Allostery

Despite considerable variability within the scientific community, allosteric regulation can best be defined functionally as how a macromolecule binds one ligand differently when a second ligand is or is not pre-bound to the macromolecule, which constitutes a vital aspect of protein structure/function. In Allostery: Methods and Protocols, expert researchers in the field provide key techniques to investigate this biological phenomenon. Focusing on heterotropic systems with some coverage of homotropic systems, this volume covers the monitoring of allosteric function, allosteric conformational changes, and allosteric changes in protein dynamics/sub-population distribution, as well as topics such as macromolecular and ligand engineering of allosteric functions and computational aids in the study of allostery. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, the chapters include the kind of detailed description and implementation advice that is crucial for getting optimal results in the laboratory. Thorough and intuitive, Allostery: Methods and Protocols aids scientists in continuing to study ligand-induced, through-protein effects on protein function (ligand binding/catalysis), a phenomenon that is well recognized through the history of the life sciences and very poorly understood at the molecular level.