The Encyclopedia of Molecular Life Sciences is a partnership between the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Springer consisting of 11 volumes focusing on understanding biological phenomena at the level of the molecules and their interactions that govern life processes. Volumes 1 to 4 will focus on genes and genomes, and will contain areas such as DNA Replication, Repair and Recombination, Genes: Structure and Regulation, RNA Structure, Metabolism and Catalysis, Protein Synthesis, Post-translational Modification and Degradation, Transcription, Chromatin and Epigenetics, RNA Mediated Regulation and Non-Coding RNA, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics and Computational Approaches to Structure and Function. Volumes 5-8 will focus on Protein Structure and Function featuring secondary, tertiary and quaternary structure, Protein Folding, Protein Dynamics, Enzyme Catalysis and Regulation, Metabolism and Bioenergetics, Ligand Binding and Protein Interactions, Mechanisms of Signal Transduction, Signal Transduction and Immunity, Molecular Basis of Cell and Developmental Biology, and Signal Transduction and Systems Biology. The focus of Volumes 9 and 10 is on molecular aspects of cell structure and function and will include Glycobiology and Extracellular Matrices, Lipids and Lipoproteins, Membrane Transport, Structure, Function and Biogenesis, Metabolomics and Systems Biology. Volume 11 will explore Unifying Concepts and Theory from Biology, Chemistry and Physics that are foundational for understanding the molecular life sciences together with sections on Teaching Perspectives and Assessment Tools.

Each volume will consist of 4 major sections, each with an overview describing the inter-relatedness of the themes of the section to facets of the molecular life sciences. Each theme will contain a more detailed overview of the theme together with a number of mini-reviews followed by shorter discussions of details and definitions, including appropriate experimental approaches. The information provided in the first ten volumes of the encyclopedia will be linked to key journal articles of primary literature and will offer an overview of the fundamental theories and foundational concepts that underpin the science. In addition to volume editors, each section will have its own section editor who is an established expert in the appropriate field. Contributions to the encyclopedia will come from leading scientists and educators. In the electronic version of the work there will be extensive linking between all parts of the encyclopedia allowing users to transition from simple definitions and contexts to more detailed information and the primary literature that contributed to the science.