"", held at Arden House, Harriman Campus of Columbia University on May 30-June 1, 1976. The symposium inaugurated the ""P & S Biomedical Sciences Symposia"" under the sponsorship of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University. This book is organized into nine part encompassing 31 chapters. The opening parts describe the principles of DNA replication and the unique chromatin structure. These parts also examine the physical chemistry of the interactions of melting proteins with nucleic acids. The third part presents the different types of approaches that can be used to study the function of RNA polymerases and the development of a cell-free system that favors Pol II-catalyzed transcription from type 2 adenovirus DNA. Parts IV and V deal with the sequence determination of wild-type and mutant repressor and the restriction and modification of DNA endonucleases, while parts VI and VII focus of the recognition of tRNA. Part VIII discusses some significant studies on the assembly of ribosomes and the principles of ribosomal interactions. Lastly, Part IX considers the role of small RNA template in the reaction mechanism of RNA replicases and ribonucleases. This part also surveys the so-called RNase III cleavage of different types of RNA and the structure of nucleic acid-protein complexes.

The structural biology of protein-nucleic acid interactions is in some ways a mature field and in others in its infancy. High-resolution structures of protein-DNA complexes have been studied since the mid 1980s and a vast array of such structures has now been determined, but surprising and novel structures still appear quite frequently. High-resolution structures of protein-RNA complexes were relatively rare until the last decade. Propelled by advances in technology as well as the realization of RNA's importance to biology, the number of example structures has ballooned in recent years. New insights are now being gained from comparative studies only recently made possible due to the size of the database, as well as from careful biochemical and biophysical studies. As a result of the explosion of research in this area, it is no longer possible to write a comprehensive review. Instead, current review articles tend to focus on particular subtopics of interest. This makes it difficult for newcomers to the field to attain a solid understanding of the basics. One goal of this book is therefore to provide in-depth discussions of the fundamental principles of protein-nucleic acid interactions as well as to illustrate those fundamentals with up-to-date and fascinating examples for those who already possess some familiarity with the field. The book also aims to bridge the gap between the DNA- and the RNA- views of nucleic acid - protein recognition, which are often treated as separate fields. However, this is a false dichotomy because protein - DNA and protein - RNA interactions share many general principles. This book therefore includes relevant examples from both sides, and frames discussions of the fundamentals in terms that are relevant to both. The monograph approaches the study of protein-nucleic acid interactions in two distinctive ways. First, DNA-protein and RNA-protein interactions are presented together. Second, the first half of the book develops the principles of protein-nucleic acid recognition, whereas the second half applies these to more specialized topics. Both halves are illustrated with important real life examples. The first half of the book develops fundamental principles necessary to understand function. An introductory chapter by the editors reviews the basics of nucleic acid structure. Jen-Jacobsen and Jacobsen discuss how solvent interactions play an important role in recognition, illustrated with extensive thermodynamic data on restriction enzymes. Marmorstein and Hong introduce the zoology of the DNA binding domains found in transcription factors, and describe the combinational recognition strategies used by many multiprotein eukaryotic complexes. Two chapters discuss indirect readout of DNA sequence in detail: Berman and Lawson explain the basic principles and illustrate them with in-depth studies of CAP, while in their chapter on DNA bending and compaction Johnson, Stella and Heiss highlight the intrinsic connections between DNA bending and indirect readout. Horvath lays out the fundamentals of protein recognition of single stranded DNA and single stranded RNA, and describes how they apply in a detailed analysis of telomere end binding proteins. Nucleic acids adopt more complex structures - Lilley describes the conformational properties of helical junctions, and how proteins recognize and cleave them. Because RNA readily folds due to the stabilizing role of its 2'-hydroxyl groups, Li discusses how proteins recognize different RNA folds, which include duplex RNA. With the fundamentals laid out, discussion turns to more specialized examples taken from important aspects of nucleic acid metabolism. Schroeder discusses how proteins chaperone RNA by rearranging its structure into a functional form. Berger and Dong discuss how topoisomerases alter the topology of DNA and relieve the superhelical tension introduced by other processes such as replication and transcription. Dyda and Hickman show how DNA transposes mediate genetic mobility and Van Duyne discusses how site-specific recombinases "cut" and "paste" DNA. Horton presents a comprehensive review of the structural families and chemical mechanisms of DNA nucleases, whereas Li in her discussion of RNA-protein recognition also covers RNA nucleases. Lastly, FerrÚ-D'AmarÚ shows how proteins recognize and modify RNA transcripts at specific sites. The book also emphasises the impact of structural biology on understanding how proteins interact with nucleic acids and it is intended for advanced students and established scientists wishing to broaden their horizons.

This book provides a detailed view of the molecular structures of DNA and RNA and how they are recognised by small molecules and proteins. Extensive source material is provided, including information on relevant web sites and computer programmes. The major methods of structural investigation for nucleic acids: X-ray crystallography, NMR, and molecular modelling are reviewed and their scope and limitations (in the context of nucleic acids) discussed. Also covered are the conformational features of nucleic acid building blocks, including a description of how base-pair morphologies are analysed; the structures of DNA double helices and helical oligonucleotides, emphasising current ideas on sequence-dependent structure; and DNA-DNA interactions, including triplexes and quadruplexes. The principles of RNA folding, ribosome, and ribozyme structure are also surveyed. Both covalent and non-covalent nucleic acid interactions with small molecules are described, with the emphasis on recognition principles and sequence specific gene recognition. The principles of protein - nucleic acid are covered, focussing on regulatory proteins. Nucleic Acid Structure and Recognition will therefore equip readers with a good understanding of all the important aspects of this major field. The Nucleic Acid Database (NDB) crystallographic and NMR structures for the nucleic acid structures described in the book are freely available through the Nucleic Acid Structure and Recognition website.

The objective is to evaluate the ability of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRS) to recognize the non-standard nucleic acid, PNA (peptide nucleic acid). PNA has immense potential in biomedical applications due to its increased thermostability and nuclease resistance over natural nucleic acids. PNA represents a superior alternative to natural nucleic acids in many biomedical applications due to its specificity, strong binding, and nuclease resistance. This study is the initial data set that indicates PNA are recognized by translation enzymes.

One of the most pressing tasks in biotechnology today is to unlock the function of each of the thousands of new genes identified every day. Scientists do this by analyzing and interpreting proteins, which are considered the task force of a gene. This single source reference covers all aspects of proteins, explaining fundamentals, synthesizing the latest literature, and demonstrating the most important bioinformatics tools available today for protein analysis, interpretation and prediction. Students and researchers of biotechnology, bioinformatics, proteomics, protein engineering, biophysics, computational biology, molecular modeling, and drug design will find this a ready reference for staying current and productive in this fast evolving interdisciplinary field. - Explains all aspects of proteins including sequence and structure analysis, prediction of protein structures, protein folding, protein stability, and protein interactions - Presents a cohesive and accessible overview of the field, using illustrations to explain key concepts and detailed exercises for students.

This volume contains a series of essays which describe a range of problems in the field of nucleic-acid interactions, investigated by a variety of techniques. An introductory chapter on DNA-protein interactions in the regulation of gene expression is followed by papers on selected model systems.