An All Too Visible Adversary

the process by which it carries out its function. In a binding, but will also further his or her appreciation of world in which the sequencing of entire genomes, the some of the more complicated influences on protein structural elucidation of massive, multicomponent com-interactions such as allostery, avidity, cooperativity, and plexes such as the ribosome, and the identification of plasticity throughout the affinity spectrum and their the proteins involved in every protein-protein interaction involvement in the mechanistic roles of these proteins. in an entire organism have become feasible, utilization The introductory chapters are indispensable as of all of this information will increasingly depend on the guides to common factors observed in protein-protein succint definition of the biochemical requirements for interactions, and each review chapter is well written and protein complex formation. well referenced, representing excellent platforms for fur-Colin Kleanthous certainly understands the increasing ther investigation to each of their respective classes of importance of protein-protein interactions and has as-proteins. It is the collection of the parts, however, that sembled an excellent and timely book on the subject. produces a book more valuable than their sum, one that The book begins with two introductory chapters that will prove helpful to many a protein biochemist. While deal, in turn, with the thermodynamics and kinetics of Protein-Protein Recognition will serve as an exceptional protein interactions and the structural basis for protein sourcebook for its subject for some time to come, we recognition. Kinetics and thermodynamics are pre-hope, and expect, that our understanding of the rules sented here from a truly biological viewpoint. This is not that govern protein-protein interactions will progress to the formal language of the physical chemistry textbook the point that shifts the balance of chapters toward collecting dust on your bookshelf, but instead is a more those defining the common characteristics of these re-practical treatment of the subject and highly reflective actions and away from those that serve as reviews of of the reality of collecting and making sense of the ki-particular classes of proteins. netic and thermodynamic data pertinent to biological systems. The first chapter by Janin is exceptional as an introduction to anyone interested in the energetic Center for Advanced Research in Biotechnology quantification of biological interactions and would lend University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute itself well to graduate courses dealing with macromolec-Rockville, Maryland 20850 ular association. The second chapter by Jones and Thornton concerns itself with the …