Zeitschrift für Kristallographie. Supplement Volume 35 presents the complete Abstracts of all contributions to the 23rd Annual Conference of the German Crystallographic Society in Göttingen (Germany) 2015: - Plenary Talks - Microsymposia - Poster Session Supplement Series of Zeitschrift für Kristallographie publishes Abstracts of international conferences on the interdisciplinary field of crystallography.

Ribozymes Provides comprehensive coverage of a core field in the molecular biosciences, bringing together decades of knowledge from the world’s top professionals in the field Timely and unique in its breadth of content, this all-encompassing and authoritative reference on ribozymes documents the great diversity of nucleic acid-based catalysis. It integrates the knowledge gained over the past 35 years in the field and features contributions from virtually every leading expert on the subject. Ribozymes is organized into six major parts. It starts by describing general principles and strategies of nucleic acid catalysis. It then introduces naturally occurring ribozymes and includes the search for new catalytic motifs or novel genomic locations of known motifs. Next, it covers the development and design of engineered ribozymes, before moving on to DNAzymes as a close relative of ribozymes. The next part examines the use of ribozymes for medicinal and environmental diagnostics, as well as for therapeutic tools. It finishes with a look at the tools and methods in ribozyme research, including the techniques and assays for structural and functional characterization of nucleic acid catalysts. The first reference to tie together all aspects of the multi-faceted field of ribozymes Features more than 30 comprehensive chapters in two volumes Covers the chemical principles of RNA catalysis; naturally occurring ribozymes, engineered ribozymes; DNAzymes; ribozymes as tools in diagnostics and therapy, and tools and methods to study ribozymes Includes first-hand accounts of concepts, techniques, and applications by a team of top international experts from leading academic institutions Dedicates half of its content to methods and practical applications, ranging from bioanalytical tools to medical diagnostics to therapeutics Ribozymes is an unmatched resource for all biochemists, biotechnologists, molecular biologists, and bioengineers interested in the topic.

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.

Written by major contributors to the field, Bioinorganic Chemistry provides students with an introduction and overview of the subject and gives them the background required to read and follow the current research literature.

In The Aptamer Handbook, leading scientists from academia as well as biotech and pharma companies introduce the revolutionary concept of designing RNA and DNA oligonucleotides with novel functions by in vitro selection. These functions comprise high affinity binding (aptamers), catalytic activity (ribozymes and deoxyribozymes) or combinations of binding and catalytic properties (aptazymes). Basic concepts and technologies describing in detail how these functional oligonucleotides can be identified are presented. Numerous examples demonstrate the versatility of in vitro selected oligonucleotides. Special emphasis has been put on a section that shows the broad applicability of aptamers, e. g. in target validation, for analytics, or as new therapeutics. This first overview in the field is of prime interest for a broad audience of scientists both in academia and in industry who wish to expand their knowledge on the potential of new oligonucleotide functions and their applications.

An important reference for researchers in the field of metal-enzyme hybrid catalysis Artificial Metalloenzymes and MetalloDNAzymes in Catalysis offers a comprehensive review of the most current strategies, developed over recent decades, for the design, synthesis, and optimization of these hybrid catalysts as well as material about their application. The contributors—noted experts in the field—present information on the preparation, characterization, and optimization of artificial metalloenzymes in a timely and authoritative manner. The authors present a thorough examination of this interesting new platform for catalysis that combines the excellent selective recognition/binding properties of enzymes with transition metal catalysts. The text includes information on the various applications of metal-enzyme hybrid catalysts for novel reactions, offers insights into the latest advances in the field, and contains an informative perspective on the future: Explores the development of artificial metalloenzymes, the modern and strongly evolving research field on the verge of industrial application Contains a comprehensive reference to the research area of metal-enzyme hybrid catalysis that has experienced tremendous growth in recent years Includes contributions from leading researchers in the field Shows how this new catalysis combines the selective recognition/binding properties of enzymes with transition metal catalysts Written for catalytic chemists, bioinorganic chemists, biochemists, and organic chemists, Artificial Metalloenzymes and MetalloDNAzymes in Catalysis offers a unique reference to the fundamentals, concepts, applications, and the most recent developments for more efficient and sustainable synthesis.

The 2006 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to the discoverers of RNA interference, Andrew Fire and Craig Mello. This prize, which follows “RNA” Nobels for splicing and RNA catalysis, highlights just one class of recently discovered non-protein coding RNAs. Remarkably, non-coding RNAs are thought to outnumber protein coding genes in mammals by perhaps as much as four-fold. In fact, it appears that the complexity of an organism correlates with the fraction of its genome devoted to non-protein coding RNAs. Essential biological processes as diverse as cell differentiation, suppression of infecting viruses and parasitic tra- posons, higher-level organization of eukaryotic chromosomes, and gene expression are found to be largely directed by non-protein coding RNAs. Currently, bioinformatic, high-throughput sequencing, and biochemical approaches are identifying an increasing number of these RNAs. Unfortunately, our ability to characterize the molecular details of these RNAs is significantly lacking. The biophysical study of these RNAs is an emergent field that is unraveling the molecular underpinnings of how RNA fulfills its multitude of roles in sustaining cellular life. The resulting understanding of the physical and chemical processes at the molecular level is critical to our ability to harness RNA for use in biotechnology and human therapy, a prospect that has recently spawned a multi-billion dollar industry.