Computational Molecular Biology

This book covers applications of computational techniques to biological problems. These techniques are based by an ever-growing number of researchers with different scientific backgrounds - biologists, chemists, and physicists. The rapid development of molecular biology in recent years has been mirrored by the rapid development of computer hardware and software. This has resulted in the development of sophisticated computational techniques and a wide range of computer simulations involving such methods. Among the areas where progress has been profound is in the modeling of DNA structure and function, the understanding at a molecular level of the role of solvents in biological phenomena, the calculation of the properties of molecular associations in aqueous solutions, computationally assisted drug design, the prediction of protein structure, and protein - DNA recognition, to mention just a few examples. This volume comprises a balanced blend of contributions covering such topics. They reveal the details of computational approaches designed for biomolecules and provide extensive illustrations of current applications of modern techniques. A broad group of readers ranging from beginning graduate students to molecular biology professions should be able to find useful contributions in this selection of reviews.