Metalloproteins and Motor Proteins

Metalloproteins account for nearly half of all proteins in living organisms. Protein metal-binding sites are responsible for catalyzing some of the most important functions such as photosynthesis, respiration, water oxidation, molecular oxygen reduction, nitrogen fixation, etc. Motor proteins are another class of important proteins that can move along the cytoplasm of cells. They convert chemical energy into mechanical work by the hydrolysis of ATP. Much effort has been devoted toward understanding the structure and function of metalloproteins and motor proteins. The ultimate test is to utilize this knowledge to design new metalloproteins and motor proteins that reproduce structures and functions of native ones. While it is much more challenging to design these two groups of proteins compared to the rest of proteins, much progress has been made in this field, particularly toward functional design, thanks to recent progress in areas such as computational and structural biology. This thematic volume focuses on recent advances in studying metalloproteins and motor proteins, their roles in different pathologies and drug-resistance.