Protein-Nucleic Acid Interactions

The structural biology of protein - nucleic acid interactions is in some ways a mature field and in others in its infancy. Propelled by advances in technology as well as the realization of RNA's importance to biology, the number of example structures has ballooned in recent years. As a result of the explosion of research in this area, it is no longer possible to write a comprehensive review which makes it difficult for newcomers to the field to attain a solid understanding of the basics. One goal of this book is therefore to provide in-depth discussions of the fundamental principles of protein-nucleic interactions as well as to illustrate those fundamentals with up-to-date and fascinating examples for those who already possess some familiarity with the field. The book also emphasises the impact of structural biology on understanding how proteins interact with nucleic acids and it is intended for advanced students and established scientists wishing to broaden their horizons. A team of experts have been assembled to write the individual chapters of this book. The beginning chapters focus on more fundamental aspects of protein-nucleic acid interactions, such as thermodynamics and recognition strategies, while later chapters highlight more specialized topics in RNA and DNA metabolism, such as chaperones, modifying enzymes, topoisomerases, recombinases, and nucleases. Since it is impossible to cover all aspects of this rapidly expanding field, the editors have chosen to highlight a few topics that are fascinating in their own right while also providing a broad range of examples to underscore the basic principles.