This widely-praised textbook is particularly suited for advanced undergraduates or graduates in chemistry, biochemistry, medicinal chemistry, and pharmacology. The third edition has been substantially revised to reflect new research in the field, and features a major new chapter on self-assembly, auto-organization, and molecular devices. The outstanding figures remain a highlight of the book, and were described in an earlier edition as "the best I've seen for showing the organic chemistry of biomolecules." (Quart. Rev. Biol.)

Biological chemistry is a major frontier of inorganic chemistry. Three special volumes devoted to Metal Sites in Proteins and Models address the questions: how unusual ("entatic") are metal sites in metalloproteins and metalloenzymes compared to those in small coordination complexes? and if they are special, how do polypeptide chains and co-factors control this? The chapters deal with iron, with metal centres acting as Lewis acids, metals in phosphate enzymes, with vanadium, and with the wide variety of transition metal ions which act as redox centres. They illustrate in particular how the combined armoury of genetics and structure determination at the molecular level are providing unprecedented new tools for molecular engineering.

Since the pioneering work of U. S. VonEuler, G. O. Burr, B. Samuelsson, and others in the field of eicosanoids, research in this area continues to grow rapidly. Novel eicosanoids are being discovered even as enzymes that ca- lyze the synthesis of well-established eicosanoids are being critically studied with respect to their regulation and function. The novice in this field will most likely encounter three areas of intense research activity: regulation of expression and function of enzymes, i.e., ph- pholipases, cyclooxygenases, and lipoxygenases involved in the syntheses of established eicosanoids, characterization and distribution in tissues of eicosanoid receptors, and discovery and biologic roles of novel eicosanoids. This book is a compilation of chapters addressing these three areas. Most chapters of Eicosanoid Protocols address the first area, giving p- ticular emphasis to the cyclooxygenases and their two isoforms. This was done intentionally, because the discovery of the constitutive and inducible isoforms of this enzyme have introduced new concepts in the pathobiology of inflammation and in the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Although receptors of most established eicosanoids have been characterized and cloned, only one chapter (on the thromboxane A receptor) was devoted to this area.

High Pressure Effects in Molecular Biophysics and Enzymology is designed to acquaint biochemists, biophysicists, and graduate students with advances in the application of high pressure in connection with spectroscopy as a research tool in the study of biomolecules. The 23 chapters written by leading authorities present an overview of current approaches to the use of high pressure in research on enzyme kinetics, protein folding and structure, lipid bilayer structure and organization, lipid-protein interaction, and DNA structure. This important, timely volume is the first devoted exclusively to high-pressure effects in biochemistry and will be the definitive reference in its subject for the next several years.

The first edition of this book covered the basic treatment of the enzyme reaction using the overall reaction kinetics and stopped-flow method, the general properties of protein and cofactors, the control of enzyme reaction, and the preparation of enzyme protein. These topics are the basis of enzyme research and thus suitable for the beginner in the field. The second edition presents the cofactors produced via the post-translational modification of the enzyme's active site. These cofactors expand the function of enzymes and open a new research field. The carbonyl reagent phenylhydrazine and related compounds have been useful in finding some of the newly discovered cofactors and thus have been discussed in this edition. The topic of the control of enzyme activity through the channel of substrates and products in polyfunctional enzymes has also been expanded in this book.

This text covers the field of steady-state kinetics from basic principles to the control of the multi-enzyme systems which constitute metabolic pathways. Emphasis is placed on the interpretation of the kinetic behaviour of enzyme-catalyzed reactions in terms of mechanisms. Algorithms are developed which can be implemented in computer programs for the derivation of equations. The treatment of steady-state enzyme kinetics is extended to allosteric enzymes and subunit interactions in polymeric enzymes. Principles are presented which provide for mathematical analysis of the control of multi-enzyme systems. Problems are included at the end of each chapter and their solutions are found at the end of the book. This book will be a useful text for advanced undergraduates and graduate students taking courses in enzyme chemistry and enzyme kinetics.

The scientist' s understanding of the cell at the molecular level has advanced rapidly over the last twenty years. This improved understa- ing has led to the development of many new laboratory methods that increasingly allow old problems to be tackled in new ways. Thus the modern scientist cannot specialize in just one field of knowledge, but must be aware of many disciplines. To aid the process of investigation, the Methods Molecular Biology series has brought together many protocols and has highlighted the useful variations and the pitfalls of the different methods. However, protocols frequently cannot be simply taken from the shelf. Thus the starting sample for a chosen protocol may be unavailable in the correct state or form, or the products of the procedure require a different sort of processing. Therefore the scientist needs more detailed information on the nature and requirements of the enzymes being used. This information, though usually available in the literature, is often widely dispersed and frequently occurs in older volumes of journals; not everyone has comprehensive library facilities available. Also many scientists searching out such information are not trained enzymologists and may be unaware of some of the parameters that are important in a specific enzyme reaction.

The scientist' s understanding of the cell at the molecular level has advanced rapidly over the last twenty years. This improved understa- ing has led to the development of many new laboratory methods that increasingly allow old problems to be tackled in new ways. Thus the modern scientist cannot specialize in just one field of knowledge, but must be aware of many disciplines. To aid the process of investigation, the Methods Molecular Biology series has brought together many protocols and has highlighted the useful variations and the pitfalls of the different methods. However, protocols frequently cannot be simply taken from the shelf. Thus the starting sample for a chosen protocol may be unavailable in the correct state or form, or the products of the procedure require a different sort of processing. Therefore the scientist needs more detailed information on the nature and requirements of the enzymes being used. This information, though usually available in the literature, is often widely dispersed and frequently occurs in older volumes of journals; not everyone has comprehensive library facilities available. Also many scientists searching out such information are not trained enzymologists and may be unaware of some of the parameters that are important in a specific enzyme reaction.

Isoenzymes were 'discovered' 20 years ago and were at first regarded as interesting but rare occurrences. Since then a wealth of information on enzyme heterogeneity has accrued and it now seems likely that at least half of all enzymes exist as isoenzymes. This is important in many areas of biological and medical science. Thus isoenzyme studies have provided the main experimental substance for the neutral drift controversy in genetics and evolution; they have greatly extended our understanding of metabolic regulation not only in animals but also in bacteria and plants; their existence has made available a multitude of highly sensitive markers for the study of differentiation and development, as well as providing indices of aberrant gene expression in carcinogenesis and other pathological processes. Iso enzymes are also being used increasingly in diagnostic clinical bio chemistry. It is surprising that this phenomenon which affects such a high pro portion of enzymes and is clearly important in biochemistry should receive such scant attention in the standard textbooks of that subject, the formal treatment of isoenzymology in these rarely exceeding one or two pages. This may be because the 'pure biochemist' has tended to regard variation in enzyme properties between tissues more as an unwanted complication than as a potential source of insight into diversity of biological function."

The student of biological science in his final years as an undergraduate and his first years as a graduate is expected to gain some familiarity with current research at the fron tiers of his discipline. New research work is published in a perplexing diversity of publications and is inevitably concerned with the minutiae of the subject. The sheer number of research journals and papers also causes confusion and difficulties of assimilation. Review articles usually presuppose a background knowledge of the field and are inevitably rather restricted in scope. There is thus a need for short but authoritative introductions to those areas of modern biological research which are either not dealt with in standard introductory text books or are not dealt with in sufficient detail to enable the student to go on from them to read scholarly reviews with profit. This series of books is designed to satisfy this need. The authors have been asked to produce abrief outline of their subject assuming that their readers will have read and remembered much of a standard introductory textbook of biology.

Comparative neurological studies of the evolutionary development of struc tures within the central nervous system of vertebrates have depended to a large extent upon morphological rather than functional criteria. Classical comparative anatomical studies, which have attempted to demonstrate homologies between parts of the brain in representatives of different vertebrate classes may be grouped under three general headings: 1. comparison of the embryological development of brain structures; 2. comparison in adult forms of the topographical relations of neuron groupings and fiber tracts, and of the morphology of cell types ( cyto architectonics); and 3. analysis and comparison of fiber connections between particular cell groupings or regions. Of these three, the third encompasses func tional relationships most directly, but even in well-defined fiber tracts the direction of conduction often remains indefinite, and the extent and activity of more diffuse systems is poorly known. In recent years a nurober of investigations applying electrophysiological and degeneration methods to submammalian forms have been reported. Those most pertinent to the present studies include the papers of . ARMSTRONG et al. (1953), KRUGERand associates (e. g. HERIC and KRUGER, 1966; KRUGERand BERKOWITZ, 1960; PowELL and KRUG ER, 1960}, GusEL'NIKov and SUPIN (1964) and KARA MYAN and BELEKJIOVA (1964) on various reptiles, and of PowELL and CowAN (1961), KARTEN and REVZIN (1966) and REVZIN and KARTEN (1967) on the pigeon.

This book is a comprehensive and up-to-date review and evaluation of the contemporary status of telomerase research. Chapters in this volume cover the basic structure, mechanisms, and diversity of the essential and regulatory subunits of telomerase. Other topics include telomerase biogenesis, transcriptional and post-translational regulation, off-telomere functions of telomerase and the role of telomerase in cellular senescence, aging and cancer. Its relationship to retrotransposons, a class of mobile genetic elements that shares similarities with telomerase and serves as telomeres in selected organisms, are also reviewed.

This book reviews advances in understanding phosphodiesterases within the central nervous system and their therapeutic applications. A range of expert authors from both academia and industry describe these, then focus on the areas of greatest scientific and medical interest to provide more detailed coverage. Therapeutic and drug discovery applications are covered for diseases including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, schizophrenia, erectile dysfunction, and spinal cord injuries. There is also a chapter on drug discovery tools such as in vitro assays and X-ray structures for medicinal chemistry studies.

This book covers important advances in enzymology, explaining the behavior of enzymes and how they can be utilized to develop novel drugs, synthesize known and novel compounds, and understand evolutionary processes. Advances in Enzymology focuses on enzymes, the primary catalysts of life processes. The explanation of the behavior of enzymes can be found via studies of their chemical mechanisms and can be utilized to develop novel drugs, synthesize known and novel compounds, and understand evolutionary processes. The transglutaminases, first described in 1957, are a large, widely-distributed family of enzymes canonically responsible for the amidation/transamidation of protein side chains. The extraordinary diversity of names associated with various enzymatic activities now recognized and aggregated as transglutaminase bears witness to the remarkable diversity of biological roles associated with the activity, including myriad human diseases.

Vibrational Spectroscopy in Protein Research offers a thorough discussion of vibrational spectroscopy in protein research, providing researchers with clear, practical guidance on methods employed, areas of application, and modes of analysis. With chapter contributions from international leaders in the field, the book addresses basic principles of vibrational spectroscopy in protein research, instrumentation and technologies available, sampling methods, quantitative analysis, origin of group frequencies, and qualitative interpretation. In addition to discussing vibrational spectroscopy for the analysis of purified proteins, chapter authors also examine its use in studying complex protein systems, including protein aggregates, fibrous proteins, membrane proteins and protein assemblies. Emphasis throughout the book is placed on applications in human tissue, cell development, and disease analysis, with chapters dedicated to studies of molecular changes that occur during disease progression, as well as identifying changes in tissues and cells in disease studies.

Is red wine good for you? And if so, why? How much? And what are the actual benefits? This addition to the SpringerBriefs in Cell Biology series thoroughly but succinctly answers these questions. It covers the biochemistry, health benefits and therapeutic potential of wine grapes. It begins with an overview of phytoalexin production in Vitis vinifera (Common Grape Vine), detailing the relationship of resveratrol to analogues such as pterostilbene, piceid and the viniferins (resveratrol oligomers). The discussion then turns to the hundreds of reports linking resveratrol and related grape vine polyphenols to various beneficial health effects especially cardio- and cerebro- vascular, metabolic, anti-inflammatory and more. Also addressed are the numerous intracellular mechanisms that have been shown to mediate the effects of these compounds in mammalian cells and tissues. Finally, the authors discuss aspects of polyphenol bioavailability and how this will influence choices taken for delivering these compounds as nutritional supplements. A brief chapter containing general conclusions and prospectus rounds out the information. ai

This textbook is designed for students of biology, molecular biology, ecology,medicine, agriculture, forestry and other professions where the knowledge of organic chemistry plays an important role. The work may also be of interest to non-professionals, as well as to teachers in high schools. The book consists of 13 chapters that cover the essentials of organic chemistry, including - basic principles of structure and constitution of organic compounds, - the elements of the nomenclature, - the concepts of the nature of chemical bond, - introductions in NMR and IR spectroscopy, - the concepts and main classes of the organic reaction mechanisms, - reactions and properties of common classes or organic compounds, - and the introduction to the chemistry of the natural organic products followed by basic principles of the reactions in living cells. This second edition includes revisions and suggestions made by the readers of the first edition and the author's colleagues. In addition, it includes substantial changes compared to the first edition. The chapter on Cycloaddition has been completed by including the other pericyclic reactions (sigmatropic rearrangements, electrocyclic reactions). The chapter on Organic Natural Products has been extended to include new section covering the principles of organic synthesis. New chapter "Organic Supramolecular and Supermolecular Structures" is added. This chapter covers the basic knowledge about the molecular recognition, supramolecular structures, and the mechanisms of the enzyme catalyzed reactions.

This book provides comprehensive methods and protocols about enzyme design. The chapters are grouped by main topic, starting with methodologies describing library preparation and screening, state of the art techniques in directed evolution and rational design, followed by examples of immobilization of enzymes on sustainable polymers, as well as biocatalytic conversions mediated by homogenous enzymatic preparations or whole cells. 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. Authoritative and timely, Enzyme Engineering: Methods and Protocols is an ideal guide for both the novice and the veteran researcher interested in biocatalysis. Chapter 13 is available open access under a CC BY 4.0 license.

This textbook presents a concise comparison of catalytic and biocatalytic systems outlining their catalytic properties and peculiarities. Moreover, it presents a brief introduction to the science of catalysis and attempts to unify different catalytic systems into a single, conceptually coherent structure. In fact, molecular dynamics and complexity may occur in both catalysts and biocatalysts, with many similarities in both their structural configuration and operational mechanisms. Moreover, the interactions between the different components of the catalytic system that are important in defining the overall activity, including the nature of active sites are discussed. Each chapter includes end of chapter questions supported by an online instructor solution manual. This textbook will be useful for undergraduate and graduate chemistry and biochemistry students.

Accessible and comprehensive, this book describes the universal cellular nature of living organisms and is an indispensable tool for anyone in the sciences who wishes to get a quick overview of molecular biology. Individual chapters cover nucleic acids and proteins, genetic code and protein synthesis, the fidelity of transferring genetic information to the next generations, and the regulation of various processes inside the cells. Special attention is paid to new areas rising from modern DNA sequencing technologies which transform biology. The book also touches on developing areas, such as cures for cancer and CRISPR, which are important for medicine and the future of humankind.

This detailed book collects standard techniques and cutting-edge methods that are frequently used by the research community studying the fungus Trichoderma reesei. Beginning with overviews of its evolution, its use in the production of industrially-relevant enzymes, and synthetic biology applications, the volume continues with methods covering topics from transformation techniques and gene editing to downstream-analytical applications and -omics analyses and the corresponding bioinformatics approaches. 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. Authoritative and practical, Trichoderma reesei: Methods and Protocols serves as an ideal guide for a wide range of audiences, from students who want to familiarize themselves with basic research protocols to experienced scientists who are planning to establish a new method in their laboratories, working with this dynamic fungus.

Targeting protein degradation using small molecules is one of the most exciting small-molecule therapeutic strategies in decades and a rapidly growing area of research. In particular, the development of proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTACs) as potential drugs capable of recruiting target proteins to the cellular quality control machinery for elimination has opened new avenues to address traditionally 'difficult to target' proteins. This book provides a comprehensive overview from the leading academic and industrial experts on recent developments, scope and limitations in this dynamically growing research area; an ideal reference work for researchers in drug discovery and chemical biology as well as advanced students.

This open access book offers a comprehensive overview of the role and potential of microorganisms in the degradation and preservation of cultural materials (e.g. stone, metals, graphic documents, textiles, paintings, glass, etc.). Microorganisms are a major cause of deterioration in cultural artefacts, both in the case of outdoor monuments and archaeological finds. This book covers the microorganisms involved in biodeterioration and control methods used to reduce their impact on cultural artefacts. Additionally, the reader will learn more about how microorganisms can be used for the preservation and protection of cultural artefacts through bio-based and eco-friendly materials. New avenues for developing methods and materials for the conservation of cultural artefacts are discussed, together with concrete advances in terms of sustainability, effectiveness and toxicity, making the book essential reading for anyone interested in microbiology and the preservation of cultural heritage.

This volume highlights recent progress on the fundamental chemistry and mechanistic understanding of metallocofactors, with an emphasis on the major development in these areas from the perspective of bioinorganic chemistry. Metallocofactors are essential for all forms of life and include a variety of metals, such as iron, molybdenum, vanadium, and nickel. Structurally fascinating metallocofactors featuring these metals are present in many bacteria and mediate remarkable metabolic redox chemistry with small molecule substrates, including N2, CO, H2, and CO2. Current interest in understanding how these metallocofactors function at the atomic level is enormous, especially in the context of sustainably feeding and fueling our planet; if we can understand how these cofactors work, then there is the possibility to design synthetic catalysts that function similarly.