Summary

Molecular machines are complex biomolecules, proteins, nucleic acids, and carbohydrates that consume energy in order to perform specific functions. The concerted action of all those machines underlies all the activities of the living cell. To understand how such molecular machines are able to perform their function, it is necessary to identify the different moving parts and understand how they act together. Breaking new ground with these difficult problems is likely to require novel paradigms permitting a seamless integration of structural, dynamical and functional data from experiments and theory.The goal of this volume is to provide an introduction to the world of biological molecular machines to a broad audience of students and researchers in biosciences. Each chapter is written by leading experts to cover results from cutting-edge research, while remaining broadly accessible. The volume presents the current state of knowledge for several important systems, ranging from polymerases, the ribosome, chaperonins, the chromatophore, kinases, actin and myosin, membrane transporters, and voltage-gated ion channels, thus giving students and researches in biosciences a pedagogically integrated picture of this exciting and rapidly expanding field.