This book is indexed in Chemical Abstracts ServiceThe interactions of proteins with other molecules are important in many cellular activities. Investigations have been carried out to understand the recognition mechanism, identify the binding sites, analyze the the binding affinity of complexes, and study the influence of mutations on diseases. Protein interactions are also crucial in structure-based drug design.This book covers computational analysis of protein-protein, protein-nucleic acid and protein-ligand interactions and their applications. It provides up-to-date information and the latest developments from experts in the field, using illustrations to explain the key concepts and applications. This volume can serve as a single source on comparative studies of proteins interacting with proteins/DNAs/RNAs/carbohydrates and small molecules.

Proteins are indispensable players in virtually all biological events. The functions of proteins are coordinated through intricate regulatory networks of transient protein-protein interactions (PPIs). To predict and/or study PPIs, a wide variety of techniques have been developed over the last several decades. Many in vitro and in vivo assays have been implemented to explore the mechanism of these ubiquitous interactions. However, despite significant advances in these experimental approaches, many limitations exist such as false-positives/false-negatives, difficulty in obtaining crystal structures of proteins, challenges in the detection of transient PPI, among others. To overcome these limitations, many computational approaches have been developed which are becoming increasingly widely used to facilitate the investigation of PPIs. This book has gathered an ensemble of experts in the field, in 22 chapters, which have been broadly categorized into Computational Approaches, Experimental Approaches, and Others.

The analysis of protein-protein interactions is fundamental to the understanding of cellular organization, processes, and functions. Proteins seldom act as single isolated species; rather, proteins involved in the same cellular processes often interact with each other. Functions of uncharacterized proteins can be predicted through comparison with the interactions of similar known proteins. Recent large-scale investigations of protein-protein interactions using such techniques as two-hybrid systems, mass spectrometry, and protein microarrays have enriched the available protein interaction data and facilitated the construction of integrated protein-protein interaction networks. The resulting large volume of protein-protein interaction data has posed a challenge to experimental investigation. This book provides a comprehensive understanding of the computational methods available for the analysis of protein-protein interaction networks. It offers an in-depth survey of a range of approaches, including statistical, topological, data-mining, and ontology-based methods. The author discusses the fundamental principles underlying each of these approaches and their respective benefits and drawbacks, and she offers suggestions for future research.

As the mysteries stored in our DNA have been more completely revealed, scientists have begun to face the extraordinary challenge of unraveling the int- cate network of protein–protein interactions established by that DNA fra- work. It is increasingly clear that proteins continuously interact with one another in a highly regulated fashion to determine cell fate, such as proliferation, diff- entiation, or death. These protein–protein interactions enable and exert str- gent control over DNA replication, RNA transcription, protein translation, macromolecular assembly and degradation, and signal transduction; essentially all cellular functions involve protein–protein interactions. Thus, protein–p- tein interactions are fundamental for normal physiology in all organisms. Alt- ation of critical protein–protein interactions is thought to be involved in the development of many diseases, such as neurodegenerative disorders, cancers, and infectious diseases. Therefore, examination of when and how protein–p- tein interactions occur and how they are controlled is essential for understa- ing diverse biological processes as well as for elucidating the molecular basis of diseases and identifying potential targets for therapeutic interventions. Over the years, many innovative biochemical, biophysical, genetic, and computational approaches have been developed to detect and analyze p- tein–protein interactions. This multitude of techniques is mandated by the diversity of physical and chemical properties of proteins and the sensitivity of protein–protein interactions to cellular conditions.

Often considered the workhorse of the cellular machinery, proteins are responsible for functions ranging from molecular motors to signaling. The broad recognition of their involvement in all cellular processes has led to focused efforts to predict their functions from sequences, and if available, from their structures. An overview of current resear

The biological interactions of living organisms, and protein-protein interactions in particular, are astonishingly diverse. This comprehensive book provides a broad, thorough and multidisciplinary coverage of its field. It integrates different approaches from bioinformatics, biochemistry, computational analysis and systems biology to offer the reader a comprehensive global view of the diverse data on protein-protein interactions and protein interaction networks.

This volume explores techniques that study interactions between proteins in different species, and combines them with context-specific data, analysis of omics datasets, and assembles individual interactions into higher-order semantic units, i.e., protein complexes and functional modules. The chapters in this book cover computational methods that solve diverse tasks such as the prediction of functional protein-protein interactions; the alignment-based comparison of interaction networks by SANA; using the RaptorX-ComplexContact webserver to predict inter-protein residue-residue contacts; the docking of alternative confirmations of proteins participating in binary interactions and the visually-guided selection of a docking model using COZOID; the detection of novel functional units by KeyPathwayMiner and how PathClass can use such de novo pathways to classify breast cancer subtypes. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary hardware- and software, step-by-step, readily reproducible computational protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Cutting-edge and comprehensive, Protein-Protein Interaction Networks: Methods and Protocols is a valuable resource for both novice and expert researchers who are interested in learning more about this evolving field.