General Biological Functions

Important novel information has thus been obtained for the specific biological function of those molecules, but disappointingly few general lessons have been learned that are relevant for other membrane-bound proteins with different biological functions. In that respect the situation is similar to the failure of the structure of myoglobin to provide general principles for the construction of soluble protein molecules as described in Chapter 2. 

The neuropeptide Y (NPY) belongs to a family of peptides that includes peptide YY and pancreatic polypeptide, and it is associated with several diseases such as asthma, immune system disorders, inflammatory diseases, anxiety, depression and diabetes mellitus. NPY is found in the central and peripheral nervous system, and its biological functions are mediated by interactions with five receptor sub-types, i.e. Yl, Y2, Y4, Y5 and Y6. Several studies indicate that the feeding behavior is influenced by interactions between NPY and Yl and Y5. Deswal and Roy used Cerius descriptors and genetic function approximation QSAR to investigate the structural determinants for the inhibition potency of 24 compounds with the general structure 4 for the NPY Y5 receptor [31]. The best QSAR (H = 0.720,... 

Kam, N.W.S. and Dai, H.J. (2005) Carbon nanotubes as intracellular protein transporters generality and biological functionality. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 127 (16), 6021-6026. Heller, D.A. et al. (2005) Single-walled carbon nanotube spectroscopy in live cells towards long-term labels and optical sensors. Advanced Materials, 17 (23), 2793-2799. 

The apparent generalizations of functional biology are really spatiotem-porally restricted statements about trends and the co-occurrence of finite... 

In a more general way, the two major driving forces for the design of novel micellar systems are the control over morphology (spheres, vesicles, rods, tubules etc. with controlled size) and function (stimulus-responsive materials, biological functions). Both of these aspects are intimately related since a given morphology can induce a specific function. 

Kam NWS, Dai HJ (2005) Carbon nanotubes as intracellular protein transporters Generality and biological functionality. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 127 6021-6026. 

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