Molecular Science of Fluctuations Toward Biological Functions

In this monograph, the importance of fluctuations for
biological reactions is discussed from various points of view. Understanding
the biological reactions at the molecular level is one of the major targets in
many scientific fields, including not only basic biology but also physics,
physical chemistry, and medical science. One of the key factors in the process
is “fluctuation”. Thermal energy causes biological molecules to be in constant
fluctuation even while they are carrying out their biological functions. How do
biological systems overcome the thermal fluctuations to realize the
physiologically relevant reactions? Scientists in a number of fields—physics,
chemistry, pharmacology, medicine, and others—have contributed chapters that
elucidate the nature of the fluctuations and the relationship between
fluctuations and biological functions. The fluctuations discussed in this volume
are detected by the transient grating method, nuclear magnetic resonance, X-ray
diffraction and scattering, and computer simulation, among other methods. The
book presents various results of the studies of fluctuations in biological
processes that were obtained with these methods by the leading scientists in
their fields.