Calorimetry as a tool for understanding biomolecular interactions and an aid to drug design

Biochem Soc Trans. 2010 Aug;38(4):888-93. doi: 10.1042/BST0380888.

Abstract

The binding of two biomolecules viewed from the atomic level is highly complex. It involves the formation or removal of many individual non-covalent bonds both between the interacting molecules as well as with solvent. Currently, our understanding of the thermodynamic quantification of biomolecular interactions is somewhat naïve. ITC (isothermal titration calorimetry) provides a rapid route to a full thermodynamic characterization of a biomolecular interaction. Armed with these data, what are we really able to understand about complex formation and can any of this information provide a useful tool to aid drug development? Correlations between thermodynamic data and structural detail have been investigated, allowing insight into ways in which these can be used to understand protein-ligand interactions and provide input into the decision-making process in drug development.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Calorimetry / methods*
  • Calorimetry / statistics & numerical data*
  • Comprehension
  • Drug Design*
  • Drug Interactions
  • Humans
  • Ligands
  • Macromolecular Substances / chemistry*
  • Macromolecular Substances / metabolism*
  • Models, Biological
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Interaction Mapping / methods
  • Thermodynamics

Substances

  • Ligands
  • Macromolecular Substances