Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)This is an interesting book on a very fascinating subject, the physics of proteins. The book, however, is not a standard text but a compilation of notes for a course on Biological Physics given by Professor Frauenfelder at the University of Illinois. The main topics treated by this book are the structural, energetic, and dynamic properties of proteins, with specific examples on myoglobin, the oxygen-transporter protein which Frauenfelder and coworkers have investigated across several years. On page 178 (chapter 15) I found an interesting discussion about protein quakes, which are concerned with the sudden release of bonding energy in proteins; as an example the authors discuss the breaking of the Fe-CO bond in myoglobin which triggers a quake with an energy release of about 100 kJ/mol (on a relative scale, this is much more powerful than an earthquake!). Another interesting information can be found in Chapter 20 (Thermodynamics for Physicists) where protein fluctuations are discussed: the smaller a system is, the broader its gaussian-like energy distribution. Proteins are large molecules but in comparison to whole cells they are quite small and hence they energy fluctuations can be calculated from the Boltzmann's principle. Each chapter ends with a list of useful references which can be consulted to deepen one's knowledge. As far as I understand, most figures come either from the original notes of the course or from published papers; some figures, however, do not show a good contrast (e.g. Fig. 18.7 on page 252) and the authors could have improved the quality of such figures (given the book's price). This book's brother is "Protein Physics: A Course of Lectures" by Professors Finkelstein and Ptitsyn, two leading exponents of the Russian school of protein physics. Those, like me, that possess both books will appreciate the different styles adopted by the American and Russian schools of biophysics as well as learn a lot of interesting physics that goes on inside proteins.
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