Fundamentals of Molecular Structural Biology reviews the mathematical and physical foundations of molecular structural biology. Based on these fundamental concepts, it then describes molecular structure and explains basic genetic mechanisms. Given the increasingly interdisciplinary nature of research, early career researchers and those shifting into an adjacent field often require a "fundamentals" book to get them up-to-speed on the foundations of a particular field. This book fills that niche.

The importance of metals in biology, the environment and medicine has become increasingly evident over the last twenty five years. The study of the multiple roles of metal ions in biological systems, the rapidly expanding interface between inorganic chemistry and biology constitutes the subject called Biological Inorganic Chemistry. The present text, written by a biochemist, with a long career experience in the field (particularly iron and copper) presents an introduction to this exciting and dynamic field. The book begins with introductory chapters, which together constitute an overview of the concepts, both chemical and biological, which are required to equip the reader for the detailed analysis which follows. Pathways of metal assimilation, storage and transport, as well as metal homeostasis are dealt with next. Thereafter, individual chapters discuss the roles of sodium and potassium, magnesium, calcium, zinc, iron, copper, nickel and cobalt, manganese, and finally molybdenum, vanadium, tungsten and chromium. The final three chapters provide a tantalising view of the roles of metals in brain function, biomineralization and a brief illustration of their importance in both medicine and the environment.Relaxed and agreeable writing style. The reader will not only fiind the book easy to read, the fascinating anecdotes and footnotes will give him pegs to hang important ideas on.Written by a biochemist. Will enable the reader to more readily grasp the biological and clinical relevance of the subject.Many colour illustrations. Enables easier visualization of molecular mechanismsWritten by a single author. Ensures homgeneity of style and effective cross referencing between chapters

An overview of algorithms important to computational structural biology that addresses such topics as NMR and design and analysis of proteins.Using the tools of information technology to understand the molecular machinery of the cell offers both challenges and opportunities to computational scientists. Over the past decade, novel algorithms have been developed both for analyzing biological data and for synthetic biology problems such as protein engineering. This book explains the algorithmic foundations and computational approaches underlying areas of structural biology including NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance); X-ray crystallography; and the design and analysis of proteins, peptides, and small molecules. Each chapter offers a concise overview of important concepts, focusing on a key topic in the field. Four chapters offer a short course in algorithmic and computational issues related to NMR structural biology, giving the reader a useful toolkit with which to approach the fascinating yet thorny computational problems in this area. A recurrent theme is understanding the interplay between biophysical experiments and computational algorithms. The text emphasizes the mathematical foundations of structural biology while maintaining a balance between algorithms and a nuanced understanding of experimental data. Three emerging areas, particularly fertile ground for research students, are highlighted: NMR methodology, design of proteins and other molecules, and the modeling of protein flexibility. The next generation of computational structural biologists will need training in geometric algorithms, provably good approximation algorithms, scientific computation, and an array of techniques for handling noise and uncertainty in combinatorial geometry and computational biophysics. This book is an essential guide for young scientists on their way to research success in this exciting field.

"This excellent work fills the need for an upper-level graduate course resource that examines the latest biochemical, biophysical, and molecular biological methods for analyzing the structures and physical properties of biomolecules... This reviewer showed [the book] to several of his senior graduate students, and they unanimously gave the book rave reviews. Summing Up: Highly recommended..." CHOICE Chemical biology is a rapidly developing branch of chemistry, which sets out to understand the way biology works at the molecular level. Fundamental to chemical biology is a detailed understanding of the syntheses, structures and behaviours of biological macromolecules and macromolecular lipid assemblies that together represent the primary constituents of all cells and all organisms. The subject area of chemical biology bridges many different disciplines and is fast becoming an integral part of academic and commercial research. This textbook is designed specifically as a key teaching resource for chemical biology that is intended to build on foundations lain down by introductory physical and organic chemistry courses. This book is an invaluable text for advanced undergraduates taking biological, bioorganic, organic and structural chemistry courses. It is also of interest to biochemists and molecular biologists, as well as professionals within the medical and pharmaceutical industry. Key Features: A comprehensive introduction to this dynamic area of chemistry, which will equip chemists for the task of understanding and studying the underlying principles behind the functioning of biological macro molecules, macromolecular lipid assemblies and cells. Covers many basic concepts and ideas associated with the study of the interface between chemistry and biology. Includes pedagogical features such as: key examples, glossary of equations, further reading and links to websites. Clearly written and richly illustrated in full colour.

This book covers applications of computational techniques to biological problems. These techniques are based by an ever-growing number of researchers with different scientific backgrounds - biologists, chemists, and physicists.The rapid development of molecular biology in recent years has been mirrored by the rapid development of computer hardware and software. This has resulted in the development of sophisticated computational techniques and a wide range of computer simulations involving such methods. Among the areas where progress has been profound is in the modeling of DNA structure and function, the understanding at a molecular level of the role of solvents in biological phenomena, the calculation of the properties of molecular associations in aqueous solutions, computationally assisted drug design, the prediction of protein structure, and protein - DNA recognition, to mention just a few examples. This volume comprises a balanced blend of contributions covering such topics. They reveal the details of computational approaches designed for biomoleucles and provide extensive illustrations of current applications of modern techniques.A broad group of readers ranging from beginning graduate students to molecular biology professions should be able to find useful contributions in this selection of reviews.