Proteins: Structure, Dynamics and Design

The major goal of 'Expanding Frontiers in Polypeptide and Protein Structural Research' has been to bring the various avenues for the exploration of protein structures to a single forum. The idea of organizing the symposiwn was conceived by one of the editors, V. Renugopalakrislman, during the 9th International Biophysics Congress satellite symposium at Kibbutz Nof-Ginosar, Israel in 1987. It was originally supposed to dwell on 2D NMR and molecular dynamics of polypeptides and proteins. During the earlier part of the last decade, these two approaches began to emerge as powerful tools to probe protein structures at the atomic level in solution. The developments in molecular biology ushered in the capability to design polypeptides and proteins for specific application in science and technology. The emergence of 2D NMR and molecular dynamics was greatly facilitated by contemporary developments in molecular biology and protein engineering. Therefore an international symposiwn devoted exclusively to 2D NMR and molecular dynamics studies of proteins was felt necessary to bring two major approaches in a single forum. In addition to emphasis on 2D NMR and molecular dynamics simulation, the scope of the symposiwn included optical spectroscopy, protein design, and new horizons in protein structure. The symposiwn consisted of five plenary sessions devoted to NMR and optical spectroscopy as probes for protein structure, protein dynamics, computational methods in protein design, and new horizons in protein structure. In addition, five workshops in related areas, viz.