Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Cation-pi interactions in ligand recognition and catalysis.

Niki Zacharias1, Dennis A Dougherty

  • 1Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.

Trends in Pharmacological Sciences
|June 27, 2002
PubMed
Summary

Cation-pi interactions are crucial noncovalent forces in biology. Understanding these interactions is essential for evaluating drug-receptor binding alongside other forces like hydrogen bonding.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Targeted Mutations Activate Allosteric Modulation of α5-Containing Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors.

ACS chemical neuroscience·2026
Same author

Hydrogel Encapsulation of a Designed Fluorescent Protein Biosensor for Continuous Measurements of Sub-100 nM Nicotine.

ACS applied bio materials·2025
Same author

Continuous Nicotine Monitors for Personal Nicotine Pharmacokinetics: A Receptor-Aware Research Agenda.

Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco·2025
Same author

The Cation-π Interaction in Chemistry and Biology.

Chemical reviews·2025
Same author

Interactive computational and experimental approaches improve the sensitivity of periplasmic binding protein-based nicotine biosensors for measurements in biofluids.

Protein engineering, design & selection : PEDS·2024
Same author

The Prognostic Role of Human Papillomavirus and p16 Status in Penile Squamous Cell Carcinoma-A Systematic Review.

Cancers·2023

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Chemical Biology
  • Structural Biology

Background:

  • Cation-pi interactions are significant noncovalent forces in biological systems.
  • These interactions involve positively charged ions and electron-rich pi systems.
  • They play a role in molecular recognition within proteins.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To provide an overview of documented cases where cation-pi interactions are vital for small-molecule recognition at protein binding sites.
  • To emphasize the importance of considering cation-pi interactions in drug-receptor binding.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature and documented case studies.
  • Analysis of protein-ligand complexes exhibiting cation-pi interactions.
  • Comparative evaluation of binding forces in drug-receptor interactions.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Cation-pi interactions are frequently observed and contribute significantly to the binding of small molecules to proteins.
  • Examples highlight the specific roles of cation-pi interactions in stabilizing protein-ligand complexes.
  • These interactions are demonstrated to be a key factor in molecular recognition.

Conclusions:

  • Cation-pi interactions are a fundamental noncovalent binding force in biological recognition.
  • Alongside hydrophobic effects, hydrogen bonding, and ion pairing, cation-pi interactions are critical for understanding drug-receptor interactions.
  • Future drug design and analysis should incorporate the role of cation-pi interactions.