Microbial Phenazines: Biosynthesis, Agriculture and Health focuses on phenazines, a group of upwards of a hundred nitrogen-containing redox-active heterocyclic compounds of bacterial origin that have long attracted scientific interest because of their colorful pigmentation. Our understanding of these fascinating natural products and their role in human health and the environment has advanced rapidly in recent years, but we are only now beginning to be able to exploit the potential of these compounds in such fields as agriculture and medicine. This volume includes information on the biochemistry and genetics of phenazine synthesis, the physiological effects of phenazines, and methods for the isolation and identification of phenazines with the aid of spectroscopic and electrophoretic techniques. Also included are chapters focused on the roots of phenazine research in the biological control of plant pathogens and recent knowledge of the diversity of phenazine-producing microorganisms and the environments in which they occur. A final chapter addresses the potential of phenazines in the treatment of cancer.

This volume explores various methodologies to study biochemical, molecular, and cellular biology aspects of some processes regulated by protein SUMOylation. SUMO: Methods and Protocols is organized into four parts, and starts with an historical overview on protein SUMOylation and a presentation of the methods included in the book. The first part also includes a review on chromatin regulation by dynamic SUMO modifications. The second part focuses on in vitro techniques, including biochemical methods to study mechanistic aspects of protein SUMOylation. The third part includes protocols to be used with cell cultures, which often are the first approaches used in most laboratories. The final part includes methodologies adapted for the analysis in vivo using distinct model organisms. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include a brief introduction to the subject, a list of necessary materials and reagents, a step-by-step reproducible laboratory protocol ending with a Notes section on troubleshooting tips, and tips and strategies to avoid known pitfalls. Unique and cutting-edge, SUMO: Methods and Protocols provides a comprehensive source of protocols for specialists and researchers not familiar with this vital system.

The series Topics in Heterocyclic Chemistry presents critical reviews on present and future trends in the research of heterocyclic compounds. Overall the scope is to cover topics dealing with all areas within heterocyclic chemistry, both experimental and theoretical, of interest to the general heterocyclic chemistry community. The series consists of topic related volumes edited by renowned editors with contributions of experts in the field.

The entire range of the developmental processes in plants is regulated by a shift in the hormonal concentration, tissue sensitivity and their interaction with the factors operating around them. Out of the recognized hormones, attention has largely been focused on five - Auxins, Gibberellins, Cytokinin, Abscisic acid and Ethylene. However, the information about the most recent group of phytohormone (Brassinosteroids) has been incorporated in this book. This volume includes a selection of newly written, integrated, illustrated reviews describing our knowledge of Brassinosteroids and aims to describe them at the present time. Various chapters incorporate both theoretical and practical aspects and may serve as baseline information for future researches through which significant developments are possible. This book will be useful to the students, teachers and researchers, both in universities and research institutes, especially in relation to biological and agricultural sciences.

Plants possess the ability to biosynthesize a large variety of steroids, but it was not until 1979 that a hormonal function was demonstrated in plants. Today, about 40 structurally and functionally related steroids, known as brassinosteroids, have been isolated from natural sources. Brassinosteroids demonstrate various kinds of regulatory activities in the growth and development of plants. This book is based on a 1990 Russian monograph, but includes all important subsequent literature and developments, including unpublished data from the authors' laboratories.
Key Features
* BRASSINOSTEROIDS: A New Class of Plant Hormones covers:
* Structures and classification
* Isolation and spectroscopic determination
* Biosynthesis and metabolism
* Natural product synthesis
* Physiological mode of action
* Structure-activity relationships
* Practical applications in agriculture

In Silico Chemistry and Biology: Current and Future Prospects provides a compact overview on recent advances in this highly dynamic branch of chemistry. Various methods of protein modelling and computer-assisted drug design are presented, including fragment- and ligand-based approaches. Many successful practical applications of these techniques are demonstrated. The authors also look to the future and describe the main challenges of the field.

The critically acclaimed laboratory standard, 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. The series contains much material still relevant today - truly an essential publication for researchers in all fields of life sciences.

This volume on iron-sulfur proteins includes chapters that describe the initial discovery of iron-sulfur proteins in the 1960s to elucidation of the roles of iron sulfur clusters as prosthetic groups of enzymes, such as the citric acid cycle enzyme, aconitase, and numerous other proteins, ranging from nitrogenase to DNA repair proteins. The capacity of iron sulfur clusters to accept and delocalize single electrons is explained by basic chemical principles, which illustrate why iron sulfur proteins are uniquely suitable for electron transport and other activities. Techniques used for detection and stabilization of iron-sulfur clusters, including EPR and Mossbauer spectroscopies, are discussed because they are important for characterizing unrecognized and elusive iron sulfur proteins. Recent insights into how nitrogenase works have arisen from multiple advances, described here, including studies of high-resolution crystal structures.

The critically acclaimed laboratory standard for forty years, Methods in Enzymology is one of the most highly respected publications in the field of biochemistry. Since 1955, each volume has been eagerlyawaited, frequently consulted, and praised by researchers and reviewers alike. More than 250 volumes have been published (all of them still in print) and much of the material is relevant even today--truly an essential publication for researchers in all fields of life sciences.
Key Features
* Methods for the quantitation of apolipoproteins related to cardiovascular disease
* Problems of lipoprotein heterogeneity and quantitation
* Apolipoproteins B-100 and B-48, timely because of current interest in post-prandial lipoproteins and their contribution to risk for atherosclerosis and coronary disease

This thesis examines the evidence for regulatory ubiquitination by focusing on A20. It provides an insightful and in-depth evaluation of the current literature by critically examining the evidence of K63-linked regulatory ubiquitination in regulating cell-signalling. It is also the first thesis to directly test the role of regulatory ubiquitination in NF-kB signaling in vivo. The case for regulatory ubiquitination has been to a large extent predicated upon the presumed deubiquitinase activity of A20, long considered a key regulator of inflammatory responses as mice lacking A20 die from multi-organ inflammation and cachexia. The theses reports the creation and characterization of a knock-in mouse that expresses a mutated form of A20 which selectively lacks the deubiquitinase activity. The knock-in mice surprisingly display completely normal NF- B activation with no accompanying inflammatory phenotype. Given that the presumed role of A20 as a deubiquitinase has been used to support the importance of regulatory K63-linked ubiquitination in NF-kB signaling, this study will help focus future research efforts into alternative target pathways that do not depend on K63 ubiquitination. In fact, the work suggests that it might be important to revisit the role of K63-linked polyubiquitination in cell-signalling. Ubiquitin Chains: Degradation and Beyond is essential reading for anyone conducting research in cell-signalling and immunology. Dr. Arnab De received his PhD from the Department of Microbiology & Immunology at Columbia University. During his PhD, he developed transgenic mice to study the mechanism of action of a critical tumor-suppressor called A20. He is also well known for having developed peptide-based prodrugs as therapeutics for diabetes. His work has been reported by the media, and has resulted in multiple patents and publications in peer reviewed journals. He presented his findings at the American Peptide Symposium and was awarded the Young Investigator's Award. He is the author of the book entitled Application of Peptide-Based Prodrug Chemistry in Drug Development, with a foreword written by Professor Jean Martinez (Former President, European Peptide Society) and published in the series SpringerBriefs in Pharmaceutical Science & Drug Development. His research interests lie at the intersection of chemistry and medicine. Besides biomedical research, he is also generally interested in public health policy and general scientific outreach.

Photoswitching Proteins: Methods and Protocols, focuses on proven applications of photoswitching proteins in cell and neurobiology. Optical approaches have been mostly embraced by the neurosciences to allow fast, high-resolution characterization and manipulation of single cells in complex neuronal tissue. These tools, including photoswitching of proteins, are now successfully used in almost all fields of biological research. 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 key tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.Comprehensive and practical, Photoswitching Proteins: Methods and Protocols highlights many of the possibilities for research based on light-inducible, high-resolution manipulation of biological systems.

Cell surface molecules are critically important in regulating cell structure and function. Recent advances on the functional role of cell surface molecules, particularly glycoconjugates are presented in this book. Comprising of 22 chapters from the 2011 International Symposium on Biochemical Roles of Eukaryotic Cell Surface Macromolecules, it covers topics on the analysis of glycome, biophysical approaches to study cell surface molecules, glycoconjugate metabolism and its dysregulation, and molecular mechanisms involved in cell-cell and cell-matrix interaction.

Fluorescence in situ Hybridization (FISH) belongs to that special category of well-established molecular biology techniques that, since their inception a few decades ago, have succeeded in keeping a prominent position within the constantly expanding list of laboratory pro- dures for biomedical research and clinical diagnostics. The design simplicity and cost-effectiveness of the early FISH protocols, combined with the signifcant acceleration of discoveries in related technical areas such as fuor- cence microscopy, digital imaging, and nucleic acid technology have prompted the div- sifcation of the original technique into an outstanding number of imaginative and useful applications, and thus have not only held back its outmoding but have also promoted its expansion into different areas of basic and applied research in the post-genomic era. The 34 chapters included in this book aim at portraying the vibrant complexity and diversity of the current FISH protocol landscape, providing cutting-edge examples of va- ous applications for genetic and developmental research, cancer research, reproductive medicine, diagnostic and prognostic purposes, microbial ecology, and evolutionary st- ies. The book is divided in four parts: (I) Core Techniques, (II) Technical Advancements and Novel Adaptations, (III) Translational FISH: Applications for Human Genetics and Medicine, and (IV) Protocols for Model Organisms.

Nicola Salvi's thesis offers a remarkably cogent view of highly sophisticated NMR methods. Salvi developed these methods in order to characterize the amplitudes and frequency ranges of local motions in biomolecules such as proteins. These local motions play an essential role since they can explain many of the remarkable properties of proteins and enable them to carry out all sorts of vital functions, from enzymatic catalysis to intermolecular recognition and signalling in cells. Salvi's work has led to numerous publications in high-impact journals.

Interest in the chemistry of biological systems, as well as in molecular chemical engineering, has grown considerably since the mid-1980s. Many fields in modern chemistry are contributing to a better understanding of elementary mechanisms of various biological processes and this has resulted in the development of new classes of organic and organometallic compounds with specific and high biological activity. Such a multidisciplinary approach creates opportunities for an exchange of ideas and the need to create a common language. This volume contains a set of papers, written by leading scientists which collectively provide an overview of current research activities relating to the chemistry of biological systems. These papers emphasize the interdisciplinary nature of this research. This text should be of interest to researchers in academia and industry whose work involves the chemistry and properties of biomolecular systems.

In this book, the molecular recognition of DNA using small molecules is discussed, with a study of the photochemistry of BrU-labeled DNA. The purposes of the study were to develop small molecules for regenerative medicine, to develop a method to detect the recognition site of small molecules, and to detect the most important biological phenomena using the photochemistry of BrU-labeled DNA. The study began with the design and development of small molecules that can induce pluripotency genes. To deal with the important issue of cell permeability of the original compound, a new analogue of the original with improved gene expression was designed and synthesized. Using the photochemistry of BrU-labeled DNA, crucial biological phenomena such as cooperativity between transcription factors were detected. For the first time, the cooperativity was examined by excess electron transfer assay. DNA was also studied very carefully in order to understand the mechanism of the double-strand break in the UVA micro-irradiation technique. The mechanism of the double strand remained untouched. Nevertheless, the double-strand break mechanism was clearly demonstrated by Hoechst dye, as shown in this book.

In an attempt to cover modern aspects of thin films, this series has moved beyond the basic physics. This volume addresses the important aspects of both inorganic and organic thin films, both their theoretical as well as technological aspects.

"Methods in Enzymology" volumes provide an indispensable tool for the researcher. Each volume is carefully written and edited by experts to contain state-of-the-art reviews and step-by-step protocols.

In this volume, we have brought together a number of core protocols concentrating on RNA, complementing the traditional content that is found in past, present and future "Methods in Enzymology" volumes.
Indispensable tool for the researcher Carefully written and edited by experts to contain step-by-step protocolsIn this volume we have brought together a number of core protocols concentrating on RNA

The critically acclaimed laboratory standard, 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. The series contains much material still relevant today - truly an essential publication for researchers in all fields of life sciences.

Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology attempts to provide concise, critical reviews of timely advances, philosophy and significant areas of accomplished or needed endeavor in the total field of xenobiotics, in any segment of the environment, as well as toxicological implications.

Based on the "International Symposium of Molecular Environmental Soil Science at the Interfaces in the Earth's Critical Zone," this book focuses on the Critical Zone supporting life at the Earth's surface with emphasis on the new and emerging subject area of molecular environmental soil science. Advances in research methodology, the use of synchrotron radiation in particular, are extensively reviewed. Roles of microbes, biomolecules, and environmental nanoparticles in mineral transformations, metal cycling, degradation of natural and anthropogenic organic compounds are also extensively reviewed. It is unique in terms of facilitating the integration of contributions from traditionally separate disciplines and adding a molecular and nanoparticle (therefore chemical) dimension to a field of endeavour that has traditionally been viewed on a different scale (dimension). It will also contribute to identifying knowledge gaps, providing future research directions and promoting research and education at the molecular level in this extremely important and challenging area of science for years to come. The IUPAC Project Committee noted that the Conference identifies, and builds on, the need to view and understand the Critical Zone at the molecular level. The book will be an invaluable reference for research and education.

Carbohydrate Chemistry provides review coverage of all publications relevant to the chemistry of monosaccharides and oligosaccharides in a given year.
The amount of research in this field appearing in the organic chemical literature is increasing because of the enhanced importance of the subject, especially in areas of medicinal chemistry and biology. In no part of the field is this more apparent than in the synthesis of oligosaccharides required by scientists working in glycobiology. Clycomedicinal chemistry and its reliance on carbohydrate synthesis is now very well established, for example, by the preparation of specific carbohydrate- based antigens, especially cancer-specific oligosaccharides and glycoconjugates. Coverage of topics such as nucleosides, amino-sugars, alditols and cyclitols also covers much research of relevance to biological and medicinal chemistry.
Each volume of the series brings together references to all published work in given areas of the subject and serves as a comprehensive database for the active research chemist.
Specialist Periodical Reports provide systematic and detailed review coverage in major areas of chemical research. Compiled by teams of leading authorities in the relevant subject areas, the series creates a unique service for the active research chemist, with regular, in-depth accounts of progress in particular fields of chemistry. Subject coverage within different volumes of a given title is similar and publication is on an annual or biennial basis.

Volume 5 of Biomembranes covers an important group of membrane proteins, the ATPases. The P-type ATPases couple the hydrolysis of ATP to the movement of ions across a membrane and are characterized by the formation of a phosphoyrlated intermediate. Included are the plasma membrane and muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ -ATPases, the (Na+ -K+) -ATPase, the gastric (H+ -K+) -ATPase, the plasma membrane H+ -ATPase of fungi and plants, the Mg2+ - transport ATPase, the Salmonella typhimurium, and the K+ -ATPase of Escherichia coli, KdpB. The other important classes of ATPase in eukaryotic systems are the vacuolar H+ -ATPases and the F0F1 ATP synthase, and, in bacteria, the anion-translocating ATPases, responsible for resistance to arsenicals and antimonials, and the (Na+ -Mg2+) -ATPase of Acholeplasma. Finally, eukaryotic systems contain a variety of ectonucleotidases important, for example, in hydrolysis of extracellular ATP released as a cotransmitter from cholinergic and adrenergic nerve terminals. Volume 5 of Biomembranes explores structure-function relationships for these mebrane-bound ATPases.

Computational methods, and in particular quantum chemistry, have taken the lead in our growing understanding of noncovalent forces, as well as in their categorization. This volume describes the current state of the art in terms of what we now know, and the current questions requiring answers in the future. Topics range from very strong (ionic) to very weak (CH-- ) interactions. In the intermediate regime, forces to be considered are H-bonds, particularly CH--O and OH--metal, halogen, chalcogen, pnicogen and tetrel bonds, aromatic stacking, dihydrogen bonds, and those involving radicals. Applications include drug development and predictions of crystal structure.

The book provides comprehensive information about the different aspects of veterinary nutrition in tropical countries.The introductory chapter discuss the importance of nutrition, feeds and feeding of balanced and optimum feeds specifically required for the sustenance of life. The second chapter, discusses briefly the history of research in animal nutrition.The book further talks about the relationship between the environment and nutrition in animals; the chemical composition of plants and animals; and the various sources of feed for animals. It provides details on the different phases of life cycle in animals, and the effect of nutrition on the performance. Various Nutrients and its importance in livestock nutritionand production has been illustrated in details. Various nutrients such as water, carbohydrate, protein, fats, vitamins, minerals etc are individually dealt in a separate chapter. The digestive system,digestion and metabolism of carbohydrates, protein and fats in ruminant and non ruminant livestock have been illustrated. A dedicated chapter fully describes the activity of enzymes which are directly involved in nutrition. Also this book deals with the harmful components of animal feed which are found mainly in the unconventional feeds. The books also provide chapters like partitioning of feed& energy and also the therapeutic and clinical nutrition which are very importantfor the under graduate & post graduate students and researchers of animal nutrition and livestock production and management. This book is useful for researchers, undergraduate and post graduate students studying veterinary sciences, animal husbandry, zoology and biochemistry.