Biophysics and Physicobiology Editors' Choice Award
Biophysics and Physicobiology Editors' Choice Award
日本生物物理学会では、前年にBiophysics and Physicobiology誌に掲載された論文（依頼論文は原則対象外）の中から、編集委員会による選考を経て、生物物理学に寄与するユニークな論文に対して、「Biophysics and Physicobiology Editors' Choice Award」を授与します。
賞の創設経緯はこちら
第4回Biophysics and Physicobiology Editors' Choice Award受賞論文（2017）
"Determination of locked interfaces in biomolecular complexes using Haptimol_RD"
Georgios Iakovou, Stephen Laycock, Steven Hayward
Biophysics and Physicobiology, Vol.13, pp.97-103 (2016)
【授賞理由】
This paper tries to analyze protein interactions in a very unique manner using a virtual reality device. This approach may have a big impact in the field of computational study of protein-protein interactions. This paper, hence, deserves the Editors' Choice Award of Biophysics and Physicobiology, based on its potential impact to the future.
"Conformational shift in the closed state of GroEL induced by ATP-binding triggers a transition to the open state"
Yuka Suzuki, Kei Yura
Biophysics and Physicobiology, Vol.13, pp.127-134 (2016)
【授賞理由】
The authors investigated the roles of ATP hydrolysis in a conformational change from a closed state to an open state of GroEL. They addressed this issue by computer simulations using Elastic Network Model and found that ATP acts as a blockage, which the authors called an insulator, to induce conformational population shift in the closed state to the conformation that has a pathway leading to the open state. This study also suggested that other molecules that resemble ATP in their structure but not in their chemical property can function as insulators for the GroEL conformational change. These results have a potential to be expanded to the studies on a conformational change from the closed state to the open state in other ATP hydrolysis-related proteins. These inspiring results deserve the Editors' Choice Award of Biophysics and Physicobiology.
"Model simulation of the SPOC wave in a bundle of striated myofibrils"
Koutaro Nakagome, Katsuhiko Sato, Seine A. Shintani, Shin’ichi Ishiwata
Biophysics and Physicobiology, Vol.13, pp.217-226 (2016)
【授賞理由】
This paper explains SPOC (spontaneous oscillatory contraction) phenomenon in two-dimensional and three-dimensional myofibril bundles using a computer simulation. This model is an extension of the previous one-dimensional model, by taking the interactions between myofibrils into account. Based on this extended model, SPOC is now understood as a phenomenon brought by highly organized filament structures. This result likely attracts an attention of researchers in the field of muscle contraction as well as those in biophysics and physicobiology. This impact deserves the Editors' Choice Award
"Theoretical Analyses on a Flipping Mechanism of UV-Induced DNA Damage"
Ryuma Sato, Ryuhei Harada, Yasuteru Shigeta
Biophysics and Physicobiology, Vol.13, pp.311-319 (2016)
【授賞理由】
Mechanism of molecular recognition of substrate by enzyme is an important subject in biophysics. In particular, DNA repair enzymes have to find and bind damaged DNA. The authors of this manuscript tackled this fundamental question and successfully described the mechanisms of a base flipping in damaged DNA molecule. The pioneering simulation in this paper is worth awarding the Editors' Choice Award of Biophysics and Physicobiology.
