This book focuses on recent advances in our understanding of the signal transduction pathway of ethylene, its interaction with other hormones and its roles in biological processes. It discusses at which point plants could have acquired ethylene signaling from an evolutionary perspective. Ethylene was the first gaseous hormone to be identified and triggers various responses in higher plants. Our grasp of ethylene signaling has rapidly expanded over the past two decades, due in part to the isolation of the components involved in the signal transduction pathway. The book offers a helpful guide for plant scientists and graduate students in related areas.

One major function of the liver is the uptake of endo- and xenobiotics from the bloodstream and their excretion into bile. The transport systems involved in hepatobiliary transport have been recently cloned and characterized at the molecular level and it is becoming clear that mutations and polymorphisms of individual transporter molecules underlie a variety of liver diseases. Furthermore, new research has shown that bile acids, whose function in digestion is long known, also behave as signal molecules in a variety of organs, including the intestinal and biliary epithelia, sinusoidal endothelial and immune cells. This book provides indepth surveys on the structure and function of transport molecules involved in hepatobiliary transport, on the role of different bile acids receptors in various organs and their function in health and disease, the mechanisms of bile salt-induced apoptosis and hepatocyte protection, and the role of transporter mutations as causes and modifiers of liver diseases. The book will be of interest not only for biochemists, structural chemists and biologists, but also for clinicians.

"Advances in Botanical Research" publishes in-depth and up-to-date reviews on a wide range of topics in plant sciences. Currently in its 67th volume, the series features several reviews by recognized experts on all aspects of plant genetics, biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, physiology and ecology. This thematic volume features reviews on metabolomics coming of age with its technological diversity.
Publishes in-depth and up-to-date reviews on a wide range of topics in plant sciencesFeatures a wide range of reviews by recognized experts on all aspects of plant genetics, biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, physiology and ecologyVolume features reviews on metabolomics coming of age with its technological diversity

"Transport in Biological Media"is a solid resource of mathematical models for researchers across a broad range of scientific and engineering problems such as the effects of drug delivery, chemotherapy, or insulin intake to interpret transport experiments in areas of cutting edge biological research. A wide range of emerging theoretical and experimental mathematical methodologies are offered by biological topic to appeal to individual researchers to assist them in solving problems in their specific area of research. Researchers in biology, biophysics, biomathematics, chemistry, engineers and clinical fields specific to transport modeling will find this resource indispensible.
Provides detailed mathematical model development to interpret experiments and provides current modeling practices Provides a wide range of biological and clinical applicationsIncludes physiological descriptions of models"

This book presents an overview of the RNA networks controlling gene expression in fungi highlighting the remaining questions and future challenges in this area.

It covers several aspects of the RNA-mediated mechanisms that regulate gene expression in model yeasts and filamentous fungi, organisms of great importance for industry, medicine and agriculture. It is estimated that there are more than one million fungal species on the Earth. Despite their diversity (saprophytic, parasitic and mutualistic), fungi share common features distinctive from plants and animals and have been grouped taxonomically as an independent eukaryotic kingdom. In this book, 15 chapters written by experts in their fields cover the RNA-dependent processes that take place in a fungal cell ranging from formation of coding and non-coding RNAs to mRNA translation, ribosomal RNA biogenesis, gene silencing, RNA editing and epigenetic regulation.

Provides a high level reference source for scientists engaged in any aspect of plant research - chemistry, biochemistry or physiology - with primary focus on the chemistry of phosphorus-containing compounds that occur naturally in the plant kingdom, and specifically in the higher plants (Plantae).

The book is comprehensive with respect to nomenclature, physical properties, and distribution worldwide. There are many tables of actual data on phosphorus compounds occurring in whole plants and parts of plants. The tables provide detailed data that is needed by the food industry, agriculture, etc as many of the phosphorus compounds are common to both plants and animals.

Two appendices cover other aspects including changes in phosphorus-containing compounds during germination and their accumulation during growth and senescence. The final sections of the book comprise separate indexes of plants, compounds and authors.

Comprehensive examination of phosphorus compounds found in plants Extensive tables listing types of compounds and their occurrence in plants including: Nomenclature; Occurrence; Physical Properties; Synthesis; Hydrolysis; Phosphorylation; Extraction; Separation and Analysis; Easy to use indexes of plants, compounds and authors"

This book provides new structural, biochemical, and clinical information on ABC transporters. The authors explore and describe the state of the art of research, knowledge, and prospects for the future for this important family of proteins. The first ABC transporter was discovered in 1973 and was named P-glycoprotein. It elicits resistance to cytotoxic drugs, chiefly in human tumours, within which chemotherapy failure is observed in about 50% of cases. Together with its complex pharmacology, and even a suspected role in Alzheimer's disease, this ABC transporter still eludes a clinical solution to its multidrug resistance property. ABC transporters are integral membrane active proteins and they belong to one of the largest protein families across all species. Their myriad roles encompass the import or export of a diverse range of allocrites, including ion, nutrients, peptides, polysaccharides, lipids, and xenobiotics. They are of major medical importance with many members elaborating multidrug resistance in bacteria, fungi, yeast, parasites, and humans. Other ABC transporters are involved in a number of inherited diseases, including cystic fibrosis, macular degeneration, gout, and several other metabolic disorders

This book review series presents current trends in modern biotechnology. The aim is to cover all aspects of this interdisciplinary technology where knowledge, methods and expertise are required from chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, genetics, chemical engineering and computer science. Volumes are organized topically and provide a comprehensive discussion of developments in the respective field over the past 3-5 years. The series also discusses new discoveries and applications. Special volumes are dedicated to selected topics which focus on new biotechnological products and new processes for their synthesis and purification. In general, special volumes are edited by well-known guest editors. The series editor and publisher will however always be pleased to receive suggestions and supplementary information. Manuscripts are accepted in English.

This book offers in a single volume a unique collection of the state-of the-art experimental procedures utilized for the induction, detection, and modeling of this complex cellular program of oncogene-induced senescence. The book encompasses protocols for studying this multi-step program in human specimens and a variety of experimental models including cultured mammalian cells, laboratory mice, and Drosophila melanogaster, as well as offering a description of high throughput 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, Oncogene-Induced Senescence: Methods and Protocols represents a valuable asset for a wide audience of medical oncologists and researchers in the fields of oncology, molecular and cellular biology, biochemistry, and animal development.

This book presents the latest breakthrough results in glycobiology regarding the roles of glycans in relation to quality control and transport of protein, the immune system, viral infection, stem cells, the neural system, and various diseases such as cancer, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, muscular dystrophy, and schizophrenia. Although glycoscience has long been regarded as a very specialized field with no simple analytical method, the recent explosive progress in research continues to provide limitless evidence that glycan chains are the key component in various biological phenomena. Cell surface glycans, for example, change with developmental stages or environmental conditions and thus represent a "face" of the cell that is utilized for identification of iPS and ES cells and as biomarkers in diagnosis or detection of cancer. This book comprises 17 chapters, each of which poses outstanding "glyco-related" questions enabling non-specialists to have a clearer idea about what the future direction for further investigation of glycans in their own research fields will be. Also including basic information to understand the nature of glycans, this title serves as an excellent "textbook" for researchers in diverse research fields who are not familiar with, but nevertheless interested in, glycan chains or sugar chains.

For many years, it has been known that when rats and mice are given a reduced amount of food, their life span is increased and they remain healthy and vigorous at advanced ages.

What is the reason for this change in the usual pattern of aging? The evidence is overwhelming that the life extension results from a slowing of aging processes. And the factor responsible is the decrease in caloric intake. The obvious question: How does this factor work? A good question - and the reason that research on the anti-aging action of caloric restriction is today one of the most studied research areas in biological gerontology. For it is felt that if the biological mechanisms of the anti-aging action of caloric restriction can be uncovered, we would gain an understanding of the basic nature of aging processes, which would, in turn, yield possible interventions in human aging. This book aims to provide the growing number of researchers in this field (faculty, postdoctoral trainees, and graduate students) with a detailed knowledge of what is known about caloric restriction within the frame of gerontology, as well as insights on future of this field.

This contributed volume sheds new light on waste management and the production of biofuels. The authors share insights into microbial applications to meet the challenges of environmental pollution and the ever- growing need for renewable energy. They also explain how healthy and balanced ecosystems can be created and maintained using strategies ranging from oil biodegration and detoxification of azo dyes to biofouling. In addition, the book illustrates how the metabolic abilities of microorganisms can be used in microbial fuel-cell technologies or for the production of biohydrogen. It inspires young researchers and experienced scientists in the field of microbiology to explore the application of green biotechnology for bioremediation and the production of energy, which will be one of the central topics for future generations.

This book brings together reviews from international experts who are exploring the biological activities of nanomaterials for medical applications or to better understand nanotoxicity. Topics include but are not limited to the following: 1) mechanistic understanding of nanostructure-bioactivity relationships; 2) the regulation of nanoparticles' bioactivity by means of chemical modification; 3) the new methodologies and standard methods used to assess nanoparticles' bioactivity; 4) the mechanisms involved in nanoparticle-biomolecule interactions and nanoparticle-cell interactions; and 5) biomedical applications of nanotechnology. The book will be a valuable resource for a broad readership in various subfields of chemical science, engineering, biology, environment, and medicine.

This volume reviews numerous reaction mechanisms and applications of nucleic acids with catalytic activity. Written by an interdisciplinary team of authors, it provides an essential overview of these acids' fundamental aspects, while also addressing associated methodologies such as nucleic acid enzyme engineering, peroxidase-mimicking DNAzymes and Aptazymes. After the discovery of natural ribozymes - RNA molecules that mediate the cleavage and formation of phosphodiester bonds and the formation of peptide bonds - numerous artificial ribozymes with altered catalytic activities were produced by in vitro and in vivo selection. Unlike ribozymes, DNAzymes do not occur in nature. Although the catalytic activity of nucleic acid enzymes is usually much slower than that of proteins, nucleic acid enzymes with comparable catalytic activity have been obtained using stringent selection processes. The key advantages of these enzymes: they are e.g. smaller, easier to produce and purify than proteins, and can withstand denaturation, e.g. by heat. Over the last few years, the number of publications on the applications of enzymatic nucleic acids has grown steadily. Summarizing the fundamentals and applications of these acids, this book will not only be an excellent resource for experts in the field but will also guide young researchers just starting out in this significant area.

One of the major challenges of modern biology and medicine consists in finding means to visualize biomolecules in their natural environment with the greatest level of accuracy, so as to gain insight into their properties and behaviour in a physiological and pathological setting. This has been achieved thanks to the design of novel imaging agents, in particular to fluorescent biosensors.

Fluorescence Biosensors comprise a large set of tools which are useful for fundamental purposes as well as for applications in biomedicine, drug discovery and biotechnology. These tools have been designed and engineered thanks to the combined efforts of chemists and biologists over the last decade, and developed hand in hand together with imaging technologies.

This volume will convey the many exciting developments the field of fluorescent biosensors and reporters has witnessed over the recent years, from concepts to applications, including chapters on the chemistry of fluorescent probes, on technologies for monitoring protein/protein interactions and technologies for imaging biosensors in cultured cells and in vivo. Other chapters are devoted to specific examples of genetically-encoded reporters, or to protein and peptide biosensors, together with examples illustrating their application to cellular and in vivo imaging, biomedical applications, drug discovery and high throughput screening.

Key features:

* Contributions from leading authorities * Informs and updates on all the latest developments in the field

1 Vascular Analysis of the Carotid Body in the Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat.- 2 Role of the Carotid Sinus Nerve and of Dopamine in the Biochemical Response of Sympathetic Tissues to Long-Term Hypoxia.- 3 The Effects of Almitrine on [3H]5HT and [125I] Endothelin Binding to Central and Peripheral Receptors: An In Vitro Autoradiographic Study in the Cat.- 4 Immunocytochemical and Neurochemical Aspects of Sympathetic Ganglion Chemosensitivity.- 5 Neuronal and Neuroendocrine Markers in the Human Carotid Body in Health and Disease.- 6 The Effects of Chronic Hypoxaemia upon the Structure of the Human Carotid Body.- 7 Dopaminergic and Peptidergic Sensory Innervation of the Rat Carotid Body: Organization and Development.- 8 Effects of Cell-Free Perfusion and Almitrine Bismesylate on the Ultrastructure of Type-1 Cell Mitochondria in the Cat Carotid Body.- 9 Multi-Unit Compartmentation of the Carotid Body Chemoreceptor by Perineurial Cell Sheaths: Immunohistochemistry and Freeze-Fracture Study.- 10 Light and Electronmicroscopical Immunohistochemical Investigation of the Innervation of the Human Carotid Body.- 11 Serotonin (5-Hydroxytryptamine) Expression in Pulmonary Neuro-Endocrine Cells (NE) and a Netumor Cell Line.- 12 Effects of Hypoxia on Cultured Chemoreceptors of the Rat Carotid Body: DNA Synthesis and Mitotic Activity in Glomus Cells.- 13 Localization of Dopamine D2 Receptor mRNA in the Rabbit Carotid Body and Petrosal Ganglion by in situ Hybridization.- 14 Noradrenergic Glomus Cells in the Carotid Body: An Autoradiographic and Immunocytochemical Study in the Rabbit and Rat.- 15 The Modulation of Intracellular pH in Carotid Body Glomus Cells by Extracellular pH and pCO2.- 16 Evidence for Glucose Uptake in the Rabbit Carotid Body.- 17 Effects of Inorganic Calcium Channel Blockers on Carotid Chemosensory Responses in the Cat.- 18 Those Strange Glomus Cells.- 19 Carotid Body Neurotransmission.- 20 Carbonic Anhydrase and the Carotid Body.- 21 Ca2+ Dynamics in Chemoreceptor Cells: An Overview.- 22 Spectrophotometric Analysis of Heme Proteins in Oxygen Sensing Cell Systems.- 23 Neurochemical and Molecular Biological Aspects on the Resetting of the Arterial Chemoreceptors in the Newborn Rat.- 24 Carbonic Anhydrase and Carotid Body Chemoreception in the Presence and Absence of CO2-HCO3-.- 25 Role of Ion-Exchangers in the Cat Carotid Body Chemotransduction.- 26 Dopamine Metabolism in the Rabbit Carotid Body in vitro: Effect of Hypoxia and Hypercapnia.- 27 PO2-Dependence of Phospholipase C in the Cat Carotid Body.- 28 Optical Measurements of Micro-Vascular Oxygen Pressure and Intracellular pH in the Cat Carotid Body: Testing Hypotheses of Oxygen Chemoreception.- 29 Elevation of Cytosolic Calcium Induced by pH Changes in Cultured Carotid Body Glomus Cells.- 30 Role of Carbon Dioxide for Hypoxic Chemotransduction of the Cat Carotid Body.- 31 Metabolic Substrate Dependence of Carotid Chemosensory Responses to Stop-Flow Evoked Hypoxia and to Nicotine.- 32 Effects of Chemosensory Stimulation Membrane Currents Recorded with the Perforated-Patch Method from Cultured Rat Glomus Cells.- 33 Carbonic Anhydrase Near Central Chemoreceptors.- 34 Update on the Bicarbonate Hypothesis.- 35 Regulation of Intracellular pH in Type I Cells of the Neonatal Rat Carotid Body.- 36 Noradrenergic Inhibition of the Goat Carotid Body.- 37 Role of Substance P in Rat Carotid Body Responses to Hypoxia and Capsaicin.- 38 Carotid Sinus Nerve Inhibition Mediated by Atrial Natriuretic Peptide.- 39 Neurotransmitters and Second Messenger Systems in the Carotid Body.- 40 Does Adenosine Stimulate Rat Carotid Body Chemoreceptors?.- 41 Effects of Haloperidol on Cat Carotid Body Chemoreceptionin Vitro.- 42 Effect of Arterial Chemoreceptor Stimulation: Role of Norepinephrine in Hypoxic Chemotransmission.- 43 Carotid Body Denervation and Pulmonary Vascular Resistance in the Rat.- 44 Effects of Chemoreceptor Stimulation by Almitrine Bismesylate on Renal Function in Conscious Rats...

Providing current diverse approaches and techniques used to study the immunoproteome, Immunoproteomics: Methods and Protocols collects chapters from key researchers that deliver information to be used in diagnostics, disease progression, and vaccine correlates of protection analysis, to name but a few. This detailed volume includes techniques used for the study of the antibody targets of bacterial pathogens, viruses, and cancer, mass spectrometry-based approaches to characterize T-cell epitopes, chapters on detection and relative quantification of cytokines in serum, as well as in silico prediction of epitopes using sequence-based or modeling approaches. 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. Practical and thorough, Immunoproteomics: Methods and Protocols aids researchers in transferring these techniques to their own laboratories in addition to providing a reference to guide researchers toward appropriate techniques.

This book presents a common principle of actions of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) from points of view at the atomic, molecular and cellular levels. At the atomic level, chemical studies of ribonucleic acids explain the chemical behavior of lncRNAs. Structural biological analysis of lncRNAs and its binding proteins also reveal the precise mechanisms of their actions. Molecular biological approaches lead to insights into molecular mechanisms of these lncRNA actions. At the cellular or individual level of analysis, we grasp the biology and medicine of lncRNAs. These three layers of approaches are thoroughly new and produce novel insights into functions of lncRNAs in living cells. The book consists of five parts: 1) Bioinformatics and other methodologies for lncRNAs, 2) Atomic and molecular structures of lncRNAs, 3) Molecular functions of lncRNAs, 4) Biological actions of lncRNAs, and 5) Potential outcomes for clinical medicine. These sections connect well and work synergistically. The book is for researchers whose specialty is RNA biology and chemistry and also for advanced students at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Readers can grasp the leading edge of lncRNA studies in a comprehensive manner and are inspired to pursue their own particular interests.

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

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

This book describes the state of the art in the field of bioanalytical nano- and microsystems with optical functionality. In 12 chapters distinguished scientists and leaders in their respective fields show how various optical technologies have been miniaturized and integrated over the last few decades in order to be combined with nano- and microsystems for applications in the life sciences. The main detection and characterization technologies are introduced, and examples of the superiority of these integrated approaches compared to traditional ones are provided. Examples from e.g. the fields of optical waveguides, integrated interferometers, surface plasmon resonance or Raman spectroscopy are introduced and discussed, and it is shown how these approaches have led to novel functionalities and thereby novel applications.

This book reviews the fundamental aspects of quinoxaline chemistry: synthesis, reactions, mechanisms, structure, properties, and uses. The first four chapters present a survey of the developments in quinoxaline chemistry since the publication of the monograph on "Condensed Pyrazines" by Cheeseman and Cookson in 1979. These chapters give comprehensive coverage of all the methods of the synthesis of quinoxalines and the important quinoxaline-containing ring systems such as thiazolo[3,4-a]-, pyrrolo[1,2-a]-, and imidazo[1,5-a]quinoxalines. Chapter five describes many new methods for the construction of quinoxaline macrocycles, which are important in applications such as optical devices and materials. The final chapter reviews all previously known rearrangements of heterocyclic systems that lead to benzimidazole derivatives. Mamedov critically analyses these transformations to reveal a novel acid-catalyzed rearrangement of quinoxalinones giving 2-heteroarylbenzimidazoles and 1-heteroarylbenzimidazolones in the presence of nucleophilic reactants (MAMEDOV Heterocycle Rearrangement). This book is of interest to researchers in the fields of heterocyclic and synthetic organic chemistry.

The discovery of vitamins in the early 1900s, their later chemical characterization and the clarification of pivotal metabolic functions are sequential aspects of a brilliant chapter in the history of modern nutritional sciences and medicine. The name, derived from "vital-amines", indicates their elementary metabolic key functions in human metabolism. Vitamins are truly families of compounds, which include precursors and various free and bound forms, all with individual roles in metabolism and function. A more recent approach therefore searches for the components, the understanding of their roles in physiology and pathology as well as looking for novel pharmacological applications. When used properly, vitamins are, indeed, "magical" substances. Due to their efficacy, they should therefore be regarded as drugs with effects and side effects to be weighted against each other. Today, it is not the previously fatal deficiency-associated diseases that are in the focus of interest, but rather the relation of suboptimal vitamin bioavailability to chronic disease. This is complicated by genetic susceptibility, lifestyle, and the presence or absence of health-compromising habits, such as smoking. In turn, the development and application of new and more sensitive and specific assays further enable us to look more closely into the many functions of vitamins. Water soluble vitamins are complex molecular structures and even today, many areas in vitamin biochemistry are not yet fully understood. Novel effects and functions of vitamins remain and continue to be discovered. This book presents most recent research results and fascinating new knowledge on the role and effects of the water soluble vitamins in man. Some of the most distinguished chemists, biochemists, biologists and clinicians have contributed valuable chapters sharing unexpected novel insights into the biochemistry, (epi)genetics, metabolism, and function of water soluble vitamins, with their potential for clinical applications. Thus, physicians, clinicians, scientists, researchers, epidemiologists. nutritional specialists and health professionals alike will find stimulating and fascinating new insight in the many roles that water soluble vitamins play in human health and disease.

This new volume of "Methods in Enzymology" continues the legacy of this premier serial by containing quality chapters authored by leaders in the field. The volumecovers ghrelin, andhas chapters on such topics as orphan gpcrs and methods for identifying their ligands, ghrelin o-acyltransferase assays and inhibition, and thermogenic characterization of ghrelin receptor null mice.
Contains quality chapters authored by leaders in the field Has chapters on such topics as orphan gpcrs and methods for identifying their ligands, ghrelin o-acyltransferase assays and inhibition, and thermogenic characterization of ghrelin receptor null mice"

This special issue of "The Enzymes "is targeted towards researchers in biochemistry, molecular and cell biology, pharmacology, and cancer. This volume discusses Eukaryotic RNases and their partners in RNA degradation and biogenesis.

Key features:

* Contributions from leading authorities

* Informs and updates on all the latest developments in the field