Rapid progress has been made in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of cell growth and oncogenesis during the past decade. Special attention has been given to the presentation of the frequently neglected close correlation between changes in signal transduction and metabolic pathways during oncogenesis. This book advances the knowledge of mechanisms regulating metabolism and functioning of vitamin A and offers the most recent results of research on the clinical efficiency of retinoids in skin disorders and cancer. The book presents recent findings on the regulation of cell growth in normal and neoplastic tissues by growth factors including hormones, and by the activation and inactivation of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes, respectively. It also offers a survey of the molecular and cell biochemistry of retinoids. Basic researchers in biochemistry, pharmacology and cell biology as well as clinicians will find this book very informative and up-to-date. This book advances the knowledge of mechanisms regulating metabolism and functioning of vitamin A and offers the most recent results of research on clinical efficiency of retinoids in skin disorders and cancer. Basic researchers in biochemistry, pharmacology, cell biology, and clinicians will find this book very informative and up-to-date. The chapters, organized in six sections, are contributed by leading scientists who have been working in the retinoid field for decades. Their experience and competence is aknowledged worldwide.

This book covers structure, function, and important roles of the SH domains, structure-function relationships, the versatile nature of their action, mechanisms of aggregation, specificity of interactions, impact of mutations on protein functional dysregulation, and cell signaling. Their involvement in various cellular processes such as migration, invasiveness, actin reorganization, shaping spines, determination of the morphology assembly of fibrils, and mechanotransduction makes these molecules attractive drug targets. Substrates, inhibitors and activators of PTKs present a wide variety of therapeutic agents in the context of delivering treatments for numerous pathologies. The new emerging field of stem cell therapies and design of biomaterials for treatments relies on the directed regulation of stem cell growth, differentiation and morphology, as well as the production of biomimetic scaffolds that respond to programmed signals. Advances in deciphering the mechanisms of action of these important molecules will lead to the implementation and success of their vital applications.

This volume emphasizes methods for the assay, purification, and characterization of adenylyl cyclases, guanine nucleotide-dependent regulatory proteins (G proteins), and guanylyl cyclases.
Key Features
* Adenylyl cyclase: determination of activity
* Preparation of materials useful in purification of components of hormonally responsive cyclase systems
* Purification guanine nucleotide-dependent regulatory proteins
* Purification and characterization of g proteins: labeling and quantitating of G proteins
* Reconstitution guanylyl cyclase: assay
* Preparation of materials used for study of the cyclase
* Purification
* Regulation

This book is a passionate account of the scientific breakthroughs that led to the solution of the first protein structures and to the understanding of their function at atomic resolution. The book is divided into self-standing chapters that each deal with a protein or protein family. The subject is presented in a fluid, non-technical style that will engage student and scientists in biochemistry, biophysics, molecular and structure biology and physiology.

This book is a unique cross fertilization of aquatic ecology and aquaculture. It shows how diets structure the digestive tract and its microbiota and, in turn, the microbiota influences life history traits of its host, including behavior. Short-term starvation can have beneficial effects on individuals themselves and succeeding generations which may acquire multiple stress resistances - a mechanism strengthening the persistence of populations. From terrestrial, but not yet from aquatic animals, it is understood that circadian the rhythmicity makes toxins or good food. On the long-term, the dietary basis impacts succeeding generations and can trigger a sympatric speciation by (epi)-genetics. This volume defines gaps in nutritional research and practice of farmed fishes and invertebrates by referring to knowledge from marine and freshwater biology. It also points out that dietary benefits and deficiencies have effects on several succeeding generations, indicating that well designed diets may have the potential to successfully improve broodstock and breeding effort.

This volume looks the current advanced protocols used to study aspects of the B cell receptor (BCR). The chapters in this book cover topics such as the mutant of BCR repertoire to understand antibody evolution; interactions between B cells and viruses; mechanical force during BCR activation; B cell signaling using flow cytometry; confocal microscopy, total internal reflection microscopy and intravital two-photon microscopy; and the methods used to study critical cell components related with B cell activation. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Cutting-edge and practical, B Cell Receptor Signaling: Methods and Protocols is a valuable resource for everyone in the scientific community currently working in the B cell field.

Retinoids have received considerable attention in recent years and due cognizance has been given to their versatility as biological response modifiers, as evidenced by the virtually explosive growth of literature in this field in the past few years. This volume has been designed to give a current state-of-the-art picture of retinoids. The perceived potential of retinoids in the treatment of certain disease stated has initiated attempts at identifying and synthesizing new retinoid derivatives with definable and selective effects on aberrant biological phenomena. Appropriately, therefore, we begin with the chemistry of retinoids and their derivatives together with discussions of their biological activity. Major advances have been made in understanding the mechanisms by which retinoids modulate physiological and phenotypic traits of cells. The transduction of retinoid signaling by the mediation of nuclear receptors of the steroid/thyroid receptor superfamily has now been studied extensively and the cloning and defining the characteristics of these receptors has been a focus of discussion in this volume. Retinoids also markedly modulate the transduction of extracellular signals such as those imparted by growth factors and hormones, and thus actively influence and control cellular proliferative patterns. Retinoids can alter epidermal growth factor receptor expression (Kawaguchi et al., 1994), responsiveness to thyroid hormone (Esfandiari et al., 1994; Pallet et al., 1994), inhibit the proliferative responses of hematopoietic progenitor cells to granulocyte colony stimulating factor (Smeland et al., 1994), and modulate secretion on interleukins by leukaemic cells (Balitrand et al., 1994), among other things. This has obvious implications for pharmacological manipulation of deregulated growth (Dickens and Colletta, 1993; Mulshine et al., 1993). Apoptosis is another component in the regulation of growth control. Apoptotic cell death is influenced by several agents and retinoids may function by interfering with apoptotic pathways of regulation of growth control and quite legitimately, therefore, the importance of this aspect of retinoid function has been duly recognized here.

This volume covers some of the most widely used protocols on nanocanonical amino acids, providing details and advice for users to get each method up and running for their chosen application. Chapters have been divided into three parts describing methods for protein production in the test tube, in prokaryotes, and in eukaryotes. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Noncanonical Amino Acids: Methods and Protocols aims to provide readers with techniques that enable them to design new experiments and create new areas of research.

This volume contains refereed manuscripts prepared from presentations made at the 27th annual meeting of the International Society on Oxygen Transport to Tissue (ISOTT). The meeting was held in Hanover, NH, USA, at Dartmouth Medical School.

Amino Acids, Peptides and Proteins comprises a comprehensive and critical review of significant developments at the biology/chemistry interface. Compiled by leading researchers in their subject, this volume incorporates current trends and emerging areas for example new bioconjugates of metal complexes with peptides and derivatization of peptides for improved detection by mass spectrometry. Appealing broadly to researchers in academia and industry, it will be of great benefit to any researcher wanting a succinct reference to developments now and looking to the future.

The aim of this book is to show how supramolecular complexity of cell organization can dramatically alter the functions of individual macromolecules within a cell. The emergence of new functions which appear as a consequence of supramolecular complexity, is explained in terms of physical chemistry.
The book is interdisciplinary, at the border between cell biochemistry, physics and physical chemistry. This interdisciplinarity does not result in the use of physical techniques but from the use of physical concepts to study biological problems.
In the domain of complexity studies, most works are purely theoretical or based on computer simulation. The present book is partly theoretical, partly experimental and theory is always based on experimental results. Moreover, the book encompasses in a unified manner the dynamic aspects of many different biological fields ranging from dynamics to pattern emergence in a young embryo.
The volume puts emphasis on dynamic physical studies of biological events. It also develops, in a unified perspective, this new interdisciplinary approach of various important problems of cell biology and chemistry, ranging from enzyme dynamics to pattern formation during embryo development, thus paving the way to what may become a central issue of future biology.

This two-volume set takes an in-depth look at stress signaling in plants from a uniquely genomic and proteomic perspective and offers a comprehensive treatise that covers all of the signaling pathways and mechanisms that have been researched so far. Currently, plant diseases, extreme weather caused by climate change, drought and an increase in metals in soil are amongst the major limiting factors of crop production worldwide. They devastate not only the food supply but also the economy of a nation. With global food scarcity in mind, there is an urgent need to develop crop plants with increased stress tolerance so as to meet the global food demands and to preserve the quality of our planet. In order to do this, it is necessary to understand how plants react and adapt to stress from the genomic and proteomic perspective. Plants adapt to stress conditions by activating cascades of molecular mechanisms, which result in alterations in gene expression and synthesis of protective proteins. From the perception of the stimulus to the transduction of the signal, followed by an appropriate cellular response, the plants employ a complex network of primary and secondary messenger molecules. Cells exercise a large number of noticeably distinct signaling pathways to regulate their activity. In order to contend with different environmental adversities, plants have developed a series of mechanisms at the physiological, cellular and molecular levels that respond to stress. Each chapter in this volume provides an in-depth explanation of what we currently know of a particular aspect of stress signaling and where we are heading. Together with the highly successful first volume, Stress Signaling in Plants: Genomics and Proteomics Perspective, Volume 2 covers an important aspect of plant biology for both students and seasoned researchers.

Documents the confused early history of DNA, RNA and proteins - a transformative history of molecular biology like no other. Integrates the influences of biochemistry and genetics on the landscape of molecular biology. Chronicles the important discoveries, preconceptions and misconceptions that retarded or misdirected progress. Highlights major pioneers and contributors to molecular biology, with a focus on RNA and noncoding DNA. Summarizes the mounting evidence for the central roles of non-protein-coding RNA in cell and developmental biology. Provides a thought-provoking retrospective and forward-looking perspective for advanced students and professional researchers.

Biocidal polymers are designed to inhibit or kill microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi and protozoans. This book summarizes recent findings in the synthesis, modification and characterization of various antimicrobial polymers ranging from plastics and elastomers to biomimetic and biodegradable polymers. Modifications with different antimicrobial agents as well as antimicrobial testing methods are described in a comprehensive manner.

This volume introduces bioinformatics research methods for proteins, with special focus on protein post-translational modifications (PTMs) and networks. This book is organized into four parts and covers the basic framework and major resources for analysis of protein sequence, structure, and function; approaches and resources for analysis of protein PTMs, protein-protein interactions (PPIs) and protein networks, including tools for PPI prediction and approaches for the construction of PPI and PTM networks; and bioinformatics approaches in proteomics, including computational methods for mass spectrometry-based proteomics and integrative analysis for alternative splice isoforms, for functional discovery. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory or computational protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Cutting-edge and thorough, Protein Bioinformatics: From Protein Modifications and Networks to Proteomics is a valuable resource for readers who wish to learn about state-of-the-art bioinformatics databases and tools, novel computational methods, and future trends in protein and proteomic data analysis in systems biology. This book is useful to researchers who work in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, and in various academic departments, such as biological and medical sciences and computer sciences and engineering.

General Description of the Series:
The critically acclaimed laboratory standard for more than forty years, Methods in Enzymology is one of the most highly respected publications in the field of biochemistry. Since 1955, each volume has been eagerly awaited, frequently consulted, and praised by researchers and reviewers alike. Now with more than 300 volumes (all of them still in print), the series contains much material still relevant today--truly an essential publication for researchers in all fields of life sciences.
Key Features
* Cell cycle regulators in mammalian systems
* Cell cycle control in yeast and fungal systems
* Analysis of cell cycle regulators in oocyte, egg, and embryonic systems, as well as general methods

This book will address the growing roles of epigenetics in disease pathogenesis, and review the contribution of epigenetic modifications to disease onset and progression. The roles that epigenetics plays in facilitating effects of the environment on allergy and immunologic diseases will be reviewed. The book is divided into three parts - the first is an introduction to epigenetics and the methods that have been developed to study epigenetics, the second addresses epigenetics in allergic diseases and the third part will cover epigenetics in autoimmune diseases. With the rapid expansion of knowledge of how genes are regulated and how this regulation affects disease phenotypes, this book will be attractive to experienced researchers as well as those just launching an epigenetics research program. It will also be of interest to allergist, immunologists, rheumatologists and dermatologist who are engaged in clinical practice as a resource for understanding the basis for personalized and precision medicine. For example, the role that epigenetics plays in the pathogenesis in various allergic and autoimmune disorders and how this determines disease phenotypes will be covered extensively in this book. This book will thus help fill the gap in available resources on epigenetics in allergy and autoimmune diseases.

This volume offers a careful selection of trend-setting topics in the field. In-depth review articles illustrate current trends in the field. Experienced experts present a comprehensive overview concerning the electrochemical biosensing of glucose for diabetes care from an industrial research and development perspective a survey of bioassay applications for individually addressable electrochemical arrays, focusing on liquid-phase bioanalytical assays a review of recent advances in the development of electronic tongues based on the use of biosensor arrays coupled with advanced chemometric data analysis novel strategies of DNA biosensor development and corresponding applications for studies of DNA damage a survey of recent trends in the electrochemistry of redox proteins, including the increasing diversity of redox proteins used in electrochemical studies, novel immobilization strategies, and biosensor / biofuel cell applications an overview of electrochemical sensing of blood gases with advanced sensor concepts a survey of recent bioelectroanalytical studies with high spatial resolution using scanning electrochemical microscopy with a wide range of applications covering imaging of living cells, studies of metabolic activity, imaging of local enzyme activity, and studies of transport through biolayers This timely collection will be of interest not only for experts in the field, but also to students and their teachers in disciplines that include analytical chemistry, biology, electrochemistry, and various interdisciplinary research areas.

This second edition volume expands on the previous edition with an update on the latest developments in the field and new techniques used to study secondary and supersecondary structures (SSS) in proteins. Chapters in this book discuss topics such as sequence and structural features of different SSS elements; software used for the automatic annotation of secondary structure elements in proteins; the new developments in secondary and SSS prediction and the modern approaches for energy landscape calculation; protein misfolding and amyloid structural formation; analysis of 'transformer proteins'; discovery of the structure of the hydrophobic nucleus; and discussions of the main principles of protein structures formation. The contributing authors of the volume are the eminent experts in the field of protein research and bioinformatics. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Cutting-edge and authoritative, Protein Supersecondary Structures: Methods and Protocols, Second Edition is a valuable resource for researchers who are interested in learning more about the relationship between amino acids sequences and protein structures, the evolution of proteins and the dynamics of protein formation.

Recent advances in protein structural biology, coupled with new developments in human genetics, have opened the door to understanding the molecular basis of many metabolic, physiological, and developmental processes in human biology. Medical pathologies, and their chemical therapies, are increasingly being described at the molecular level. For single-gene diseases, and some multi-gene conditions, identification of highly correlated genes immediately leads to identification of covalent structures of the actual chemical agents of the disease, namely the protein gene products. Once the primary sequence of a protein is ascertained, structural biologists work to determine its three-dimensional, biologically active structure, or to predict its probable fold and/or function by comparison to the data base of known protein structures. Similarly, three-dimensional structures of proteins produced by microbiological pathogens are the subject of intense study, for example, the proteins necessary for maturation of the human HIV virus. Once the three-dimensional structure of a protein is known or predicted, its function, as well as potential binding sites for drugs that inhibit its function, become tractable questions. The medical ramifications of the burgeoning results of protein structural biology, from gene replacement therapy to "rational" drug design, are well recognized by researchers in biomedical areas, and by a significant proportion of the general population. The purpose of this book is to introduce biomedical scientists to important areas of protein structural biology, and to provide an insightful orientation to the primary literature that shapes the field in each subject.
The chapters in this volume cover aspects of protein structural biology which have led to the recognition of fundamental relationships between protein structure and function.

Today's consumers are looking for food products with health-promoting roles in addition to nutritional benefits. With current research showing that nutraceuticals and functional foods rich in specific bioactives may have chemopreventative effects, these products are increasingly popular. However, while much in the literature supports the health-promoting features of these foods, few texts focus on their bioactive agents and their mode of action in cancer signaling. Nutraceuticals and Cancer Signalling: Clinical Aspects and Mode of Action explains the link between nutraceuticals and cancer in terms of clinical trials and modes of action. This book gives an overview of common cancers and their mechanisms, and the most common functional foods and their bioactive components. Individual chapters focus on specific functional foods--including tomatoes, garlic, honey, tea, yoghurt, and many more--their prominent bioactive compounds, and their mode of action in cancer signaling and chemoprevention. Recent findings on cancer-prevention roles of different vitamins and minerals are also discussed. For food scientists, nutritionists, and pharmaceutical experts looking to understand how functional foods can play a role in fighting cancer, this text serves as a one-stop reference.

This detailed volume explores the continuing techniques of studying RNA-protein complexes and interactions as research in these areas expand. After an introductory chapter, the book continues with ways to purify RNA-protein complexes assembled in cells or in isolated cellular extracts, methods for measuring various biochemical activities of RNA-interacting proteins or ribonucleoproteins, biochemical methods for measuring direct RNA-protein contact, as well as various new or innovative methods pertinent to the subject. Written for the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, chapters contain brief introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and up-to-date, RNA-Protein Complexes and Interactions: Methods and Protocols provides a set of useful protocols, both basic and advanced, designed to inspire researchers working with RNA and RNA-interacting proteins.

Epidemiology and Carcinogenesis.- Evidence from Animal Studies for the Carcinogenicity of Inhaled Diesel Exhaust.- Interpretation of Carcinogenicity and Effective Dose in Chronic Exposures of Rats to High Diesel Exhaust Concentrations.- Carcinogenicity of Dinitroarenes in Rat Lung.- In Vivo Metabolism and Genotoxic Effects of the Air Pollutant and Marker for Nitro-PAH's, 2-Nitrofluorene.- Chemistry, Detection, and Occurrence.- Nitroarenes: Their Detection, Mutagenicity and Occurrence in the Environment.- The Atmospheric Formation of Nitroarenes and Their Occurrence in Ambient Air.- Metabolism of 1-Nitropyrene Oxides and Effect of Nitrogen Dioxide on Arene Activation.- Molecular Mechanisms.- Mutagenic and Biochemical Consequences of the Reaction of Arylamines with DNA.- Mutagenesis Induced by a Single Acetylaminofluorene Adduct within the Narl Site is Position Dependent.- Unusual Hydrogen Bonding Patterns in 2-Aminofluorene (AF) and 2-Acetylaminofluorene (AAF) Modified DNA.- DNA Adduct Formation during Chronic Administration of an Aromatic Amine.- Aerial Oxidation of Acetylaminofluorene-Derived DNA Adducts.- Mutations and Homologous Recombination Induced by N-Substituted Aryl Compounds in Mammalian Cells.- Comparison of the Mutagenic Potency of DNA Adducts Formed by Reactive Derivatives of Aflatoxin, Benzidine and 1-Nitropyrene in a Plasmid System.- Mutations Induced in the lacI Gene of E. coli by 1-Nitroso-8-Nitropyrene and Furylfuramide: The Influence of Plasmid pKM101 and Excision Repair on the Mutational Spectrum.- DNA Adduct Formation by 1-Nitropyrene 4,5- and 9,10-Oxide.- Nitropolycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Diesel Exhaust: Potential Role of DNA Binding in Carcinogenicity.- Validation/Application of 32?-Postlabeling Analysis for the Detection of DNA Adducts Resulting from Complex Air Pollution Sources Containing PAHs and Nitrated PAHs.- Analysis of NO2-PAH DNA Adducts by Mass Spectrometry.- Metabolism.- Generation of Reactive Intermediates from 2-Nitrofluorene that Bind Covalently to DNA, RNA and Protein In Vitro and In Vivo in the Rat.- Activation of Carcinogenic N-Arylhydroxamic Acids by Peroxidase/H2O2/Halide Systems: Route to C-Nitroso Aromatics.- Biochemical Studies on the Putative Nitroso Metabolite of Chloramphenicol: A New Model for the Cause of Aplastic Anemia.- Mechanisms of FANFT/ANFT Induced Bladder Cancer.- Mutagenic Arylazides, Arylnitrenes, Arylnitrenium Ions.- Products Obtained by In Vitro Reaction of 4,5-Epoxy4,5-Dihydro-1-Nitropyrene with DNA.- Oxidative Metabolism of Nitrated Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Mammalian Cell Fractions.- Metabolic Activation of 6-Nitrochrysene and 6-Aminochrysene In Vitro and In Vivo.- Summary.- The Possible Role of Nitroarenes in Human Cancer.- Abstracts Presented at the Meeting.- Contributor Index.

The papers assembled in this volume were originally presented at the joint meeting of the Phytochemical Society of North America and the Mid-Atlantic Plant Molecular Biology Society, in August 2000. The symposium from which these chapters were prepared was entitled ""Regulation of Phytochemicals by Molecular Techniques"" and was organised by James Saunders and Ben Matthews. This joint meeting was timely because of recent landmark advances in molecular biology and genomics as well as the renewed interest in phytochemistry as a rich source of nutraceuticals, drugs, and alternatives to synthetic agriculture pesticides. Progress in genome sequencing in plants such as Arabidopsis and rice has been remarkable, as have expressed sequence tag (EST) projects in other plants, including maize and soybean. Recently, private and public sector participants of the Human Genome Project announced that a rough draft of the human genome has been constructed. These advances directly influence phytochemical investigations by providing both insight and tools for exploring and manipulating genomes.
The chapters cover a wide range of applications from molecular biology to phytochemistry, and from basic studies on promoters and gene expression to pathway regulation and engineering with transformed plants. A number of noteworthy aspects emerge from this volume: applications of molecular biology to phytochemical practical problems are succeeding; newly emerging molecular tools promise to open new doors to discovery; and remarkable progress has already occurred in phytochemical pathway engineering.