Proteins are the cell’s workers, their messengers and overseers. In these roles, proteins specifically bind small molecules, nucleic acid and other protein partners. Cellular systems are closely regulated and biologically significant changes in populations of particular protein complexes correspond to very small variations of their thermodynamics or kinetics of reaction. Interfering with the interactions of proteins is the dominant strategy in the development of new pharmaceuticals. Protein Ligand Interactions: Methods and Applications, Second Edition provides a complete introduction to common and emerging procedures for characterizing the interactions of individual proteins. From the initial discovery of natural substrates or potential drug leads, to the detailed quantitative understanding of the mechanism of interaction, all stages of the research process are covered with a focus on those techniques that are, or are anticipated to become, widely accessible and performable with mainstream commercial instrumentation. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters contain introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and notes on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and accessible, Protein Ligand Interactions: Methods and Applications, Second Edition serves as an ideal guide for researchers new to the field of biophysical characterization of protein interactions – whether they are beginning graduate students or experts in allied areas of molecular cell biology, microbiology, pharmacology, medicinal chemistry or structural biology.

This detailed book provides an overview of various classes of computational techniques, including machine learning techniques, commonly used for evaluating kinetic parameters of biological systems. Focusing on three distinct situations, the volume covers the prediction of the kinetics of enzymatic reactions, the prediction of the kinetics of protein-protein or protein-ligand interactions (binding rates, dissociation rates, binding affinities), and the prediction of relatively large set of kinetic rates of reactions usually found in quantitative models of large biological networks. Written for the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, chapters include the kind of expert implementation advice that leads to successful results. Authoritative and practical, Computational Methods for Estimating the Kinetic Parameters of Biological Systems will be of great interest for researchers working through the challenge of identifying the best type of algorithm and who would like to use or develop a computational method for the estimation of kinetic parameters.

Molecular Modeling of Proteins, Second Edition provides a theoretical background of various methods available and enables non-specialists to apply methods to their problems by including updated chapters and new material not covered in the first edition. This detailed volume opens by featuring classical and advanced simulation methods as well as methods to set-up complex systems such as lipid membranes and membrane proteins and continues with chapters devoted to the simulation and analysis of conformational changes of proteins, computational methods for protein structure prediction, usage of experimental data in combination with computational techniques, as well as protein-ligand interactions, which are relevant in the drug design process. Written for the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, chapters include thorough introductions, step-by-step instructions and notes on troubleshooting and avoiding common pitfalls. Update-to-date and authoritative, Molecular Modeling of Proteins, Second Edition aims to aid researchers in the physical, chemical and biosciences interested in utilizing this powerful technology.

This book discusses how biological molecules exert their function and regulate biological processes, with a clear focus on how conformational dynamics of proteins are critical in this respect. In the last decade, the advancements in computational biology, nuclear magnetic resonance including paramagnetic relaxation enhancement, and fluorescence-based ensemble/single-molecule techniques have shown that biological molecules (proteins, DNAs and RNAs) fluctuate under equilibrium conditions. The conformational and energetic spaces that these fluctuations explore likely contain active conformations that are critical for their function. More interestingly, these fluctuations can respond actively to external cues, which introduces layers of tight regulation on the biological processes that they dictate. A growing number of studies have suggested that conformational dynamics of proteins govern their role in regulating biological functions, examples of this regulation can be found in signal transduction, molecular recognition, apoptosis, protein / ion / other molecules translocation and gene expression. On the experimental side, the technical advances have offered deep insights into the conformational motions of a number of proteins. These studies greatly enrich our knowledge of the interplay between structure and function. On the theoretical side, novel approaches and detailed computational simulations have provided powerful tools in the study of enzyme catalysis, protein / drug design, protein / ion / other molecule translocation and protein folding/aggregation, to name but a few. This work contains detailed information, not only on the conformational motions of biological systems, but also on the potential governing forces of conformational dynamics (transient interactions, chemical and physical origins, thermodynamic properties). New developments in computational simulations will greatly enhance our understanding of how these molecules function in various biological events.

Despite considerable variability within the scientific community, allosteric regulation can best be defined functionally as how a macromolecule binds one ligand differently when a second ligand is or is not pre-bound to the macromolecule, which constitutes a vital aspect of protein structure/function. In Allostery: Methods and Protocols, expert researchers in the field provide key techniques to investigate this biological phenomenon. Focusing on heterotropic systems with some coverage of homotropic systems, this volume covers the monitoring of allosteric function, allosteric conformational changes, and allosteric changes in protein dynamics/sub-population distribution, as well as topics such as macromolecular and ligand engineering of allosteric functions and computational aids in the study of allostery. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular BiologyTM series format, the chapters include the kind of detailed description and implementation advice that is crucial for getting optimal results in the laboratory. Thorough and intuitive, Allostery: Methods and Protocols aids scientists in continuing to study ligand-induced, through-protein effects on protein function (ligand binding/catalysis), a phenomenon that is well recognized through the history of the life sciences and very poorly understood at the molecular level.

This volume explores the recent advancements in biomolecular simulations of proteins, small molecules, and nucleic acids, with a primary focus on classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations at atomistic, coarse-grained, and quantum/ab-initio levels. The chapters in this book are divided into four parts: Part One looks at recent techniques used in the development of physic-chemical models of proteins, small molecules, nucleic acids, and lipids; Part Two discusses enhanced sampling and free-energy calculations; Part Three talks about integrative computational and experimental approaches for biomolecular simulations; and Part Four focuses on analyzing, visualizing, and comparing biomolecular simulations. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Cutting-edge and comprehensive, Biomolecular Simulations: Methods and Protocols is a valuable resource for both novice and expert researchers who are interested in studying different areas of biomolecular simulations, and discovering new tools to progress their future projects.