Dynamic Studies in Biology

The study of enzyme mechanisms or fast cellular regulation processes, among others, critically depends on a technique that rapidly switches on the system under study, without being disruptive to the cells or their components. A pulse of laser light may be used as a trigger, but only if the system is responding to light. Therefore, numerous photoactivatable biomolecules have been developed to act as "photoswitches" for almost every biological system. With contributions by more than 30 expert researchers, this handbook covers the whole spectrum from chemistry to cell biology and from theory to application. In so doing, it deals with a broad range of topics from the chemistry and biophysics of caged compounds to their application in time-resolved studies, comparing the properties of different caging groups. The authors describe in detail light-activation of proteins as well as nucleic acids, while a special section is devoted to multiphoton phototriggers. The whole is rounded off with a look at challenges for the future. A must-have for every biochemist, biophysicist, organic and photochemist, as well as molecular and cell biologists developing and working with these novel methods.