Foreword

With this issue, we begin the sixth year of publication of Current Protein and Peptide Science. The past year has seen several important developments for our journal. We have achieved a first-time citation index impact factor of 1.79, which is very good for a new journal. Authors can be assured that their manuscripts are reaching a wide audience and that they will be cited in other publications. In order to achieve a citation index, all papers must be formatted by the publisher and submitted to Medline for indexing. I want to thank the staff of Bentham Science Publishing for their efforts to handle this effort and to put procedures in place to insure that this will continue. In addition, we published three special Hot Topics issues last year: “Supermolecular Machines and Assemblies”, Volume 5, issue #2, edited by Katherine L.B. Borden and Paul S. Freemont (note that this is the second special issue edited by Dr. Borden); “Ubiquitin-Proteosome Pathway”, Volume 5, issue #3, edited by A. Jennifer Rivett, which assumes special importance with the 2004 Nobel Prize in Chemistry going to Professors Rose, Ciechanover, and Hersko for their seminal work on the Ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation pathway, and “Circular Peptides and Proteins”, Volume 5, issue #5, edited by David J. Craik. All three issues were of very high quality and, combined with the excellent papers published in the three “general” issues, are certain to boost the impact factor further. We plan to publish three more special Hot Topics issues this year, beginning with this issue, organized by Professor Alessandro Tossi on “Host Defense Peptides: Roles and Applications”. We will alternate these special issues and the general issues during 2005. As always, I welcome suggestions for special Hot Topic issues and volunteers to organize them. At the same time, we will continue to call for submissions of regular reviews on topics of interest to protein and peptide scientists. I thank all contributors to the first five volumes of CPPS and look forward to working with many new authors in the future.