This book discusses recent advances in theoretical-computational studies on the biosynthesis of melanin pigment (melanogenesis). These advances are being driven by the development of high-performance computers, new experimental findings, and extensive work on medical applications involving the control of pigmentation and the treatment of challenging dermatological diseases. Understanding the elementary processes involved in chemical reactions at the atomic scale is important in biochemical reaction design for effective control of the pigmentary system. Accordingly, the book focuses on the elementary steps involved in melanogenesis, which crucially affect the composition of the resulting melanin pigment by means of competitive reactions. The book also addresses reactions analogous to melanogenesis, with a focus on o-quinone reactions, which are especially important for understanding melanogenesis-associated cytotoxicity.

Lipids in Photosynthesis provides readers with a comprehensive view of the structure, function and genetics of lipids in plants, algae and bacteria, with special emphasis on the photosynthetic apparatus in thylakoid membranes. This volume includes the historical background of the field, as well as a full review of our current understanding of the structure and molecular organization of lipids and their role in the functions of photosynthetic membranes. The physical properties of membrane lipids in thylakoid membranes and their relationship to photosynthesis are also discussed. Other topics include the biosynthesis of glycerolipids and triglycerides; reconstitution of photosynthetic structures and activities with lipids; lipid-protein interactions in the import of proteins into chloroplasts; the development of thylakoid membranes as it relates to lipids; genetic engineering of the unsaturation of membrane glycerolipids, with a focus on the ability of the photosynthetic machinery to tolerate temperature stress; and the involvement of chloroplast lipids in the reactions of plants upon exposure to stress. This book is intended for a wide audience and should be of interest to advanced undergraduate and graduate students and to researchers active in the field, as well as to those scientists whose fields of specialization include the biochemistry, physiology, molecular biology, biophysics and biotechnology of membranes.

This book summarizes the advances made in the last decade in the biophysics, biochemistry, and molecular biology of the enzyme known as Photosystem I, the light-induced plastocyanin: ferredoxin oxidoreductase. Photosystem I participates along with Photosystem II in harvesting solar energy to supply photosynthetic organisms with stored chemical energy in the form of ATP and stored reducing power in the form of NADPH for processes such as metabolism, growth, and reproduction.

This volume is a unique compilation of chapters that include information on molecular architecture, protein-pigment interactions, excitation and electron transfer dynamics, protein-cofactor interactions, kinetics of electron transfer and bioassembly of proteins and cofactors.

The volume begins with a series of historical perspectives that provide a solid background to the field, and ends with information on modelling of light-harvesting and electron transfer reactions, and the evolution of the reaction center. Particular attention is paid to spectroscopy, including the theory of the measurement and the interpretation of the data. The book is intended to be a comprehensive and up-to-date source of background information on the Photosystem I reaction center for seasoned researchers, those who are just entering the field, Ph.D. students, researchers and undergraduates in the fields of biophysics, biochemistry, microbiology, agriculture, and ecology.

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.

th This volume contains selected lectures presented at the 12 International Conference on Advances in Prostaglandin, Leukotriene and Other Bioactive Lipid Research: Basic Science and Clinical Applications which was held in Istanbul, Turkey, on August 25-29, 2002. This meeting brought together basic and clinical scientists for the purpose of discussing advances in bioactive lipid research with.special attention to cancer, cardiovascular diseases, gastrointestinal diseases and respiratory diseases. Topics covered included: the role of leukotrienes and lipoxins in of inflammation, the cytochrome P450 pathway, the genetics and genomics bioactive lipids, lipid peroxidation, apoptosis, angiogenesis, isoprostanes, receptors and inhibitors, cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase pathways and inhibitors, prostaglandin synthases and receptor signaling, phospholipases and inhibitors. Sessions included plenary lectures with expertise in particular areas, oral presentation on selected topics and general poster sessions. J.M. Drazen (Boston, USA) discussed anti-leukotriene treatment in asthma patients while C. Brink (paris, France) presented the recent advances in leukotriene receptors. The recent advances in cytochrome p450 pathway described in the session organized by J.C. McGiff (Valhalla, NY, USA). T. Shimizu (Tokyo, Japan) and M. Balazy (Valhalla, NY, USA) gave an update on phospholipases and arachidonic acid peroxydation. The editors are greatful to the Organizing, Programme and Advisory Committees for their valuable contributions. We greatfully acknowledge the generous financial support provided by PharmaciaIPfizer, Fako Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Novartis Pharmaceuticals Inc. ofthe contributors to this volume, in particular We are also greatful to all to those who delivered their manuscripts by or before the requested deadline.

Bioinorganic chemistry is primarily concerned with the role of metal atoms in biology and is a very active research field. However, even though such important structures of metalloenzymes are known, as the MoFeCo of nitrogenase, Cu or Mn superoxide dismutase and plastocyanin, the synthetic routes to the modelling of such centers remains a matter of acute scientific interest. Other metalloenzymes, such as the Mn center of the oxygen evolving complex of PSII, are still the focus of in-depth examination, both spectroscopic and structural. Another area of concern is the interaction between drugs and metals and metal ion antagonism. Understanding the chemistry of metal ions in biological systems will bring benefits in terms of understanding such problems as biomineralization and the production of advanced materials by micro-organisms. The 29 contributions to Bioinorganic Chemistry: An Inorganic Perspective of Life give an excellent summary of the state of the art in this field, covering areas from the NMR of paramagnetic molecules to the use of lanthanide porphyrins in artificial batteries.

The purpose of this book is to focus attention on recent developments in steroid and sterol hormone action. Many authors have generously contributed to the book. As a result, there is a great diversity of opinion A majority of the chapters deal with steroid or sterol hormone receptors. This is not meant to imply that receptor-mediated mechanisms are the sole or even the most important mechanisms by which steroid hormones act in the cell. There is wealth of evidence showing that other, non-receptor events, are important also. Steroid hormone recep tor research and the study of nuclear events mediated by steroids are presently the most intensely studied aspects of sterol hormone action and our selection of topics reflects this trend. We have also included chapters on vitamin 0 sterols and thyroid hormone in the book, as there is pood evidence that these hormones act in a manner similar to other classical steroids. 1 IMMUNOCHARACTERIZATION OF THE NUCLEAR ACCEPTOR SITES FOR THE AVIAN OVIDUCT PROGESTERONE RECEPTOR A. GOLDBERGER, M. HORTON, T. C. SPELSBERG Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic and Mayo Graduate School of Medicine, Rochester, MN 55905 INTRODUCTION It is well known that steroid hormones, certain vitamins and sterols, enter target cells and bind to specific protein receptors in the cyto plasm or nucleus (1-4). This binding is saturable, high affinity, and steroid specific."

More than 20 million childhood deaths occur every year due to the micronutrient deficiency and diet-related non-communicable diseases (cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes). The United Nations (UN) recently announced that the increase in chronic, non-communicable diseases has resulted in 36 million deaths around the world annually, claiming more lives than all other causes combined. These chronic diseases are not isolated to developed countries and are even more pronounced in the developing world. Such chronic illnesses have caused far more deaths than infectious diseases throughout the world (except Africa) in recent years. Therefore, enrichment of micronutrients in staple food crops is of paramount importance for the nutritional security in our world. Biofortification is the development of micronutrient- and/or vitamin-rich crops using traditional crop improvement practices as well as modern biotechnology tools. It is a more sustainable and cost effective method than food supplementation, fortification and diet diversification. This work consolidates available information on the different aspects of breeding for improved nutrition of pulses. An overview of entire pulses based on their nutritional profile is given so that audience can find the desired information easily. Food legumes are the active ingredients in many gluten-free food products and there is a continuous rise of the use of pulses flour in milling and baking processes. Our book sheds light on recent efforts and the underlying constraints of meeting the public demand. We believe this work provides the basic information for anyone interested in biofortification and stimulate further research to meet this unique challenge.

For several decades the electron microscope has been the instrument of choice for the examination of biological structures at high resolution. Biologists have be come familiar with the techniques and pitfalls of sample preparation and with the interpretation of the images obtained. The purpose of this book is to introduce the biologist to a number of new imaging techniques that are now becoming avail able to supplement and even extend the information that can be obtained from the now-traditional electron microscope. Some of these techniques are still at the experimental stage, while others, such as cryoelectron microscopy and confocal optical microscopy, are at advanced stages of development and are already avail able commercially. This book represents a first attempt to quantify the progress made by bring ing together, in one volume, an account of the technical bases and the future potentials of the various techniques. Although the content is primarily aimed at biologists, microscopists in other fields should also find the information of interest and use. All the chapters are written by leading experts who are at the forefront of these exciting developments. About half the book is concerned with x-ray microscopy; the editors make no apology for this since they are both intimately involved with developments associated with this field and therefore view it, perhaps with bias, as being of the utmost importance.

This book is a compilation of the research which was presented during the NATO-Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) entitled "Advances in Bacterial Paracrystalline Surface Layers" held in London, Ontario, Canada during September 27 to 30, 1992. The organizing committee consisted of the two Workshop directors, S. F. Kaval and T. J. Beveridge, and H. Konig, U. B. Sleytr and T. J. Trust; their summary statements about the significance and success of the NATO-ARWare in Chapter 37 of this book. This was the third international workshop on bacterial S-layers and it demonstrated unequivocally how rapidly research is progressing. The Workshop was made possible by financial support from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Medical Research Council of Canada (MRC), the Natural Seiences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and the Canadian Bacterial Diseases Network (CBDN) which is a Canadian National Centre of Excellence (NCE). We are very grateful for the support from all of these agencies since their financial aid made it possible to bring to London, Canada a truly international group of S-layer experts. We encouraged the attendance and participation of graduate fellows and research associates, and their presentations students, postdoctoral was an intense three constitute the "Poster" section of this book. The NATO-ARW day workshop held at a delightful secluded location (Spencer Hall) so that the delegates had both formal and informal occasions to interact and evolve new ideas."

Plasmons as Sensors covers the fundamental developments of plasmonic nanosenor design over the last few years. In his acclaimed thesis, Jan Becker addresses the relevant theoretical concepts and then applies these to discuss the properties and trends in nanoparticles of various shapes and sizes. The first discovery Jan makes in his PhD research is that there is an optimal shape for plasmonic nanoparticles used for sensing purposes. In further chapters he goes on to describe novel experimental methods to use plasmonic nanoparticles for molecular sensing. The approach he develops in parallel sensing is one which revolutionizes the field and allows investigation of a variety of topics from nanoparticle growth to membrane protein attachment. Many of the experiments described in this thesis have led to highly visible publications in international journals.

The papers ofthis Special Issue of Molecular and Cellular Nutraceuticals are also known as 'health foods' but they also Biochemistry are invited, peer-reviewed submissions from include any product derived from animal or plant sources speakers who attended the 2nd World Conference of the which ultimately can provide a medical benefit. F our symposia International Society for MolecuIar Nutrition & Therapy. This on various aspects concerning nutraceutical products and the Conference was held fromAugust 2--4th, 1997 in Winnipeg, marketing ofthese compounds was addressed. It is hoped that Canada. The goal of the Conference was to advance our these interactions represent the start of a new, highly interesting knowledge concerning the molecular events which link scientific venture uniting the nutraceutical industry with the nutrition to various disease processes in the body. Attending main stream academic medical research community. The the meeting were scientists from 18 countries ineluding nutraceutical industry is expected to be a multibillion dollar Canada, the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, a year business world-wide by the turn of the century. The Franee, the Czeeh Republie, Germany, the Netherlands, identification of the active ingredients in any number of Bahrain, Hong Kong, India, Israel, China, Kuwait,Argentina, health foods reputed to be medieally beneficial would be just Sweden, Australia and Mexieo. There were 56 Distinguished one of the goals of such a scientific interaction.

Leading researchers in the area of the origin, evolution and distribution of life in the universe contributed to Exobiology: Matter, Energy, and Information in the Origin and Evolution of Life in the Universe. This volume provides a review of this interdisciplinary field. In 50 chapters many aspects that contribute to exobiology are reviewed by 90 authors. These include: historical perspective of biological evolution; cultural aspects of exobiology, cosmic, chemical and biological evolution, molecular biology, geochronology, biogeochemistry, biogeology, and planetology. Some of the current missions are discussed. Other subjects in the frontier of exobiology are reviewed, such as the search for planets outside the solar system, and the possible manifestation of intelligence in those new potential environments. The SETI research effort is well represented in this general overview of exobiology. This book is the proceedings of the Fifth Trieste Conference on Chemical Evolution that took place in September 1997. The volume is dedicated to the memory of Nobel Laureate Abdus Salam who suggested the initiation of the Trieste conferences on chemical evolution and the origin of life. Audience: Graduate students and researchers in the many areas of basic, earth, and life sciences that contribute to the study of chemical evolution and the origin, evolution and distribution of life in the universe.

The Chlamydomonas Sourcebook, Third Edition, Volume Two: Organellar and Metabolic Processes has been fully revised and updated to include a wealth of new resources for the Chlamydomonas community. Long known for its comprehensive insights into this highly multidisciplinary topic, this edition includes new views on Chlamydomonas branched electron transfer pathways in photosynthesis, the organization of pyrenoids and CO2 concentration mechanisms, and the fermentative-aspects of dark metabolism. Further, the book covers Chlamydomonas and its use in microalgae biotechnology. In addition to updates to previous editions, this book presents the latest in research and best practices, thus making it a must-have resource for those working with the Chlamydomonas organism.

Abiotic Stresses in Wheat: Unfolding the Challenges presents the current challenges, possibilities, and advancements in research-based management strategies for the adaptation of wheat crops under abiotic-stressed growth conditions. This book comprehensively discusses different abiotic stress conditions in wheat, and also covers current trends in their mitigation using advanced tools to develop resilience in wheat crops. Chapters provide insight into the genetic, biochemical, physiological, molecular, and transgenic advances and emerging frontiers for mitigating the effects of wheat abiotic stresses. This text is the first resource to include all abiotic stresses in one volume, providing important translational insights and efficient comparison.

Microarray technology is a major experimental tool for functional genomic explorations, and will continue to be a major tool throughout this decade and beyond. The recent explosion of this technology threatens to overwhelm the scientific community with massive quantities of data. Because microarray data analysis is an emerging field, very few analytical models currently exist. Methods of Microarray Data Analysis is one of the first books dedicated to this exciting new field. In a single reference, readers can learn about the most up-to-date methods ranging from data normalization, feature selection and discriminative analysis to machine learning techniques. Currently, there are no standard procedures for the design and analysis of microarray experiments. Methods of Microarray Data Analysis focuses on two well-known data sets, using a different method of analysis in each chapter. Real examples expose the strengths and weaknesses of each method for a given situation, aimed at helping readers choose appropriate protocols and utilize them for their own data set. In addition, web links are provided to the programs and tools discussed in several chapters. This book is an excellent reference not only for academic and industrial researchers, but also for core bioinformatics/genomics courses in undergraduate and graduate programs.

This book serves as a reference volume for anyone interested in nicotine and tobacco. An international team of authors contribute to this comprehensive review of current knowledge on the pharmacokinetics and metabolism of nicotine. A broad range of material on the action and uptake of nicotine and the consequences of exposure to it has been drawn together for the first time in this volume. This book should be of interest to research scientists and health professionals in pharmacology, toxicology and neurosciences.

This thesis demonstrates the adaptation of existing techniques and principles towards enabling clean and precise measurements of biomolecules interacting with inorganic surfaces. In particular, it includes real-time measurement of serum proteins interacting with engineered nanomaterial. Making meaningful and unambiguous measurements has been an evolving problem in the field of biology and its various allied domains, primarily due to the complex nature of experiments and the large number of possible interferants. The subsequent quantification of interactions between biomolecules and inorganic surfaces solves pressing problems in the rapidly developing fields of lipidomics and nanomedicine.

Small molecule microarrays (SMM) were introduced just a decade ago in 1999 and, within a short space of time, have already established themselves as a vibrant, next generation platform for high-throughput screening. Small Molecule Microarrays: Methods and Protocols showcases a collection of contributions guiding researchers toward ways in which small molecule microarray technology may be deployed for multiplexed screening and profiling. Organized by the categories of small molecules presented on the microarrays, this detailed volume describes in-depth techniques for chemical libraries, peptide libraries, and carbohydrate microarrays. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology (TM) series, chapters contain brief introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible protocols, vital tips on troubleshooting this often difficult technology, and advice on avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and cutting-edge, Small Molecule Microarrays: Methods and Protocols provides meticulous depictions of key hands-on experience and seeks to inspire a future generation of microarray practitioners to take this significant technology forward.

This book is intended both to be an introduction to techniques and applications of liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry and to serve as a reference for future workers. When we undertook its writing, we chose not to cover the field, particularly applications, exhaustively. Rather we wished to produce a book that would be of use to people just beginning to use the technique as well as to more advanced practitioners. In this regard, we have sought to highlight techniques and applications that are of current importance, while not neglecting descriptions of approaches that may be of significance in the future. We hope that we have succeeded in this. At the same time we hope that the bibliography, with indexes classified by author and title, will make this book of value to those who may disagree with our emphasis. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. One of us (C. G. E. ) wishes to acknowledge the en couragment of Professor J. A. McCloskey in undertaking this project. All four of us are grateful for the continuous and expert assistance of V. A. Edmonds in the preparation of the Bibliography. Alfred L. Y ergey Bethesda, Maryland Charles G. Edmonds Richland, Washington lvor A. S. Lewis London, England Marvin L. Vestal Houston, Texas v Contents 1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 . . . . . . . . . . . 2. Direct Liquid Introduction Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . 5 . . . 2. 1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 2. 2. Operating Principles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 2. 3. Specific DLI Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 2. 3. 1. Capillary Inlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 2. 3. 2. Diaphragm Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 2. 3. 3. Nebulizing Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ."

Fisheries genetics researchers will find invaluable the thirty-eight peer-reviewed contributions in this book, presented at the 20th Lowell Wakefield Fisheries Symposium "Genetics of Subpolar Fish and Invertebrates," held in May 2002 in Juneau, Alaska. Looming over concerns of lost fisheries stocks and persistent erosion of genetic variability are predictions of global warming, which may further tax genetic resources. One consequence is an increased reliance on genetic applications to many aspects of fisheries management, aquaculture, and conservation. The contributions in this book are important to modern fisheries science and genetics, and illustrate the evolution of the field over the past decade. The improved technology provides tools to address increasingly complicated problems in traditional applications and ecological and behavioral studies. The union between molecular and quantitative genetics, where many of the major questions about population structure and evolution remain unanswered, will also benefit from the new technologies.

The genetic work that has been carried out with volume, and especially in Section V 'Germplasm crop plants indicates that many nutritional charac- resources and creation of genotypes for specific teristics are independently inherited and could be environmental including low input systems', is selected for a breeding program. evident. This can be considered as genuine progress This volume presents the proceedings of the in the direction of an effective use of nutrients by 'Third International Symposium on Genetic plants. Aspects of Plant Mineral Nutrition' held in We look forward to more advances in our un- Braunschweig 1988, and demonstrates the wide derstanding of the mechanisms involved in the acceptance that cultivars respond differently to nutrient efficiency of crop plants and in the nutritional and stress factors. An improved re- development and improvement of screening sponse of cultivars to nutrients and stress con- techniques at the Fourth Symposium to be held in ditions is accessible via screening, selection and Australia in 1991. breeding of the available plant genetic resources and will help to reduce the inputs and to protect the N. EI Bassam environment. M.Dambroth The contribution of the plant breeders in this B. c. Loughman XI N. El Bassam et al. (Eds.), Genetic aspects a/plant mineral nutrition, 1-7. PLSO PN 122 (c) 1990 Kluwer Academic Publishers.