Structural Biology and Functional Genomics

Biomedical research will be revolutionized by the current efforts to sequence the human genome and the genomes of model organisms. Of the newly sequenced genes, 50 per cent code for proteins of unknown functions, while as little as 5 per cent of sequences in mammalian genomes code for proteins. New, genome-wide approaches are needed to draw together the knowledge that is emerging simultaneously in a number of fields of genome research. This volume is a high-level survey of the newly emerging concepts of structural biology and functional genomics for biologists, biochemists and medical researchers interested in genome research. Topics included are chromosome and chromatin organization, novel DNA and RNA structures, DNA flexibility, supercoiling, prediction of protein functions, strategies for large scale structural analysis, and computer modelling.