Supramolecular Structure and Function 7

This volume represents a collection of lectures delivered by outstanding specialists in the fields of biophysics and of related scientific disciplines th during the 7 International Summer School on Biophysics held in Rovinj, Croatia from 14 to 25 September 2000 under the title "Super molecular Structure and Function ". This scientific-educational event was organized by the Ruder Boskovic Institute ofZagreb, Croatia with substantial material and intellectual support of a number of national and international institutions including the Croatian Biophysical Society (CBS), the International Union of Pure and Applied Biophysics (IUPAB), the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) and the UNESCO Venice Office - Regional Office for Science and Technology for Europe (UVO-ROSTE). The seventh edition of the series of International Summer Schools on Biophysics, which was started in 198I, attracted more than 120 young researchers and post-graduate students coming from 27 countries of Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America. Twenty-five outstanding experts in pure and applied biophysics presented the most advanced knowledge ofthis very interdisciplinary area of science during their lectures and round tables. It was commonly acknowledge that the Summer School achieved great success and fully reached its objectives. The success of the Rovinj Summer School was also due to the constantly growing attention being paid by scientific communities to younger generations of scientists, thanks also to the major outcomes of the World Conference on Science "Science for the Twenty-first Century: A New Commitment" held by UNESCO and ICSU in Budapest, Hungary in June 1999. This book is the proceedings of the 7th International Summer School on Biophysics: Supramolecular Structure and Function, held September 14-26, 2000, in Rovinj, Croatia. An enormous amount of new knowledge on the molecular basis of biological phenomena has emerged in the rapidly expanding field of biophysics. The principles and methods of modern biophysics now provide a strong foundation for all of the biosciences, and serve as a rational common language for scientists from various disciplines. The series of books on Supramolecular Structure and Function was inspired by the International Summer School on Biophysics, established under the sponsorship of IUPAB, UNESCO, and ICGEB, held in Rovinj, in 2001, and follows the successful interdisciplinary approach. This volume covers some powerful methods, such as analytical centrifugation, mass spectrometry, fluorescence spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, electron spin resonance and nuclear magnetic resonance, for the study of complex biological structures, and discusses useful physical concepts as applied to biological and biochemical systems. Case-orientated studies concentrating on particular methodologies are presented and examples are given, addressing some of the most important aspects of structure-function relationship in biological assemblies. Biophysics nowadays collaborates closely with molecular biology and bioinformatics as well as with neurosciences, and this is also demonstrated in this book. The book should be of interest both to experienced researchers wishing to widen their insight into molecular structure and function, and to younger scientists at the doctoral and postdoctoral level interested in the molecular nature of fundamental biological entities and phenomena. Front Matter....Pages i-viii Aspects of the Evolution of Biophysics: Polyelectrolytes and the Weizmann....Pages 1-11 Analytical Centrifugation: Looking at Aggregation in Free Solution....Pages 13-26 Mass Spectrometry of Peptides and Proteins....Pages 27-44 Adsorption Kinetics of Low Density Lipoprotein onto a Hydrophobic-Hydrophilic Gradient Surface....Pages 45-61 Fluorescence Spectroscopic Studies on Structure and Function of Lipolytic Enzymes....Pages 63-74 Infrared Spectroscopy of Lipoproteins....Pages 75-87 New Approaches in Spin Labeling and Spin Trapping. Part One: ESR Studies of Local Chemical Environment....Pages 89-105 New Approaches in Spin Labeling and Spin Trapping. Part Two: NMR Detects Free Radicals....Pages 107-117 Free Radical Intermediates of Drugs and Xenobiotics....Pages 119-129 In vivo Detection of Nitric Oxide: Combining EPR and NMR....Pages 131-141 On Biological Information....Pages 143-146 Accuracy versus Efficacy in Biological Processes....Pages 147-153 Towards a Memory-Based Interpretation of Proteome Data....Pages 155-165 Modelling DNA Structure from Sequence....Pages 167-184 Nonlinear Dynamics in the Binary DNA/RNA Coding Problem....Pages 185-193 High Density DNA and Protein Arrays, Generation and Applications....Pages 195-202 Mechanisms of Synaptic Plasticity in the Brain....Pages 203-227 Back Matter....Pages 229-240