Featuring experimental approaches that shed light on the complexity of Ras GTPase biological functions, Ras Signaling: Methods and Protocols contains general overviews and detailed applications of both well-established and recently developed research techniques, including biochemical, biophysical, molecular biology, genetic and behavioral approaches, advanced high resolution fluorescence and electron microscopy imaging and "omics" technologies. Through this, the detailed volume provides information on expression, post-translational modifications, subcellular localization and dynamics, regulatory mechanisms of upstream and downstream signaling pathways and ultimately, biological activities and functions of Ras GTPases in different model systems, including high and low eukaryotic organisms. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include brief introductions, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Wide-ranging and authoritative, Ras Signaling: Methods and Protocols serves as an aid for investigators of different backgrounds and interests related to the multiple physiological and pathological functions of the large superfamily of Ras GTPases.

Recent evidence demonstrates that normal prostate tissue contains stem cells. There is also accumulating evidence that prostate cancer contains a population of cells with stem cell-like characteristics referred to as cancer stem cells, or tumor initiating cells. Both the normal prostate stem cell and cancer stem cell populations have important implications for the generation, therapeutic targeting, and prevention of prostate cancer. The purpose of this book is to explore the role of stem cells in prostate cancer, which is becoming an increasingly hot trend in cancer research.

This detailed book provides state-of-art computational approaches to further explore the exciting opportunities presented by single-cell technologies. Chapters each detail a computational toolbox aimed to overcome a specific challenge in single-cell analysis, such as data normalization, rare cell-type identification, and spatial transcriptomics analysis, all with a focus on hands-on implementation of computational methods for analyzing experimental data. 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 cutting-edge, Computational Methods for Single-Cell Data Analysis aims to cover a wide range of tasks and serves as a vital handbook for single-cell data analysis.

This new volume of "Methods in Cell Biology" looks at lipid droplets LDs, covering sections on analyses of LDs in model systems, cell/tissue-specific analyses of LDs and imaging and in vitro analyses of LD biogenesis and growth. Chapters are written by experts in the field.

With cutting-edge material, this comprehensive collection is intended to guide researchers of LDs for years to come.
Covers sections on analyses of lipid droplets (LDs) in model systems, cell/tissue-specific analyses of LDs and imaging, and in vitro analyses of LD biogenesis and growth

Chapters are written by experts in the field

Cutting-edge material

This new volume of "Methods in Cell Biology" looks at receptor-receptor interactions, with sections on allosteric and effector interactions, crystallization and modeling, measuring receptor-receptor interactions and oligomerization in individual classes.

With cutting-edge material, this comprehensive collection is intended to guide researchers of receptor-receptor interactions for years to come.
Covers sections on allosteric and effector interactions, crystallization and modeling, measuring receptor-receptor interactions and oligomerization in individual classesChapters are written by experts in the fieldCutting-edge material"

A number of techniques to study ion channels have been developed since the electrical basis of excitability was first discovered. Ion channel biophysicists have at their disposal a rich and ever-growing array of instruments and reagents to explore the biophysical and structural basis of sodium channel behavior. Armed with these tools, researchers have made increasingly dramatic discoveries about sodium channels, culminating most recently in crystal structures of voltage-gated sodium channels from bacteria. These structures, along with those from other channels, give unprecedented insight into the structural basis of sodium channel function. This volume of the Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology will explore sodium channels from the perspectives of their biophysical behavior, their structure, the drugs and toxins with which they are known to interact, acquired and inherited diseases that affect sodium channels and the techniques with which their biophysical and structural properties are studied.

This new volume of "Methods in Enzymology" continues the legacy of this premier serial with quality chapters authored by leaders in the field. This volume covers cytoskeletal structure, including such topics as rotational movement of formins studied by fluorescence polarization microscopy, in vitro assembly assays for bacterial actin filaments, and modulators of microtubule plus end growth.
Continues the legacy of this premier serial with quality chapters authored by leaders in the fieldCovers cytoskeletal structureContains chapters with such topics as reconstitution of organelle transport and assaying microtubule nucleation by gamma-tubulin ring complex.

"International Review of Celland Molecular Biology" presents comprehensive reviews and current advances in cell and molecular biology. Articles address structure and control of gene expression, nucleocytoplasmic interactions, control of cell development and differentiation, and cell transformation and growth.

The series has a world-wide readership, maintaining a high standard by publishing invited articles on important and timely topics authored by prominent cell and molecular biologists. Impact factor for 2012: 4.973.
Authored by some of the foremost scientists in the field Provides comprehensive reviews and current advancesWide range of perspectives on specific subjectsValuable reference material for advanced undergraduates, graduate students and professional scientists
"

This volume provides a broad collection of protocols for many of the common experimental techniques used for the characterization of P-type ATPases. P-Type ATPases: Methods and Protocols provides comprehensive practical instructions for all researchers in the P-type ATPase field, from the protein biochemist to the mouse geneticist, covering the identification and classification, isolation, purification, in vitro characterization, knock-out studies, as well as crystallization and structural analysis. Written for the Methods in Molecular Biology series, 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, P-Type ATPases: Methods and Protocols aims to ensure successful results in the further study of this vital field of research.

This book is a must-have for anyone interested in obesity or the physiology of white or brown adipose tissues. It contains state-of-the-art methods from researchers that are world leaders in this field. Detailed lab protocols range from methods to visualize adipocytes and adipose tissues in humans and experimental models, to convert stem cells into white and brown adipocytes in vitro, to evaluate aspects of adipocyte metabolism, to inducibly knock out genes in adipose tissues, and to evaluate transcriptional control of adipogenesis on a global scale.

1) The study of adipose tissue goes hand in hand with our global effort to understand and reverse the epidemic of obesity and associated medical complications.

2) Contributors include leading researchers who have made tremendous contributions to our ability to investigate white and brown adipose tissues.

3) The wide variety of experimental approaches detailed within this volume: including the evaluation of adipose tissue biology at the molecular, biochemical, cellular, tissue, and organismal levels.

Store-operated calcium channels are found in most animal cells and regulate many cellular functions including cell division, growth, differentiation, and cell death. This volume provides a concise and informative overview of the principles of store-operated calcium entry and the key developments in the field from researchers who have led these advances. The overall goal of thevolume is to provide interested students and investigators with sufficient information to enable a broad understanding of the progress and current excitement in the field. Thevolume contains a wealth of information that even experienced investigators in the field will find useful.
The volume provides a comprehensive overview of the mechanisms and functions of store-operated calcium channels. Contributors are authoritative researchers who have produced important advances in the field. The volumeis well-illustrated with cartoons and data to facilitate easy comprehension of the subject. "

Fungi cause a spectrum of diseases in humans ranging from comparatively innocuous superficial skin diseases caused by dermatophytes to invasive life-threatening infections caused by species such as Candida albicans, or Crytococcus neoformans. Due to the opportunistic nature of most invasive mycoses, fungal pathogenicity has proven difficult to define. However the application of new genomic and other molecular techniques in recent years has revolutionized the field revealing fascinating new insights into the mechanisms of fungal pathogenesis. In this book, a panel of high profile authors critically reviews the most important research to provide a timely overview.

Understanding the importance and necessity of the role of autophagy in health and disease is vital for the studies of cancer, aging, neurodegeneration, immunology, and infectious diseases. Comprehensive and up-to-date, this book offers a valuable guide to these cellular processes whilst encouraging researchers to explore their potentially important connections. Volume 3 explores the role of autophagy in specific diseases and developments, including: Crohn's Disease, Gaucher Disease, Huntington's Disease, HCV infection, osteoarthritis, and liver injury. A full section is devoted to in-depth exploration of autophagy in tumor development and cancer. Finally, the work explores the relationship between autophagy and apoptosis, with attention to the ways in which autophagy regulates apoptosis, and the ways in which autophagy has been explored in Lepidoptera, elucidating the use of larval midgut as a model for such exploration. From these well-developed foundations, researchers, translational scientists, and practitioners may work to better implement more effective therapies against some of the most devastating human diseases. Volumes in the Series Volume 1: Molecular Mechanisms. Elucidates autophagy's association with numerous biological processes, including cellular development and differentiation, cancer, immunity, infectious diseases, inflammation, maintenance of homeostasis, response to cellular stress, and degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and prion diseases. Volume 2: Role in General Diseases. Describes the various aspects of the complex process of autophagy in a myriad of devastating human diseases, expanding from a discussion of essential autophagic functions into the role of autophagy in proteins, pathogens, immunity, and general diseases. Volume 3: Role in Specific Diseases. Explores the role of autophagy in specific diseases and developments, including: Crohn's Disease, Gaucher Disease, Huntington's Disease, HCV infection, osteoarthritis, and liver injury, with a full section devoted to in-depth exploration of autophagy in tumor development and cancer, as well as the relationship between autophagy and apoptosis. Volume 4: Mitophagy. Presents detailed information on the role of mitophagy, the selective autophagy of mitochondria, in health and disease, by delivering an in-depth treatment of the molecular mechanisms involved in mitophagy initiation and execution, as well as the role of mitophagy in Parkinson Disease, cardiac aging, and skeletal muscle atrophy. Volume 5: Role in Human Diseases. Comprehensively describes the role of autophagy in human diseases, delivering coverage of the antitumor and protumor roles of autophagy; the therapeutic inhibition of autophagy in cancer; and the duality of autophagy's effects in various cardiovascular, metabolic, and neurodegenerative disorders. Volume 6: Regulation of Autophagy and Selective Autophagy. Provides coverage of the mechanisms of regulation of autophagy; intracellular pathogen use of the autophagy mechanism; the role of autophagy in host immunity; and selective autophagy. Volume 7: Role of Autophagy in Therapeutic Applications. Provides coverage of the latest developments in autophagosome biogenesis and regulation; the role of autophagy in protein quality control; the role of autophagy in apoptosis; autophagy in the cardiovascular system; and the relationships between autophagy and lifestyle. Volume 8: Autophagy and Human Diseases. Reviews recent advancements in the molecular mechanisms underlying a large number of genetic and epigenetic diseases and abnormalities, and introduces new, more effective therapeutic strategies, in the development of targeted drugs and programmed cell death, providing information that will aid on preventing detrimental inflammation. Volume 9: Necrosis and Inflammation in Human Diseases. Emphasizes the role of Autophagy in necrosis and inflammation, explaining in detail the molecular mechanism(s) underlying the formation of autophagosomes, including the progression of Omegasomes to autophagosomes.

This new volume of "Methods in Enzymology" continues the legacy of this premier serial with quality chapters authored by leaders in the field. This volume covers cilia and includes chapters on such topics as methods for studying ciliary polarity in Xenopus, analysis of signaling pathways in mammalian spermatozoa, and biochemical and physiological analysis of axonemal dyneins.
Continues the legacy of this premier serial with quality chapters authored by leaders in the field Covers cilia Contains chapters on such topics as methods for studying ciliary polarity in Xenopus,
analysis of signaling pathways in mammalian spermatozoa, and biochemical and physiological analysis of axonemal dyneins

This new volume of "Methods in Enzymology" continues the legacy of this premier serial with quality chapters authored by leaders in the field. This is thesecond of two volumes on endosome signaling and includes chapters on such topics as measurement of entry into the endosomal compartment by multi-parametric image analysis, assessment of peptide internalization and endosomal signaling, and VEGF-A in endosomal signaling.
Continues the legacy of this premier serial with quality chapters authored by leaders in the field Covers endosome signalingContains chapters on such topics as measurement of biological effects of endosomal proteolysis of internalized insulin and multi-vesicular endosome biogenesis."

This meticulous volume recognizes the need to translate what has been learned primarily in tissue culture dishes to approaches supporting scale-up studies, not only to large quantities of cells but also to heterogeneous cell constructs. Notable advances are being made in these latter approaches, prompting this collection of a variety of representative protocols that facilitate important modifications and novel approaches to bioreactors in stem cell research, contributed by both established and new investigators in this area. Written for the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, 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. Practical and authoritative, Bioreactors in Stem Cell Biology: Methods and Protocols will serve as an ideal guide for scientists seeking to increase our understanding of stem cells and their potential to repair and regenerate tissues and organs.

In multicellular organisms, communication between cells involves secretion of proteins that bind to receptors on neighboring cells. While this has been well documented, another mode of intercellular communication has recently become the subject of increasing interest: the release of exosomes. In cancer, tumor exosomes are involved in various aspects of pathogenesis, including proliferation, immunosuppression, and metastasis. Given the ability of exosomes to export unneeded endogenous molecules from cells, these structures hold great potential as anticancer therapeutic agents. They are also being studied as prognostic markers for cancer.

Fall-induced hip fracture is an epidemic health risk among elderly people. This book presents an image-based multilevel modeling approach to understanding the biomechanics involved in fall-induced hip fracture. By hierarchically integrating a body-level dynamics model, a femur-level finite element model, and a local bone failure model, the biomechanics approach is able to simulate all stages in sideways falls and to incorporate all biomechanical variables affecting hip fracture. This book is useful for clinicians to accurately evaluate fracture risk, for biomechanical engineers to virtually test hip protective devices, and for biomedical students to learn image-based biomechanical modeling techniques. This book also covers: Biomechanical viewing on bone composition, bone remodeling, and bone strength Bone imaging and information captured for constructing biomechanical models Bone mechanical testing and mechanical properties required for biomechanical modeling

Advances in Applied Microbiology, Volume 119 continues the comprehensive reach of this widely read and authoritative review source in microbiology. Users will find invaluable references and information on a variety of areas relating to the topics of microbiology.

This book describes the unique characean experimental system, which provides a simplified model for many aspects of the physiology, transport and electrophysiology of higher plants. The first chapter offers a thorough grounding in the morphology, taxonomy and ecology of Characeae plants. Research on characean detached cells in steady state is summarised in Chapter 2, and Chapter 3 covers characean detached cells subjected to calibrated and mostly abiotic types of stress: touch, wounding, voltage clamp to depolarised and hyperpolarised potential difference levels, osmotic and saline stress. Chapter 4 highlights cytoplasmic streaming, cell-to-cell transport, gravitropism, cell walls and the role of Characeae in phytoremediation. The book is intended for researchers and students using the characean system and will also serve as an invaluable reference resource for electrophysiologists working on higher plants.

Biobanking, an emerging field supported by academia, industry and health administrators alike, is distinctly different today from the practice that once defined it. The science of Biobanking, which initially involved simply storing blood or tissue samples in a freezer, is now a highly sophisticated field of research, and expected to grow exponentially over the next decade or two. This book aims to serve the purpose of further enriching the available literature on Biobanking, by offering unique and more useful collection of ideas for the future. The book outlines the experiences of developing modern Biobanking repositories in different countries, whilst covering specific topics regarding the many aspects of Biobanking. This book will be of interest to a wide range of readers including: academics, students, volunteers and advocates of patients' rights.

Cell biology spans among the widest diversity of methods in the biological sciences. From physical chemistry to microscopy, cells have given up with secrets only when the questions are asked in the right way This new volume of "Methods in Cell Biology" covers laboratory methods in cell biology, and includes methods that are among the most important and elucidating in the discipline, such as bioluminescent imaging of gene expressions, confocal imaging, and electron microscopy of bone.

Covers the most important laboratory methods in cell biologyChapters written by experts in their fields"

This invaluable resource delineates procedures for development and use of stem cells in the laboratory and explores the potential for clinical applications. The text discusses mesenchymal stem cell isolation, isolation of adipose derived stem cells, new trends of induced pluripotent stem cells in disease treatment, cord blood banking, future directions of the discussed therapies and much more. The chapters are contributed by preeminent scientists in the field and present a comprehensive picture of stem cell processes, from development in the laboratory to effects and side-effects of clinical application. Stem Cell Processing and the other books in the Stem Cells in Clinical Applications series, edited by Dr. Phuc Van Pham, is essential reading for scientists, researchers, advanced students and clinicians working in stem cells, regenerative medicine or tissue engineering.

This text is a comprehensive look at the current knowledge on stem cell application for vision loss, showcasing different types of stem cells (adult, embryonic, iPSCs) for diseases of the front and the back of the eye. It also highlights data obtained in various models from fish to human, as well as from the bionic eye project for vision regeneration. This volume in the Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine series is essential reading for stem cell biologists, ophthalmologists, advanced and graduate students, in addition to academics and medical staff who work in these disciplines.