This is the first in a series of volumes concerning the properties of the eukaryotic nucleus. Contributions from several of the most active laboratories are brought together to present a focused overview of a selected aspect of nuclear structure and function.

The rapid growth of biotechnology and drug design, based on rational principles of biopolymer interactions, has generated many developments in the field of biophysical chemistry. This series presents overviews of these developments and of other topical areas that are attracting interest in the field, from methodological developments in high-resolution NMR spectroscopy and molecular modelling to advances in structural chemistry and mechanistic studies of proteins and other biological compounds crucial for drug design.

This volume is in two parts. The first contains the remaining chapters on cellular organelles and several chapters relating to organelle disorders. An account of mitochondriopathis is given in the chapter on the mitochondrion rather than in a separate one. The subject matter of this part of the volume shows quite clearly that the interdisciplinary approach to the study of organelles has shed considerable light on the nature of the mechanisms underlying the etiology and pathobiology of many of these disorders. As an example, mutations in the genes encoding integral membrane proteins are found to lead to disturbances in peroxisome assembly. It is also interesting and significant that mistargeting of protein is now thought to be another cause. It will be revealing to see whether mistargeting is the result of mutations in the genes encoding chaperones.
The second part of the volume is concerned with the extracellular matrix. It sets out to show that a vast body of new knowledge of the extracellular matrix is available to us. Take for example the integrin family of cell adhesion receptors. It turns out that integrins play a key role not only in adhesion but also in coupling signals to the nucleus via the cytoskeleton. As for fibronectins, they seem to link the matrix with the cytoskeleton by interacting with integrins.
Collagen molecules are dealt with in the last two chapters. The boundaries of collagen in disease are defined by drawing a clear line of demarcation between systemic connective tissue disorders (e.g., scleroderma), better known as autoimmune diseases, and the heritable, and the heritable diseases such as osteogenesis imperfect and the Marfan syndrome. This classification takes into account a second group of acquired disorders of collagen forming tissues in which regional fibrosis is the hallmark. Liver cirrhosis and pulmonary fibrosis are prime examples.
The decision to place Volumes 2 and 3 before those dealing with cell chemistry was not easily made. It was based on the view that most students will have had an undergraduate course in biochemistry of cell biology or both courses, and that they could go to Volumes 4-7 in which the subject of cell chemistry is covered, and then return to Volumes 2 and 3.

The purpose of this volume is to provide a synopsis of present knowledge of the structure, organisation, and function of cellular organelles with an emphasis on the examination of important but unsolved problems, and the directions in which molecular and cell biology are moving. Though designed primarily to meet the needs of the first-year medical student, particularly in schools where the traditional curriculum has been partly or wholly replaced by a multi-disciplinary core curriculum, the mass of information made available here should prove useful to students of biochemistry, physiology, biology, bioengineering, dentistry, and nursing.
It is not yet possible to give a complete account of the relations between the organelles of two compartments and of the mechanisms by which some degree of order is maintained in the cell as a whole. However, a new breed of scientists, known as molecular cell biologists, have already contributed in some measure to our understanding of several biological phenomena notably interorganelle communication. Take, for example, intracellular membrane transport: it can now be expressed in terms of the sorting, targeting, and transport of protein from the endoplasmic reticulum to another compartment.
This volume contains the first ten chapters on the subject of organelles. The remaining four are in Volume 3, to which sections on organelle disorders and the extracellular matrix have been added.

The series "Advances in Dendritic Macromolecules" aims to cover the synthetic, as well as chemical, aspects of this expanding field: the chemistry to and supramolecular chemistry of dendritic or cascade supermolecular compounds. In Chapter 1 of this volume, Hawker and Wooley delineate the convergent growth approach to dendrimers, then relate their three-dimensional architectures to different block polymers. In Chapter 2, Moors and Vogtle describe Professor Vogtle's initial cascade molecules via the repetitive strategy, then expand his original concepts of its application by others, and lastly delineate the synthesis of a new series of tosylamide cascades. They also demonstrate the utility of his original Michael addition/reduction procedure by its application to differ cores. Chapter 3, composed by Professor Engel, describes ionic dendrimers which incorporated an internal transition metal center as well as his work based on ammonium and phosphonium centers. In Chapter 4, Mathias and Carothers review recent studies on silicon-based dendrimers and hyperbranched polymers. Chapter 5, by Kim, describes the preparation and utility of hyperbranched aromatic polymers. Lastly in Chapter 6, Escamilla reviews the historical as well as recent examples of ionic and nonionic bolaamphiphiles.

Immunoassay procedures (isotopic and non-isotopic) have become one of the single most important techniques in present-day diagnostic medicine. This book is designed as an introductory test for the staff of clinical research laboratories who conduct or intend to conduct such techniques, and will be of great value to the clinicians who make use of such services. The volume takes a three-pronged approach in it's in-depth presentation: explanation of the basic principles and applications of radioimmunoassays and non-isotopic immunoassays; practical illustrations of the various steps involved in immunoassays; discussion of the problems and pitfalls in immunoassays and how to avoid them. This fifth revised edition is a worthy successor to it's predecessors in this famous "Laboratory Techniques" series.

The incentive for putting together Volume 4 of this series was to review the wealth of new information that has become available in prokaryotic organisms in protein export and membrane biogenesis. Just in the last several years, protein translocation has now been efficiently reconstituted using defined components and the mechanism by which proteins are moved across membrane bilayers is now being examined at a higher resolution. In addition, because of a new technical breakthrough using osmolytes, it is now possible to reconstitute a number of channel proteins, ATPase, receptors, and transporters. In many cases, it is possible to successfully predict the membrane topology of these types of proteins using both "hydrophobicity analysis" and the "positive inside" rule.
In this volume, two chapters focus on protein translocation across membranes ("Biochemical Analyses of Components Comprising the Protein Translocation Machinery of E. Coli; Protein Translocation Genetics"), while several others on how proteins assemble into the ineer membrane of E. Coli ("Membrane Protein Assembly; Membrane Insertion of Small Proteins: Evolutionary and Functional Aspects; Pigment-Protein Complex Assembly in Rhodobacter sphaeroides and Rhodobacter Capsulatus"). Other sections review recent progress on transporters ("Identification and Reconstitution of Anion Exchange Mechanisms in Bacteria; Helic Packing in the C-Terminal Half of Lactose Permease") and signal transduction ("Mechanism of Transmembrane Signaling in Osmoregulation") as well as the assembly of prints into the outer membrane ("Export and Assembly of Outer Membrane Proteins in E. coli"). Although the emphasis of the book is on proteins, the role of phospholipids in controlling various cell surface processes is reviewed ("Role of Phospholipids in coli Cell Function"). I should point out the reason for the rapid progress in bacteria research is because of the possibility to apply biochemistry and genetics in this organism.

Part I covers modern advances in the determination of
glycoprotein structure and in the biosynthesis of mammalian,
bacterial, yeast, plant and insect glycoproteins. There are also
two chapters on functional aspects (glycoprotein hormones and
collagens).
The content of the volume is very comprehensive in that, most
contributors have focussed on discussing, in depth, the wealth
of most recent advances in their field, and referring to previous
reviews of older work for background information. This method can
effectively produce a very wide subject coverage in a smaller
number of chapters/volumes. The volume is an important
information source for all glycobiologist researchers (senior
investigators, post-doctoral fellows and graduate students), and
as a good, comprehensive, reference text for scientists working in
the life sciences.

Part I covers modern advances in the determination of
glycoprotein structure and in the biosynthesis of mammalian,
bacterial, yeast, plant and insect glycoproteins. There are also
two chapters on functional aspects (glycoprotein hormones and
collagens).
The content of the volume is very comprehensive in that, most
contributors have focussed on discussing, in depth, the wealth
of most recent advances in their field, and referring to previous
reviews of older work for background information. This method can
effectively produce a very wide subject coverage in a smaller
number of chapters/volumes. The volume is an important
information source for all glycobiologist researchers (senior
investigators, post-doctoral fellows and graduate students), and
as a good, comprehensive, reference text for scientists working in
the life sciences.

This is the first volume in a series on membrane protein transfer. Membrane protein transport underlies the topological disposition of many proteins within cells and it is this disposition that allows for the co-ordination of the central cellular processes, such as metabolism.

The account in this inaugural volume of the series covers the period 1900 to 1960, but also outlines the principal developments in earlier centuries from which biochemistry emerged. Findings are considered in the light of present knowledge, rather than in a rigid historical framework.

The editors invited selected authors who had participated in or observed developments in biochemistry and molecular biology, particularly in the second half of this century, to record their personal recollections of the times and circumstances in which they worked. Having been given free reign, both content and style of the contruibutions reflect the flavour of the personality of the author.

The book reflects the explosive development of biochemistry and molecular biology and related sciences that had led to the almost unique situation of these fields coming of age at a time when their founding fathers, or their scientific children, were alive and well.

The contributions in this volume encompass a wide variety of experiences in many different countries and in very different fields of biochemistry.

Volume 1 of the series "Fundamentals of Medical Cell Biology" is devoted to evolutionary biology. This is presented in two parts: in the first, the structure and dynamics of RNA, DNA, and protein are dealt with. The second part is concerned with the origins and cellular basis of life.

The results of today's genome projects promise enormous medical and agricultural benefits and point to a new predictive approach to the conduct of future research in biology. Biocomputing: Informatics and Genome Projects represents a survey of the needs and objectives of genome projects as of the early 1990's. It provides the groundwork necessary to understand genome-related informatics, including computational and database storage objectives. The book covers four general areas: automated laboratory notebooks, nucleic acid sequence analysis, protein structure, and database activities.

The first volume in a series which aims to focus on advances in computational biology. This volume discusses such topics as: fluctuations in the shape of flexible macromolecules; the hydration of carbohydrates as seen by computer simulation; and studies of salt-peptide solutions.

This book provides a comprehensive treatise on the chemical and biochemical consequences of damaging free radical reactions, the implications for the pathogenesis of disease and how this might be controlled endogenously and by radical scavenging drugs. Oxidative stress may be influenced by exogenous agents of oxidative stress, radiation, trauma, drug activation, oxygen excess, or by exogenous oxidative stress which is associated with many pathological states including chronic inflammatory disorders, cardiovascular disease, injury to the central nervous system, and connective tissue damage. This and many other such aspects are presented clearly and in depth.

The development of antioxidant drugs depends on the understanding of the mechanisms underlying the generation of excessive free radicals "in vivo," the factors controlling their release and the site of their action. This excellent volume presents an up-to-date account of the current state of knowledge in these areas.

The technical advances in molecular biology have endowed us with a wealth of knowledge, which has allowed us to identify the cause of diseases not only at a single gene level but at a greater magnitude, where a substitution or deletion of a single base pair can be identified. Our present task is to establish a clear link between phenotype and nucleotide sequence. Obviously, a gene is no longer an imaginary entity. Recent discoveries in a number of bewildering traits, whose inheritance do not follow simple mendelian rules, have caused much amazement. For example, fragile X-syndrome, spine and bulbar muscular atrophy and myotic dystrophy arise from "triples repeat mutation" and amplification in future generations. Genetic diseases which are inherited, can now be diagnosed prenatally; an idea that was once inconceivable.
The aim of the second volume, entitled Morbid Anatomy of the Genome, is to reflect on the importance of molecular genetics in modern medicine. The field has expanded so as to warrant a volume dedicated exclusively toward understanding those who wish to know the cause, detection and in turn treatment of such diseases. In this volume, I have commissioned several scientists to contribute 12 chapters. A chapter describing a special role of molecular genetics in combating genetic diseases through gene therapy has also been included, while chapter 13 is a commentary.
A complete account of all diseases whose genetic basis is well established would be a herculean task and is not within the scope of a single volume format. Therefore a few specific topics have been chosen which may be of the greatest interest to scientists and clinicians. The purpose of this issue is to keep abreast of the latest developments in a select group of genetic diseases.

Membranes are highly dynamic and operate not only as inert boundaries, but the packages they carry around in a cell are well addressed fro appropriate delivery. This holds for a variety of endomembrane systems engaged in exo- and endocytosis, for organelles along the biosynthetic pathway, phagosomes, and lysosomes. It also holds for the establishment of functional surface properties. Cell pairing (conjugation) phenomena are a good model for the problem of how a cell can discriminate between "self" and "non-self." On the other hand parasitic sporozoa developed to experts in masking their molecular sur-"face"by frequent shedding of their variant antigens.
The discovery of their glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor has led to the discovery, in polar epithelial cells, of a specific targeting mechanism for GPI-anchored surface glycoproteins. Over one hundred such proteins have been detected in metazoans since then.
Many of these basic aspects are dealt with in this book using quite different methodical approaches. Of course, there are many more aspects previously known from metazoan systems and such aspects then had to be verified also for Protozoa systems and such aspects then had to be verified also for protozoa. In this context, it is fascinating to see how basic cellular functions are maintained - with variations of the basic theme - throughout evolution.
However, sometimes cell biologists dedicated to work with protozoa have to live with a regrettable phenomenon. Colleagues working with "higher" eukaryotic cells are frequently unaware of the fact that the primary input may have come from work with protozoa. Some phenomena may even be rediscovered inadvertently. In this sense, this book should address not only colleagues working with protozoa but also many of our fellow cell biologists working with metazoan cells.

Dry chemistry has been accepted as an important technology in medical laboratories for many years. Many evaluations of this technology have been undertaken by reputable clinical laboratories, the results of which were excellent when compared with conventional wet chemistry analysis.

This book contains a detailed overview of the current knowledge in the field of dry chemistry both in the physicians' office laboratories and large medical laboratories. The results from many evaluation studies are presented, as is data from interference studies which complete the descriptions of many dry chemistry methods.

A detailed description of various commercially available dry chemistry systems such as Ektachem, Reflotron, Seralyzer, Cobas Ready, Drichem, Opus and Stratus are also included.

This book effectively describes the current state-of-the-art technology and knowledge and succeeds in filling the gap in information in this important field of clinical chemistry science.

Originally published as 'Trockenchemie' by Georg Thieme Verlag,
Stuttgart, Dr. Sonntag has taken the opportunity of this translation to completely revise and update the contents of his book.

The intent in initiating this volume was to bring together a series of essays which would define our present understanding of the endosome and lysosome and their interrelationship. The editors deliberately encouraged the contributors to be speculative; to strive to put order to the "real" world of incomplete and sometimes conflicting data. Seeing science from the laboratory bench can often be like viewing an impressionistic painting from up close; a series of paint dabs with no apparent order. The contributors to this volume were asked to step back and leave the reader with a sense of the whole as well as the detail. To the extent that this has happened, the credit should go to the individual authors.
Our understanding of endosomes and lysosomes has undergone a molecular revolution over the last decade. Hence, we now know much about the molecular features required for internalization of an endocytic receptor, or the function of mannose 6-phosphate receptors in the transport of lysosomal enzymes. We can trace and follow the flow of molecules. In this volume current molecular knowledge concerning the function and relationship of endosomes and lysosomes is presented. Because of this vast increase in knowledge of molecules, we have realized that endosomes in particular are very ephemeral organelles. In fact, endosomes may well not be discrete entities but rather continuously changing and evolving in their molecular composition. The dynamic nature of the relationship between endosomes and lysosomes is the unifying focus of the genetic, biochemical, microscopic, and molecular biological approaches described in the chapters which follow.

The seventh volume of a multi-volume work designed for medical students with rudimentary knowledge of cellular biology. It is the key discipline for the basic medical sciences and clinical medicine to be taught in an integrated curriculum. This text features developmental biology.

The series Practical Methods in Electron Microscopy, edited by Audrey M. Glauert has an international reputation as
a unique source of practical information for all electron microscopists.
Each book of the series starts from first principles, assuming no
specialist knowledge, and is complete in itself. The series will
eventually cover the whole range of techniques for electron microscopy.

In this latest volume in the popular series, Peter Lewis and David Knight describe in practical detail the whole range of staining techniques for electron microscopy, including contrast staining for ultrastructural studies, specific cytological staining methods, and enzyme cytochemical techniques.

The chemical basis of cytochemical methods is discussed and analysed in a straightforward manner with great clarity. In consequence this book will help the beginner to choose between the sometimes bewildering variety of published technical procedures.

Electron microscopists will find this volume to be an invaluable and compact source-book for all those cytochemical techniques that have proved to be both reliable and convenient to use. As with previous titles in this popular series, the unique type of practical guidance provided will be of value for many years to come.

Free radical species are generally short-lived due to their high reactivity and thus direct measurement and identification are often impossible. ESR is the only technique which has the potential for direct detection of radicals but in biological systems even these must be trapped by a spin-trapping agent. Thus most investigations involve recognition of indicators of the presence of radicals in vivo or "FOOTPRINTS" of radical-mediated damage.

"Techniques in Free Radical Research" assembles and critically assesses the most relevant and reliable experimental approaches used towards the measurement of radicals and radical-mediated damage in chemical systems, in cells and in tissues under the following six headings: a) Footprints of DNA damage, b) Footprints of protein damage, c) Footprints of lipid peroxidation, d) Footprints of antioxidant consumption, e) Footprints via indirect radical assays, and f) Footprints via the availability of transition metal complexes.

Volume 1 of the series "Fundamentals of Medical Cell Biology" is devoted to evolutionary biology. This is presented in two parts: in the first, the structure and dynamics of RNA, DNA, and protein are dealt with. The second part is concerned with the origins and cellular basis of life.

Presents the principles of human gene evolution in a concise and easy to understand fashion. Uses examples of how evolutionary processes have molded present day genes, drawn from the evolution of humans and other primates, as well as from more primitive organisms. With increasing attention in this expanding area, this review forms a timely publication of our current knowledge of this important field.
Key Features
* Structure and function in the human genome
* The evolution of gene structure
* Mutational mechanisms in evolution