In this volume we aim to present an easy-to-read account of the genus Saccharomyces that we hope will be of value to all students and researchers wishing to exploit this important genus, be it for academic or commer cial purposes. Individual chapters have been commissioned to cover specific aspects of the biology of Saccharomyces species: growth, genetics, and metabolism, with the emphasis on methodology. Basic principles are discussed without an over-detailed, step-by-step breakdown of specific techniques, and lengthy discussions of standard molecular, biological, and biochemical techniques (e. g., polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, protein purification, DNA sequencing) have been avoided. We hope the volume will provide a quick reference to the current status of a wide range of Saccharomyces-specific methodologies without focusing ex clusively on recent developments in molecular techniques which can be found in the ever increasing numbers of "cloning manuals. " By necessity, much of what is described in this volume concentrates on one particular species of Saccharomyces, namely Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This is not just a reflection of the authors' interests, but indicates the extent to which this simple eukaryote has been studied by biologists from all walks of life, for all sorts of reasons. If this volume can provide a broader knowledge base to the experienced yeast researcher, or ease the path of someone just starting work with Saccharomyces, then we will have achieved our aim."

Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology provides detailed review articles concerned with aspects of chemical contaminants, including pesticides, in the total environment with toxicological considerations and consequences.

Handbook of Biodegradable Polymers, the seventh volume in the Drug Delivery and Targeting book series, provides a source manual for synthetic procedures, properties and applications of bioerodible polymers. The authors describe widely available materials such as polyactides, collagen and gelatin, as well as polymers of emerging importance, such as the genetically-engineered and elastin-based polymers which are either proprietary or in early stages of development. Section I addresses synthetic absorbable polymers, and Section 2 profiles natural, semi-synthetic and biosynthetic polymers. Section 3 discusses the surface characterization of degradable polymers, the modeling of biodegradation and non-medical polymers. This book is ideal for researchers from academia and industry as well as chemists, pharmacists and physicians who deal with biopolymers, drug delivery and targeting, bioengineering and implantable devices.

Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology provides detailed review articles concerned with aspects of chemical contaminants, including pesticides, in the total environment with toxicological considerations and consequences.

Research in the field of histamine receptors over the past 100 years went hand-in-hand with the development of modern pharmacology. Advances in histamine research led by outstanding scientists was so incisive that the clinical approach to treat allergies and gastrointestinal ailments was revolutionized. The pharmacological treatment of peptic ulcer and gastroesophageal reflux was indeed a revolution, as it ended the surgical intervention. Interest in histamine pharmacology was resurrected by the discovery of another histamine receptor, number 4, using genomics-based reverse pharmacological approaches for screening orphan GPCRs. This receptor is preferentially expressed by immune cells and its discovery raised hopes for its translational exploitation as a new therapeutic target for unmet medical needs ranging from asthma to cancer. However, several drawbacks emerged and dramatically slowed down research in the field. A better understanding of receptor intra-and interspecies heterogeneity will certainly improve and accelerate the translation of experimental data into clinical practice. Also, the plethora of data on brain histamine is hinting at a fundamental role of this system as a hub that receives internal and peripheral stimuli to allocate the necessary excitation to specific brain circuits that preside the appropriate behavioral responses. The development of new histaminergic ligands is an ongoing process that constantly provide new preclinical tools. The aim of this book is to cover the most important aspects of histamine receptor function and pharmacology in the central nervous system and to provide a comprehensive overview of the preclinical and clinical advances made in recent decades and the exciting prospects for the future. It highlights the clinical areas where there is a great need for new therapeutic approaches and where novel histaminergic agents may be useful for personalized medicine.

Since the general recognition of the Archaebacteria, research into the evolution, metabolism, molecular biology and ecological roles of these fastidious anaerobes has proceeded at an ever-increasing pace. All possess a very novel biochemistry and many exploit unique ecological niches. Methanogens, which convert one-and-two carbon compounds into the important atmospheric gas methane, are the largest group among the Archaebacteria. Of all microbial groups, methanogens provide perhaps the best opportunity to study evolution because of their phyologenetic diversity and unique biochemistry. Today, the analysis of methanogens is at a threshold. Molecular-biological studies of these microorganisms are revealing more and more processes unique to this group, and in turn, studies of methanogens are providing new perspectives to the broader fields of biochemistry and molecular biology. This volume is the first book to be published on methanogenesis, and it will provide the reader with a comprehensive view of the field and point to future trends.

This book for the first time comprehensively surveys the research investigating the Jak-Stat pathway and its role in normal blood development as well as its perturbation in disease. It draws on the expertise of world-renowned medical researchers to take the reader from basic biology through to recent therapeutic advances.

Cells maintain uneven distribution of Na, K and Ca ions across the cell membrane and membranes of intracellular organellae. Cells exert their functions by allowing for some ion to cross the membrane through ion channels which either produces an electrical effect across the membrane or switches on a series of chemical or physicochemical reactions. This is a comprehensive book about these vitally important ion channels with detailed description of the molecular structure and function and especially of activators and inhibitors. All chapters are written by renowned specialists in their field.

Several years ago, when the discovery of catalytic RNA was recognized in a public manner,many people asked if new ?elds of therapy would soon be available. Although some tentative positive answers were given,nobody would say with certainty that RNA of various kinds was a truly promising means of altering gene expression. In fact,over the past decade,both our knowledge of RNAs with different functions and the utility of RNA in the inhibition or enhancement of gene expression have occurred with great drama. We proceeded in terms of possible therapeutic tools from RNase P and group I introns through "hammerhead" RNA enzymes, antisense technology, and more recently, to RNAi and its derivatives. A useful practical method of RNA delivery in animals will complete the picture. The diversity of RNA and the varied role of it inside cells and in therapy should be a tremendous challenge for young molecular biologists. This volume will make their task easier. Sidney Altman Sterling Professor of Molecular,Cellular & Devel- mental Biology,Nobel Laureate Department of Molecular,Cellular and Developm- tal Biology Yale University V NGTPR 4/23/05 1:00 PM Page VI VI Foreword Delivery of nucleic acids to cells in an animal remains a challenging problem. It is the major obstacle to success of therapeutic approaches using genes and oli- nucleotides,including siRNAs. Solutions found so far by chemists are satisfactory only for transfection of cells in culture.

Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology provides detailed review articles concerned with aspects of chemical contaminants, including pesticides, in the total environment with toxicological considerations and consequences.

Contents:
1. Introduction to bioenergetics, 2. Energy requirements and energy expenditure, 3. Chemical reactions and energy transduction, 4. Redox reactions: electrons as common intermediates, 5. Redox reactions in metabolism, 6. Redox reactions in the biosphere, 7. Membrane transport: ion gradients as common intermediates, 8. Energy capture: photosynthesis, Answers to numerical problems. energy expenditure; chemical reactions and energy transduction; redox reactions - electrons as common intermediates; redox reactions in metabolism; redox reactions in the biosphere; membrane transport - ion gradients as common intermediates; energy capture - photosynthesis; answers to problems.

This is the second volume in a 2-volume compendium that is the go-to source for both research- and practice-oriented information on the importance of branched chain amino acids in maintaining the nutritional status and overall health of individuals, especially those with certain disease conditions. Over 150 well recognized and respected contributors have come together to compile these up-to-date and well-referenced works. The volumes will serve the reader as the benchmarks in this complex area of interrelationships between dietary protein intakes and individual amino acid supplementation, the unique role of the branched chain amino acids in the synthesis of brain neurotransmitters, collagen formation, insulin and glucose modulation and the functioning of all organ systems that are involved in the maintenance of the body's metabolic integrity. Moreover, the physiological, genetic and pathological interactions between plasma levels of branched chain amino acids and aromatic amino acids are clearly delineated so that students as well as practitioners can better understand the complexities of these interactions. Branched Chain Amino Acids in Clinical Nutrition: Volume 2 covers the role of branched chain amino acids in healthy individuals, and branched chain amino acid status in disease states, liver diseases, and supplementation studies in certain patient populations.

This book discusses the theory, general principles, and energy source conditions allowing for the emergence of life in planetary systems. The author examines the material conditions found in natural hydrothermal sites, the appropriate analogs of prebiotic environments on early Earth. He provides an overview of current laboratory experiments in prebiotic materials chemistry and substantiation of a new direction for the experiments in the origin of life field. Describes thermodynamic inversion and how it relates to the living cell; Examines the current direction of experiments on prebiotic materials chemistry; Introduces and substantiates necessary conditions for the emergence of life.

Reviews the physiochemical properties of the main food proteins and explores the interdependency between the structure-function relationship of specific protein classes and the processing technologies applied to given foods. The book offers solutions to current problems related to the complexity of food composition, preparation and storage, and includes such topics as foams, emulsions, gelation by macromolecules, hydrolysis, microparticles/fat replacers, protein-based edible films, and extraction procedures.

Nano-enabled Sustainable and Precision Agriculture is the first single-volume resource to cover this important field using a whole systems approach that considers both opportunities and challenges. The book provides a comprehensive understanding of the role of nanotechnology in agriculture from broad aspects, but also includes a comprehensive view of the interaction of nanomaterials with soil-plant systems. It highlights aspects not described in previous books, including the application of nanoinformatics and artificial intelligence in nano-enabled sustainable agriculture, the application of nanotechnology in alternative forms of agriculture such as hydroponics, and regulatory frameworks for this research field. The book addresses all these aspects by including sections on enhanced sustainability, reduced pollution and enhanced ecosystems' health, and the role of nanoinformatics and machine learning.

This book presents numerous uses of biosurfactants as potential alternatives to synthetic surfactants in food, textile, biomedical and therapeutic applications as well as in bioremediation and waste management. Divided into four parts, the book explores a wide range of biosurfactants as sustainable materials, starting with an overview of biosurfactants' production, in which readers will find topics such as characterization, purification, sustainable production, biodegradation, and cytotoxic aspects of biosurfactants. Part 2 presents the latest applications of biosurfactants in food and textile industries, as well as their application in nanoparticle synthesis, heavy metal remediation, drug absorption, waste treatment, agriculture management, marine sediment remediation of organic pollutants, emulsification and biofuel production, and as anti-corrosive agents. Part 3 traces current biomedical applications of biosurfactants, including their use as biocidal, wound healing, and anti-tumour agents. In this part, readers will also discover further applications of biosurfactants in oral cavity care, and biofilm prevention and disruption. The final part of the book discusses the main advantages and disadvantages of biosurfactants over synthetic surfactants, the current challenges in biosurfactant research, and prospects for their commercialization. This book will be a valuable resource for students, scholars and researchers working in the fields of colloidal and interface science, chemistry and chemical engineering. Professionals and scholars alike will appreciate the latest research findings that it presents.

Martin Stein's thesis describes a novel methodology for natural product discovery. Due to its high degree of reproducibility, robustness and sensitivity, the technique can be utilized to detect even trace amounts of bioactive substances in heterogeneous matrices such as fermentation broths or crude organic extracts. This research is thus relevant for a large number of researchers working in natural product discovery. Applications of this novel NMR-based approach include suitable environmental triggers for the induction of biosynthetic machineries. The author demonstrates the extraordinary value of this approach by the successful isolation of two potent inhibitors of the pharmaceutically relevant proteasome core particle from the insect pathogen photorhabdus luminescens. This thesis has led to a number of publications in high-impact journals.

Plant Alkaloids: A Guide to Their Discovery and Distribution serves as a record of both the positive and negative results obtained in the screening of more than 20,000 plant species for alkaloids in a forty-year search for new medicinal agents and other pharmacological substances. Designed to increase general knowledge of the Plant Kingdom, this book equips present and future generations of phytochemists with the skills and knowledge necessary for developing new alkaloid compounds. Recording the results of screening tests from approximately 400 genera of plants found primarily in zones beneath 45? N Latitude, Plant Alkaloids contributes to the efforts to calculate and safeguard the resources of the rainforests of the world. By offering results from the field, 'Plant Alkaloids surpasses the tradition of books on alkaloid chemistry that only emphasize the chemical and physical properties of known compounds, their established structures, biogenetic origins, taxonomic usefulness, and pharmacological actions. These results, in many cases, constitute the first record of the probable presence of alkaloids in the species under study. By documenting both positive and negative results, Plant Alkaloids directs the search for potentially new and useful compounds, while alleviating much of the time and expense of screening plants where results have already been obtained.An invaluable reference book for scientists in any of the life sciences, Plant Alkaloids provides a general index containing references to standard works on alkaloid chemistry and the subject's vast literature. In addition to offering a description of the size of each plant family and its economic importance, this book also lists thegenera and species of each plant tested according to accepted taxonomic names and notes disagreement over taxonomic assignment where it exists.

Integrates knowledge on microfiltration and ultrification, membrane chemistry, and characterization methods with the engineering and economic aspects of device performance, device and module design, processes, and applications. The text provides a discussion of membrane fundamentals and an analytical framework for designing and developing new filtrations systems for a broad range of technologically important functions. It offers information on membrane liquid precursors, fractal and stochastic pore space analysis, novel and advanced module designs, and original process design calculations.

A comprehensive collection of optimized methods for dissecting the mechanisms that control epidermal growth factors (EGF) and their regulators in both normal and pathological states. These readily reproducible techniques range from the study of purified EGF receptor to complex signaling and processing networks in intact cells, including a chapter on the clinical and pharmacological considerations of their use in cancer therapy. The protocols follow the successful Methods in Molecular Biology (TM) series format, each offering step-by-step laboratory instructions, an introduction outlining the principles behind the technique, lists of the necessary equipment and reagents, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.

Electromagnetic Waves-Based Cancer Diagnosis and Therapy: Principles and Applications of Nanomaterials is a reference solution for radiation-based methods in cancer therapy that benefit from nanosystems. The book gives foundational knowledge and the latest techniques across the electromagnetic wave spectrum. It assesses the advantages and limitations of nanosystems in therapy, providing researchers and specialists with the insight to leverage novel nanostructures for therapy and to improve the efficacy of existing methods. It presents a comprehensive reference on the use of nanosystems in radiation-based cancer therapy. What makes this book unique is its coverage of the electromagnetic wave spectrum. Six chapters cover radio-wave-involved cancer therapy and imaging; cancer therapy by microwaves hypothermia; infra-red waves in cancer theranostics; the use of visible light in diagnosis; X-ray based treatments; and gamma ray-involved therapy and imaging. This book offers researchers and specialists a comprehensive overview of radiation-based methods using nanosystems. It will be of great use to researchers and specialists in cancer diagnosis who want to take advantage of novel nanostructures and to improve the performance of conventional methods in radiation-based cancer diagnosis and therapy.

The 5th International Conference on Aspartic Proteinases was held on September 19 through 24, 1993, at Naito Museum of Pharmaceutical Science and Industry, Kawashima cho, Gifu Prefecture, Japan, about 15 miles northwest of Nagoya City. About 100 scientists attended the conference, including 52 from 14 countries outside Japan, and 32 papers were presented by invited speakers, and 58 papers as posters. The purpose of this conference was to present and discuss new information on the structure, function, and biology, and related topics, including biomedical implications, of aspartic proteinases, and this book is a collec tion of nearly all the papers presented at the meeting. Aspartic proteinases belong to one of the four major classes of proteinases, the others being serine, cysteine, and metalloproteinases, and are so called since they have two catalytic aspartic acid residues in common in their active sites. Most of them are optimally active at acidic pH, hence the long-used name "acid proteinases," which, indeed, was the major title of the first conference of this series. However, some of them are active at around neutral pH, indicating their physiological roles in a wider range of pH than hitherto considered.

Over the past several decades, vanadium has increasingly attracted the interest of biologists and chemists. The discovery by Henze in 1911 that certain marine ascidians accumulate the metal in their blood cells in unusually large quantities has done much to stimulate research on the role of vanadium in biology. In the intervening years, a large number of studies have been carried out to investigate the toxicity of vanadium in higher animals and to determine whether it is an essential trace element. That vanadium is a required element for a few selected organisms is now well established. Whether vanadium is essential for humans remains unclear although evidence increasingly suggests that it probably is. The discovery by Cantley in 1977 that vanadate is a potent inhibitor of ATPases lead to numerous studies of the inhibitory and stimulatory effects of vanadium on phosphate metabolizing enzymes. As a consequence vanadates are now routinely used as probes to investigate the mechanisms of such enzymes. Our understanding of vanadium in these systems has been further enhanced by the work of Tracy and Gresser which has shown striking parallels between the chemistry of vanadates and phosphates and their biological compounds. The observation by Shechter and Karlish, and Dubyak and Kleinzeller in 1980 that vanadate is an insulin mimetic agent has opened a new area of research dealing with the hormonal effects of vanadium. The first vanadium containing enzyme, a bromoperoxidase from the marine alga Ascophyllum nodosum, was isolated in 1984 by Viltner.

Metabolism is the sum of the chemical reactions in cells that produce life-sustaining chemical energy and metabolites. In the post-genome era, metabolism has taken on new significance for biological scientists: metabolites are the chemical basis of phenotypes that are final expressions of genomic information. This book covers research on metabolomics, ranging from the development of specialized chemical analytical techniques to the construction of databases and methods for metabolic simulation. The authors have been directly involved in the development of all the subject areas, including capillary electrophoresis, liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, metabolic databases, and metabolic simulation. Breakthrough achievements and the future of metabolome studies are described, making this book a valuable source for researchers in metabolomics in diverse fields, such as plant, animal, cellular, microbial, pharmaceutical, medical, and genetic sciences.