Molecular Mechanisms of Retinal Protein Action: Coordination Project

视网膜蛋白作用领域的研究是广泛和跨学科的。虽然在过去的十年中已经取得了一些实验突破，但由于必须开发和测试足够的算法，这些系统的理论处理仍处于起步阶段。此外，像视网膜蛋白质这样的复杂系统的建模需要精确的晶体结构，这在很长一段时间内都无法实现。因此，只有到现在，才能对视网膜蛋白作用的生物物理学基础进行全面的理论分析。考虑到不同的过程及其特定的时间尺度，我们确定了形成Forschergruppe基本概念的主要研究领域。更多的课题和实验组的输入由外部合作提供。在下一节中，我们将对项目的具体建模需求进行评论；其余部分将概述所涉及主题的方法学方面。

Research in the field of retinal protein action is wide and interdisciplinary. While the last decade has witnessed a number of experimental break-throughs the theoretical treatment of these systems is still in its infancy due to the fact that adequate algorithms have had to be developed and tested. Moreover, modeling complex systems like retinal proteins needs accurate crystal structures which have not been available for a long time. It is therefore only now that a comprehensive theoretical analysis of the biophysics underlying retinal protein action can be attempted. With the different processes and their specific time scales in mind we have identified major research areas which form the basic concept of the Forschergruppe. More topics and the input from experimental groups are provided by external cooperations. In the next section we comment on the specific modeling requirements of the project; the remaining sections will provide an overview of the methodological aspects of the topics to be covered.