Protein structure and function

Proteins are complex molecules, critical for the structure and functioning of all living organisms, but what do we know about the structure and function of proteins themselves? This collection from the Biochemical Society and Portland Press brings you the best research and reviews on protein structures and functions across the molecular life sciences. Those wanting a comprehensive introduction to the topic should read ‘Uncovering protein structure’ from our Understanding Biochemistry series. Digestible mini-reviews explore niche protein functions and tools to study proteins, while in-depth reviews offer new insights into proteins in plants, the central nervous system and Covid-19. With original papers investigating proteins in Parkinson’s disease, E. coli virulence, DNA-binding and more, we hope this collection will have something of interest to everyone. After reading this collection we hope you are inspired to uncover new protein structures and functions and encourage you to check out our beginner’s guides to mass spectrometry–based proteomics and cryogenic electron microscopy.

Banner image from Yao and colleagues (2021) https://doi.org/10.1042/BSR20203495.