title: Preface: special topic on biological water.
abstract: This special issue presents a series of papers that highlight a new and evolving view of water's molecular role in biological structure and dynamics. Increasingly water is appreciated for playing an active role in biological function rather than just serving as a spectator. The areas represented include molecular interfaces with water, biological self-assembly, conformational changes by macromolecules, and chemical reactivity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Theoretical Biophysics, Max Planck Institute of Biophysics, Max-von-Laue-Straße 3, D-60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hummer
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, The Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, and The James Franck Institute, University of Chicago, 929 E. 57th St., Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.
authors.forename: Andrei
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tokmakoff
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001669:Biochemical Phenomena; D006801:Humans; D009696:Nucleic Acids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D009696:Nucleic Acids; D011506:Proteins; D014867:Water