A valuable new reference on insect behavior, this exceptional new text delves into the primary sensory communication system used by most insects -- their sense of smell. This important text covers how insects produce pheromones and how they detect pheromones and plant volatiles. Since insects rely on pheromone detection for both feeding and breeding, a better understanding of insect olfaction and pheromone biosynthesis could help curb the behavior of pests without the use of harmful pesticides and even help to reduce the socio-economic impacts associated to human-insect interactions.
* Covers biochemistry and molecular biology of insect pheromone production
* Explains pheromone production in moths, beetles, flies, and social insects
* Describes pheromone and plant volatile reception

This text uses a case-study approach to present the core principles of biochemistry and molecular biology in the context of human disease to students who will be involved in patient care. The 33 cases are carefully selected to cover key concepts and common diseases. Each chapter provides a specific patient report that includes the relevant history, pertinent clinical laboratory data, physical findings, and subsequent diagnosis. This is followed by a comprehensive discussion of the normal biochemical processes and reactions pertaining to the case, along with the pathophysiological mechanisms of the disease. In this third edition of the book, a new co-editor has aided in the substantially revised and more targeted selection of cases. The whole volume is now clearly focussed on intermediary metabolism and other topics central to biochemistry. There are new chapters on topics such as collagen structure, mitochondrial metabolism, and hyperhomocysteinemia and vascular disease. There is also more coverage of nutrional biochemistry, including new chapters on protein-calorie malnutrition, obesity, vitamin A deficiency, and iron metabolism.The best cases were retained from the previous edition, and have been completely rewritten and updated to include recent advances in diagnostic biochemistry and the status of current therapies. Although the first edition was intended primarily for medical students, through the years the book has proven useful for a wide variety of students interested in the health science professions.

SINGLE SOURCE GUIDE TO PEROXIDASES AND CATALASES

Reflecting the important historical discoveries and exciting research in the field in recent years, "Peroxidases and Catalases: Biochemistry, Biophysics, Biotechnology and Physiology" provides a much-needed systematic, up-to-date treatment of peroxidases and catalases.

From the structure and properties of the various superfamilies to current applications of peroxidases, the book consolidates vast amounts of information previously scattered in the professional literature, covering all aspects of these ubiquitous enzymes that act on a variety of substances and processes in living systems--their properties, reactions, crystal structures, cloning, and more.

Considering the subject from both theoretical and applied perspectives, "Peroxidases and Catalases" offers a critical review of the literature and detailed discussions of the most current research. Chapters cover:

The background and history of peroxidases and catalases

Plant, fungal, and bacterial peroxidase superfamilies and their organization

Mammalian peroxidases including medical and physiological roles

Spectroscopic and theoretical techniques for studying peroxidases highlighting the contributions of physicists and physical/theoretical chemists

Heme peroxidases, catalases, and other peroxidases such as vanadium and selenium peroxidase

Relevant plant and animal physiology

This one-stop reference is a vital reference for biochemists, biologists, biochemical engineers, physiologists, environmental and pharmaceutical researchers, and others interested in the study and use of peroxidases and catalases.

This book introduces readers to basic studies on and applied techniques involving lactic acid bacteria, including their bioengineering and industrial applications. It summarizes recent biotechnological advances in lactic acid bacteria for food and health, and provides detailed information on the applications of these bacteria in fermented foods. Accordingly, it offers a valuable resource for researchers and graduate students in the fields of food microbiology, bioengineering, fermentation engineering, food science, nutrition and health.

This book is the latest volume in a highly successful series within "Comprehensive Biochemistry "and provides a historical and autobiographical perspective of the development of the field through the contributions of leading individuals who reflect on their careers and their impact on biochemistry. The book is essential reading for everybody, from graduate student to professor, placing in context major advances not only in biochemical terms but in relation to historical and social developments. Readers will be delighted by the lively style and the insight into the lives and careers of leading scientists of their time.

Ecometabolomics: Metabolic Fluxes versus Environmental Stoichiometry focuses on the interaction between plants-particularly plants that have vigorous secondary metabolites-and the environment. The book offers a comprehensive overview of the responses of the metabolome of organisms to biotic and abiotic environmental changes. It includes an introduction to metabolomics, summaries of metabolomic techniques and applications, studies of stress in plants, and insights into challenges. This is a must-have reference for plant biologists, plant biochemists, plant ecologists and phytochemists researching the interface between plants and the environment using metabolomics.

Over the last three decades, the interface between chemistry and biology has grown increasingly dynamic, resulting in the rapid expansion of communication and collaboration amongst research scientists, faculty and students in the fields of chemistry, biochemistry, biology, bioengineering, and beyond. This is due in part to society's growing demand for scientists, engineers and practitioners who can bring a more interdisciplinary approach to their work. For this reason, new elective courses at the undergraduate level that address topics crossing the traditional boundaries of chemistry and biology are increasingly necessary, as are courses that can provide traditional chemistry students with additional insight into the fundamental role that chemistry plays in the function and evolution of biological systems. Morrow's book builds on the foundation of a one-year introductory course in organic chemistry, focusing on familiar organic chemical processes associated with the biosynthesis of primary and secondary metabolites, with special emphasis on the latter group. Ultimately, it brings to undergraduate science majors the opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of fundamental mechanistic organic chemistry within a meaningful biological context that goes far beyond the usual boxed essays or supplemental problems that increasingly crowd the margins of many introductory organic chemistry textbooks. The book offers ideal support for courses in chemistry, biochemistry, biology, pre-medicine and bioengineering programs.

It is commonly acknowledged that the nervous system and the immune system, those most complex of networks, share attributes beyond their intricacy. Elements common to the two systems include memory, connectivity, flexibility and developmental selection of cellular composition by a rigorous process involving widespread programmed cell death. There is one salient difference: the cells of the immune system are predominantly in constant motion, while post-mitotic neurons and glia are largely fixed in place. Therefore, chemokines, initially characterized as leukocyte chemoattractants, have for the last one and one-half decades been intensely and productively studied in the contexts of inflammation, immunity and hematopoietic development. Only recently have the two fields, neurobiology and immunology, displayed mutual interests in chemokines. This convergence of the two tribes of investigators was catalyzed by the finding that SDF-1 (now known as CXCL12) and its receptor, CXCR4, exerted significant and similar functions in development of both nervous and immune systems. Indeed CXCL12 and CXCR4 were required, in an uncannily similar fashion, for retention of pre-B lymphocytes at sites of maturation in the bone marrow and of neuronal progenitors in the external granule cell layer of the developing cerebellum. Recent reports indicate that chemoattraction of cerebellar granule cells through CXCR4 can be suppressed by reverse signaling initiated by binding of soluble eph receptors to transmembrane ephrin B, thereby establishing a link between chemokine action and a cardinal patterning system of the developing nervous system. As may be anticipated when a dam breaks, a massive influx of correlative observations in the nervous and immune systems is likely to ensue.

This volume represents the state of current knowledge. To this end, introductory material for both systems is provided. Basic and advanced 'chemokinology' are presented. The recipe for making a nervous system (both ingredients and instructions for preparation) is described, as are the roles of chemokines and their receptors in making an immune system. Given their importance and complexity, CXCL12/CXCR4 interactions are separately treated in varying contexts.

The field of 'neurobiology of chemokines' has not lain fallow during the last ten years. During much of this time the principal focus has been on neuroinflammation. Linking the immune and nervous systems are explanations of the functions of chemokines and their receptors for resident brain macrophages, the microglia, the unique cerebrovascular endothelium and angiogenesis.

Understanding human disease is the goal of much of this research. New discoveries are being made and reported at a gratifying rate. It is expected that this volume will promote the steady production and application of useful new knowledge in this developing field. It provides a unique single-source database for basic neurobiology highlighting the fundamental aspects of chemokines and discussing the relations of chemokine science to animal models and human disease.

Computational Molecular modelling in Structural Biology, Volume 113, the latest release in the Advances in Protein Chemistry and Structural Biology, highlights new advances in the field, with this new volume presenting interesting chapters on charting the Bromodomain BRD4: Towards the Identification of Novel Inhibitors with Molecular Similarity and Receptor Mapping, and Computational Methods to Discover Compounds for the Treatment of Chagas Disease.

This book presents an overview of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), their mechanisms of antimicrobial action, other activities, and various problems that must still be overcome regarding their clinical application. Divided into four major parts, the book begins with a general overview of AMPs (Part I), and subsequently discusses the various mechanisms of antimicrobial action and methods for researching them (Part 2). It then addresses a range of activities other than antimicrobial action, such as cell penetration, antisepsis, anticancer, and immunomodulatory activities (Part 3), and explores the prospects of clinical application from various standpoints such as the selective toxicity, design, and discovery of AMPs (Part 4). A huge number of AMPs have been discovered in plants, insects, and vertebrates including humans, and constitute host defense systems against invading pathogenic microorganisms. Consequently, many attempts have been made to utilize AMPs as antibiotics. AMPs could help to solve the urgent problem of drug-resistant bacteria, and are also promising with regard to sepsis and cancer therapy. Gathering a wealth of information, this book will be a bible for all those seeking to develop antibiotics, anti-sepsis, or anticancer agents based on AMPs.

Leading authorities examine the possible role of brain lipids in the development of conditions such as schizophrenia, depression, Alzheimer's disease and personality disorders and violence. A better understanding of the underlying causes of these debilitating medical disorders is of utmost importance and may contribute towards a means of prevention, amelioration and cure. The book is intended to stimulate further interest and lead to increased research in this important development area.

This book discusses the methods synthesizing various carbon materials, like graphite, carbon blacks, carbon fibers, carbon nanotubes, and graphene. It also details different functionalization and modification processes used to improve the properties of these materials and composites. From a geometrical-structural point of view, it examines different properties of the composites, such as mechanical, electrical, dielectric, thermal, rheological, morphological, spectroscopic, electronic, optical, and toxic, and describes the effects of carbon types and their geometrical structure on the properties and applications of composites.

Advances in Clinical Chemistry, Volume 86, the latest installment in this internationally acclaimed series, contains chapters authored by world-renowned clinical laboratory scientists, physicians and research scientists. The serial discusses the latest and most up-to-date technologies related to the field of clinical chemistry, and is the benchmark for novel analytical approaches in the clinical laboratory.

The book provides a detailed state-of-the-art overview of inorganic chemistry applied to medicinal chemistry and biology. It covers the newly emerging field of metals in medicine and the future of medicinal inorganic chemistry. Further it includes metal based medicines used in alternative systems of Ayurveda as well as Tibetan Zuotai to make it a holistic approach. It is an essential reading for every researcher and student in medicinal and bioinorganic chemistry.

This volume focuses on mitochondrial RNA metabolism, emphasizing recent discoveries and technological advances in this fast moving area that increase our understanding of mitochondrial gene function. Topics addressed include the interplay of mitochondria with the nucleus and cytosol, structure-function connections, and relevance to human disease. Mitochondria are the powerhouses of the cell, and a great deal is known about mitochondrial energy metabolism. Less well known is the plethora of amazing mechanisms that have evolved to control expression of mitochondrial genomes. Several RNA processes and machineries in protozoa, plants, flies and humans are discussed, including: transcription and RNA polymerase mechanism; tRNA processing of 5' and 3' ends; mRNA maturation by nucleotide insertion/deletion editing and by RNA splicing; mRNA stability; and RNA import. Specialized factors and ribonucleoproteins (RNPs) examined include pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins, RNase P, polymerases, helicases, nucleases, editing and repair enzymes. Remarkable features of these processes and factors are either not found outside mitochondria, differ substantially among eukaryotic lineages, or are unique in biology.

This volume provides readers with a collection of the latest protocols used by researchers to study polyamines (PA). The chapters in this book cover various topics, such as quantification of different polyamines and conjugates, subcellular localization studies, transport, DNA methylation, ODC regulation, genetic and phenotyping analyses, genome-wide association mapping, polyamine applications and cancer. 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. Comprehensive and cutting-edge, Polyamines: Methods and Protocols is a useful reference for researchers looking to advance and stimulate their knowledge of polyamines.

Gangliosides in Health and Disease, Volume 156, presents the latest information on Gangliosides, a class of glycolipids that are found on all vertebrate cell surfaces, and are particularly abundant in the brain. Individual chapters in this new volume cover Gangliosides as Toxin Receptors, Gangliosides in Cancer Cell Signaling, Gangliosides in inflammation and neurodegeneration, Gangliosides as functional galectin receptors, Gangliosides in signal transduction, Gangliosides in brain tumor immunology, and Gangliosides in axon regeneration and stability, amongst other related topics. This book brings together world experts in ganglioside structure and function who have been assembled to contribute to this thorough update of the field.

This thesis describes the authors' pioneering efforts in the conceptualization and implementation of combined platinum-based immuno-chemotherapeutics, which represent a significant paradigm shift from the conventional approach of directly targeting cancer. The work described has opened up a rich and largely unexplored area for platinum-based drug design, and ultimately paves the way for superior immuno-chemotherapeutics with better clinical outcome for patients. Historically, the contribution of the immune system to chemotherapy outcomes has been neglected, as anticancer drugs were believed to be immunosuppressive. However, this has been challenged by contemporary evidence suggesting that many chemotherapeutics, including platinum-based agents, stimulate the innate and/or adaptive immune system and that these "secret allies" contribute tangibly to clinical outcomes. A multi-pronged immuno-chemotherapeutic approach not only shrinks tumors, but more importantly, reactivate dormant immune responses to malignancies, eliminating residual cancer cells.

This book provides a modern and easy-to-understand introduction to the chemical equilibria in solutions. It focuses on aqueous solutions, but also addresses non-aqueous solutions, covering acid-base, complex, precipitation and redox equilibria. The theory behind these and the resulting knowledge for experimental work build the foundations of analytical chemistry. They are also of essential importance for all solution reactions in environmental chemistry, biochemistry and geochemistry as well as pharmaceutics and medicine. Each chapter and section highlights the main aspects, providing examples in separate boxes. Questions and answers are included to facilitate understanding, while the numerous literature references allow students to easily expand their studies.

Chemical and Biochemical Approaches for the Study of Anesthetic Function, Part A, Volume 602 assembles new information on our understanding of anesthesia. This latest release in the series includes sections on how physical accuracy leads to biological relevance, best practices for simulating ligand-gated ion channels interacting with general anesthetics, computational approaches for studying voltage-gated ion channels modulation by general anesthetics, anesthetic parameterization, pharmacophore QSAR, QM, ONIOM, and kinetic modeling of electrophysiology data.