title: Molecular recognition models: a challenge to overcome.
abstract: Molecular recognition process describes the interaction involving two molecules. In the case of biomolecules, these pairs of molecules could be protein-protein, protein-ligand or protein-nucleic acid. The first model to capture the essential features, behind the molecular recognition problem, was the lock-and-key paradigm. The overall analysis protein-protein, protein-nucleic acid and protein-ligand interaction based on the three-dimensional structures and physicochemical parameters, such as binding affinity, opened the possibility to provide further insights in this basic phenomenon. The main ideas behind the molecular recognition are discussed in the present review.
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Biociências, Laboratório de Bioquímica Estrutural, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rafael Andrade
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Caceres
authors.forename: Ivani
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pauli
authors.forename: Luís Fernando Saraiva Macedo
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Timmers
authors.forename: Walter Filgueira
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: de Azevedo
mesh_terms: D015195:Drug Design; D006860:Hydrogen Bonding; D008024:Ligands; D008958:Models, Molecular; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D013816:Thermodynamics
chemical_list: D008024:Ligands; D011506:Proteins