Methods In Protein Structure And Stability Analysis Vibrational Spectroscopy

Protein research is a frontier field in science. Proteins are widely distributed in plants and animals and are the principal constituents of the protoplasm of all cells, and consist essentially of combinations of a-amino acids in peptide linkages. Twenty different amino acids are commonly found in proteins, and serve as enzymes, structural elements, hormones, immunoglobulins, etc., and are involved throughout the body, and in photosynthesis. This book gathers new leading-edge research from throughout the world in this exciting and exploding field of research.

Protein research is a frontier field in science. Proteins are widely distributed in plants and animals and are the principal constituents of the protoplasm of all cells, and consist essentially of combinations of a-amino acids in peptide linkages. Twenty different amino acids are commonly found in proteins, and serve as enzymes, structural elements, hormones, immunoglobulins, etc., and are involved throughout the body, and in photosynthesis. This book gathers new leading-edge research from throughout the world in this exciting and exploding field of research.

Vibrational Spectroscopy in Protein Research offers a thorough discussion of vibrational spectroscopy in protein research, providing researchers with clear, practical guidance on methods employed, areas of application, and modes of analysis. With chapter contributions from international leaders in the field, the book addresses basic principles of vibrational spectroscopy in protein research, instrumentation and technologies available, sampling methods, quantitative analysis, origin of group frequencies, and qualitative interpretation. In addition to discussing vibrational spectroscopy for the analysis of purified proteins, chapter authors also examine its use in studying complex protein systems, including protein aggregates, fibrous proteins, membrane proteins and protein assemblies. Emphasis throughout the book is placed on applications in human tissue, cell development, and disease analysis, with chapters dedicated to studies of molecular changes that occur during disease progression, as well as identifying changes in tissues and cells in disease studies. Provides thorough guidance in implementing cutting-edge vibrational spectroscopic methods from international leaders in the field Emphasizes in vivo, in situ and non-invasive analysis of proteins in biomedical and life science research more broadly Contains chapters that address vibrational spectroscopy for the study of simple purified proteins and protein aggregates, fibrous proteins, membrane proteins and protein assemblies

Although infrared spectroscopy has been applied with success to the study of important biological and biomedical processes for many years, key advances in this vibrant technique have led to its increasing use, ranging from characterisation of individual macromolecules (DNA, RNA, lipids, proteins) to human tissues, cells and their components. Infrared spectroscopy thus has a significant role to play in the analysis of the vast number of genes and proteins being identified by the various genomic sequencing projects. Whilst this book gives an overview of the field it highlights more recent developments, such as the use of bright synchrotron radiation for recording infrared spectra, the development of two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy and the ability to record infrared spectra at ultrafast speeds. The main focus is on the mid-infrared region, since the great majority of studies are carried out in this region but there is increasing use of the near infrared for biomedical applications and a chapter is devoted to this part of the spectrum. Major advances in theoretical analysis have also enabled better interpretation of the infrared spectra of biological molecules and these are covered. The editors, Professor Andreas Barth of Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden and Dr Parvez I. Haris of De Montfort University, Leicester, U.K., who both have extensive research experience in biological infrared spectroscopy per se and in its use in the solution of biophysical problems, have felt it timely therefore to bring together this book. The book is intended for use both by research scientists already active in the use of biological infrared spectroscopy and for those coming new to the technique. Graduate students will also find it useful as an introduction to the technique.

Proteins are still gaining importance in the pharmaceutical world, where they are used to improve our arsenal of therapeutic drugs and vaccines and as diagnostic tools. Proteins are different from "traditional" low-molecular-weight drugs. As a group, they exhibit a number of biopharmaceutical and formulation problems. These problems have drawn considerable interest from both industrial and aca demic environments, forcing pharmaceutical scientists to explore a domain previ ously examined only by peptide and protein chemists. Biopharmaceutical aspects of proteins, e.g., low oral bioavailability, have been extensively investigated. Although all possible conventional routes of ad ministration have been examined for proteins, no real, generally applicable alter native to parenteral administration in order to achieve systemic effects has yet been discovered. Several of these biopharmaceutical options have been discussed in Volume 4 of this series, Biological Barriers to Protein Delivery. Proteins are composed of many amino acids, several of which are notorious for their chemical instability. Rational design of formulations that optimize the native structure and/or bioactivity of a protein is therefore of great importance when long shelf life is required, as it is for pharmaceutical products. This issue has also been examined in two prior volumes of this series: Volume 2: Stability of Protein Pharmaceuticals (Part A) and Volume 5: Stability and Characterization of Protein and Peptide Drugs.

Protein research is a frontier field in science. Proteins are widely distributed in plants and animals and are the principal constituents of the protoplasm of all cells, and consist essentially of combinations of a-amino acids in peptide linkages. Twenty different amino acids are commonly found in proteins, and serve as enzymes, structural elements, hormones, immunoglobulins, etc., and are involved throughout the body, and in photosynthesis. This book gathers new leading-edge research from throughout the world in this exciting and exploding field of research.

The subject of this book is the amazing enzyme ribonucleotide reductase (RNR), the enzyme responsible for the conversion of ribonucleotides to deoxyribonucleotides. The prerequisite for DNA-synthesis and DNA-repair in all living cells is the supply of the four deoxyribonucleotides. Such molecules result from the enzymatically difficult radical-induced reduction of ribonucleotides, a multistep chemical process catalyzed by RNR. RNR was the first enzyme in which the presence of an amino acid radical (a tyrosyl) in E. coli Class Ia RNR has been proven; since then several other biological amino acid radical species have been found on e.g. tryptophan, glycine, cysteine, lysine residues and on amino acid derived small cofactors like 2 tryptophanes in thryptophan-trypthanyl-radical or cysteine-tyrosyl-radical in other enzymes. As all known cellular life forms store their genetic information as DNA, RNR is likely to be found in all growing cells of every living organism, a fact that is confirmed by a rapidly increasing number of genomic screenings.