An Analysis of Journal Use by Structural Biologists with Applications for Journal Collection Development Decisions

422 College & Research Libraries September 2001 An Analysis of Journal Use by Structural Biologists with Applications for Journal Collection Development Decisions Claudia Lascar and Loren D. Mendelsohn This paper defines and examines structural biology as a subdiscipline of molecular biology. Using bibliometric methodologies, it analyzes the publication and citation patterns of a sample group of structural biolo gists from multiple institutions. The citations analyzed covered a very large subject range, demonstrating the multidisciplinary nature of this subfield. The results were consistent with several models for journal selection. These models were used to compile a short list of specialized titles supporting structural biology. Although the research was performed on a relatively small group of local researchers, it has broader applica tions for other institutions attempting to develop similar collections. n December 1998, several re • They had to be familiar to these search institutions in New same scientists (i.e., at least some of the York State formed a consor resources had to be materials that the sci tium to promote research in entists were already using at their home protein and nucleic acid structure.1 The institutions). City College, one of the senior colleges of For the purposes of the plan, these re the CUNY system, was chosen to be the sources were limited to two categories: site for the consortium’s magnetic reso print and online research journals (the nance research laboratory. This facility focus of this paper), and online indexing was to be designated the Center for Struc and abstracting services. Thus, this re tural Biology (hereinafter referred to as search is focused on determining an ap “the Center”). In early 1999, the City Col propriate model based on bibliometric lege Library was asked to develop a plan methodologies for accurately identifying for the support of the scientists, drawn such resources. from all of the participating institutions, who would be using this new facility. What Is Structural Biology? Thus, the authors needed to identify key The first part of the task was a matter of library resources, both print and online, definition: A working definition of struc that had the following characteristics: tural biology had to be established. To do • They had to be useful to those who this, the authors examined its development would be using the Center’s research fa as a subdiscipline of molecular biology and cilities. the related discipline of biochemistry. Claudia Lascar is Science Reference Librarian and Loren D. Mendelsohn is Chief of the Science/Engineer ing Library at the City College of New York; e-mail: [email protected] and [email protected], respectively. 422 An Analysis of Journal Use by Structural Biologists 423 Molecular biology and biochemistry which was concerned with the storage both attempt to understand the physico and expression of genetic information in chemical basis of life, but from different nucleic acids. Key events in the advance perspectives. Traditionally, biochemistry ment of this school were the breakthrough has sought to understand the nature of discovery by James Watson and Francis chemical reactions within the cell and is Crick of the double-stranded helical struc concerned primarily with transformation ture of DNA in 1953 and the determina of small molecules (twenty to thirty at tion of the genetic code by Marshall oms) in living systems and the transfor Nirenberg and Severo Ochoa in the early mation of energy within living systems. 1960s. The entire field of genetic engineer Although biochemistry has some concern ing is based on this school, whose great for large molecules (macromolecules) and est achievement to date has been the map ping of the human genome, which was accomplished in 2000. Kendrew called the One of the main advantages of NMR second discipline the conformational methods is that they do not require crystals; they are performed on school, which was concerned primarily solutions. with the relationship between molecular structure and function in the living cell. This discipline became known as struc their structure, such concern is limited to tural molecular biology or, simply, struc the role they play in the chemistry of the tural biology. The ultimate goal of struc smaller molecules. Biochemists tend to tural biology is to determine how to pre use classical methods of chemistry to dict protein structures and functions from carry out their investigations. Molecular the information stored on nucleic acids. biology, on the other hand, is concerned Structural biology pursues this goal by with the interrelationships between the establishing correlations between the lev structure and function of the macromol els of structural organization of biologi ecules in living systems (i.e., proteins, cal macromolecules (primarily proteins polysaccharides and nucleic acids). Mo and nucleic acids). Christopher M. Smith lecular biology was an outgrowth of bio wrote a useful discussion of how this pro chemistry, virology, genetics, and cell bi cedure has been applied to proteins in ology; in its beginnings, it relied heavily recent years.3 The first level of organiza on X-ray crystallography and quantum tion is the primary structure. Biological mechanical studies. John C. Kendrew macromolecules are polymers: long gave an excellent summary definition of chains of small molecules (monomers) molecular biology and how it differs from bonded together. The primary structure biochemistry: is the order in which the monomers are strung together—the amino acid (or pep- What is characteristic, however, and tide) sequence for proteins and the nucle what may perhaps serve to differ otide sequence for nucleic acids. Second entiate it from biochemistry, is the ary structure refers to the folding or coil emphasis and reliance in molecular ing of the original polymer chains by the biology on concepts derived from, means of hydrogen bonds (the double and only derivable from, a knowl helix in the case of DNA or the alpha he edge of complex three-dimensional lix and beta sheet in the case of polypep structures.2 tide chains of proteins). The tertiary struc ture refers to how these secondary struc Kendrew further argued that molecu tures fold upon themselves to form larger lar biology could be broken into two sub structural units, such as the supercoiling disciplines, each of which developed in for DNA or the arrangement of the alpha relative isolation from the other. He called helix and beta sheet regions for polypep one discipline the informational school, tides. Some proteins have a quaternary 424 College & Research Libraries September 2001 structure, in which a number of polypep enough to use with this technique. The tide chains, each having its own tertiary work of Linus Pauling on bond angles structure, aggregate to form one large and atomic distances in the late 1940s con molecule. siderably simplified the entire process, The structure of nucleic acids is rela but the process still remained quite diffi tively simple in comparison with the cult. The first correlation of structure with structures of proteins. Nucleic acids are function was achieved by David C. made up of linear sugar-phosphate back Phillips in 1965, when he determined the bones with regular repeating structures structure of lysozyme (an antibacterial of only four monomers. The variations in enzyme present in egg white and many sequence can be enormous, but the struc human secretions) and proposed a tures remain relatively similar because the mechanism based on that structure. monomers are chemically similar. In the Philips published a useful summary of his case of DNA, two of these linear mol ecules are joined together to form the The majority of structural biology double-helix structure elucidated by journal titles were distributed Watson and Crick. This simpler structure among two categories: Biochemistry is in keeping with the more limited func and Molecular Biology, and Biophys tion of nucleic acids, which (with a very ics. few exceptions) serve only to store and transfer information. By contrast, proteins work in 1966.4 By 1970, only eleven struc have very complicated structures. They tures had been solved.5 Over the years, are composed of long linear polypeptide improvements in instrumentation, crys chains. The monomers that make up these tallization techniques, and methods of chains are twenty very diverse amino ac data processing have considerably expe ids. The chemical diversity of these amino dited the determination of such struc acid monomers results in an enormous tures. Instrumentation improved as a re diversity of structure and an equally huge sult of the development of more intense diversity of function. This diversity of X-ray sources, such as synchrotron radia structure is necessitated by the role that tion. Crystallization became considerably proteins play, catalyzing virtually all of simpler with the application of recombi the chemical functions of life and serving nant DNA techniques, which greatly sim many structural and mechanical func plified the process of obtaining large ho tions as well. mogeneous protein samples. With more intense X-ray sources and larger crystals, Beginnings of Structural Biology researchers were able to increase the reso Structural biology emerged in the late lution of the technique, enabling them to 1930s when it became possible to deter determine with relative precision the lo mine the

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