A signature feature of living organisms is their ability to carry out purposeful actions by taking stock of the world around them. To that end, cells have an arsenal of signaling molecules linked together in signaling pathways, which switch between inactive and active conformations. The Molecular Switch articulates a biophysical perspective on signaling, showing how allostery—a powerful explanation of how molecules function across all biological domains—can be reformulated using equilibrium statistical mechanics, applied to diverse biological systems exhibiting switching behaviors, and successfully unify seemingly unrelated phenomena. Rob Phillips weaves together allostery and statistical mechanics via a series of biological vignettes, each of which showcases an important biological question and accompanying physical analysis. Beginning with the study of ligand-gated ion channels and their role in problems ranging from muscle action to vision, Phillips then undertakes increasingly sophisticated case studies, from bacterial chemotaxis and quorum sensing to hemoglobin and its role in mammalian physiology. He looks at G-protein coupled receptors as well as the role of allosteric molecules in gene regulation. Phillips concludes by surveying problems in biological fidelity and offering a speculative chapter on the relationship between allostery and biological Maxwell demons. Appropriate for graduate students and researchers in biophysics, physics, engineering, biology, and neuroscience, The Molecular Switch presents a unified, quantitative model for describing biological signaling phenomena.

Täglich benutzen wir Schalter, um strombetriebene Geräte an- und abzuschalten und kein Compuer würde ohne sie funktionieren. Nach den gleichen Prinzipien funktionieren auch molekulare Schalter, die unter dem Einfluß ihrer Umwelt zwischen zwei definierten Zuständen wechseln können. Im Gegensatz zu den gewöhnlichen Schaltern sind molekulare Schalter aber außerordentlich klein und ihre Anwendung in der Nanotechnologie, Biomedizin und im Computerchipdesign öffnet neue Horizonte. Im vorliegenden Zweibänder berichten Herausgeber und Autoren über molekulare Schalter aus Katenanen und Rotaxanen, Fulgiden, Flüssigkristallen und Polypeptiden. Die Bandbreite der behandelten Themen reicht von chiroptischen Schaltern über multifunktionale Systeme bis hin zu molekularen logischen Schaltungen. Chemiker und Materialwissenschaftler in Industrie und Hochschule, die sich für einen der innovativsten Bereiche ihrer Wissenschaft interessieren, werden dieses Buch mit Gewinn lesen!

The first edition of Mark Ptashne's 1986 book describing the principles of gene regulation in phage lambda became a classic in both content and form, setting a standard of clarity and precise prose that has rarely been bettered. This edition is a reprint of the original text, together with a new chapter updating the story to 2004. Among the striking new developments are recent findings on long–range interactions between proteins bound to widely separated sites on the phage genome, and a detailed description of how gene activation works.

This book provides a detailed description of photofunctionalization of molecular switch based on pyrimidine ring rotational isomerization in copper complexes bearing two bidentate ligands. The most important features of this work focus on the properties associated with the rotational isomerization based on the two possible coordination geometries at the copper center derived from two nitrogen atoms on the unsymmetrically substituted pyrimidine ring. The functions of systems such as dual emission and redox potential switching based on photo-driven rotation will be of particular interest to readers. Both the functions and the procedures for proving these phenomena are beneficial for the development of more functionalized systems based on material science, molecular science, nanoscience, nanotechnology, electrochemistry, photochemistry, coordination chemistry, physical chemistry, and related disciplines. The finding elucidated here holds promise for handling the photoprocesses of metal complexes, valid for both applications and novel properties. This system is expected make it possible to extract an electrochemical potential response from molecular switches, aiming to simulate the five senses of human beings at a single molecular level.

This book presents the ways and means to switch on plant immune signaling systems using PAMP-PIMP-PRR signaling complex for crop disease management. It also describes bioengineering approaches to develop transgenic plants expressing enhanced disease resistance using genes encoding PAMPs, PRRs and transcription factors and genes involved in generation of PIMPs/HAMPs. It also discusses recent commercial development of PAMP products to switch on plant innate immunity for crop disease management. These unique approaches have been described with more than 100 figures and illustrations and these would make this book attractive for researchers and students to buy this book.

Edited by foremost leaders in chemical research together with a number of distinguished international authors, this first of four volumes summarizes the most important and promising recent chemical developments in energy science all in one book. Interdisciplinary and application-oriented, this ready reference focuses on chemical methods that deliver practical solutions for energy problems, covering new developments in advanced materials for energy conversion, semiconductors and much more besides. Of great interest to chemists as well as researchers in the fields of energy science in academia and industry.