Fundamentals of protein structure and function

Abstract

This book serves as an introduction to the fundamentals of protein structure and function. Starting with their make up from simple building blocks called amino acids, the 3-dimensional structure of proteins is explained. This is followed by an introduction into enzymology and modern concepts of enzyme kinetics, taking into account the physiological and medical significance of this often neglected topic. Also covered in the text are enzymes, biocatalysts, enzyme kinetics, hemoglobin, myoglobin, prion proteins, immunoproteins, motor proteins and movement, cell-cell interactions, molecular chaperones and chaperonins, transport of proteins into mitochondria, transport of proteins between cell compartments, transport of solutes across membranes, analytic techniques, protein-ligand interactions, protein purification, and protein structure, size and shape, emphasizing the link between protein structure, physiological function and medical significance. This book is an introductory text for researchers in protein biochemistry, molecular biology, cell biology, chemistry, biophysics and biomedical research. The book also makes an ideal textbook for graduate and advanced undergraduate courses in protein structure and function, and a supplementary text for related courses.