Structure-based systems biology: a zoom lens for the cell

FEBS Lett. 2005 Mar 21;579(8):1854-8. doi: 10.1016/j.febslet.2005.02.014.

Abstract

Systems biology seeks to explain complex biological systems, such as the cell, through the integration of many different types of information. Here, we discuss how the incorporation of high-resolution structural data can provide key molecular details often necessary to understand the complex connection between individual molecules and cell behavior. We suggest a process of zooming on the cell, from global networks through pathways to the precise atomic contacts at the interfaces of interacting proteins.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Computational Biology*
  • Computer Simulation
  • Databases, Protein
  • Humans
  • Kinetics
  • Protein Interaction Mapping*
  • Proteins / chemistry*
  • Proteins / physiology

Substances

  • Proteins