Structural Molecular Biology

Structural biology is undergoing a revolution in both the sophistication of new biophysical methods and the complexity of problems in biomolecular structure and organization opened up for study. These changes are directly attributable to major advances in computer technology, computational methods, development of high­ intensity synchrotron radiation sources, new magnetic resonance methods, laser optical techniques, etc. Structure-function problems previously considered intractable may now be solved. As this area of specialisation continues to expand, there is a need to review the various physical methods currently being used and developed in struc­ tural molecular biology. At the same time that individual techniques and their applications become more specialized, the need for effect­ ive communication between investigators gains in imperative. It is vital to forge links among sub-disciplines and to emphasise the complementary nature of results observed by different biophysical methods. This publication contains the review lectures given at a meeting on "Current Methods in Structural Molecular Biology" spon­ sored by NATO as an Advanced Study Institute and by FEBS ~s Advanced Course No. 78. The aim of the meeting was to bring together, in a teaching environment, students and specialists in diverse biophysical methodologies with the specific purpose of exploring, questioning and critically assessing the present and future state of biological structure research. The scientific content of the interdisciplinary Study Institute centred around three interrelated aspects; biophysical methods and instrumentation, their application to biological structure problems, and derivation of structural information and insights.

Inhalt

A Keynote Address.- Principles of biological organization and their applications to molecular structures.- B Methods.- X-ray fiber diffraction.- Recent developments in the crystallography of globular proteins.- X-ray and neutron small angle scattering.- Image reconstruction from electron micrographs of macromolecular structures.- Magnetic resonance probes of cells.- High resolution NMR studies of nucleic acids.- High resolution NMR experiments for studies of protein conformations.- Classical and resonance Raman spectroscopy of biological macromolecules.- Chiroptical methods and their applications to biomolecular systems.- Calorimetric methods for studying biomolecular structure and organization.- Methods for studying fast kinetics in biological systems.- Potential energy functions for structural molecular biology.- C Applications.- The structure and dynamics of water in globular proteins.- Dynamics of peptides and proteins.- DNA-Protein interactions.- The structure and assembly of simple viruses.- Research Seminars.- Posters.- Participants.