Introduction.-Probing Astrocyte Function in Fragile X Syndrome.- Neural Stem Cells.- Fragile X Mental Retardation Protein (FMRP) and the Spinal Sensory System. The Role of the Postsynaptic Density in the Pathology of the Fragile X Syndrome.- Behavior in a Drosophila model of Fragile X.- Molecular and Genetic Analysis of the Drosophila Model of Fragile X Syndrome.- Fragile X Mental Retardation Protein and Stem Cells.- Manipulating the Fragile X Mental Retardation Proteins in the Frog.- Exploring the Zebra finch Taeniopygia gutta as a Novel Animal Model for the Speech-language Deficit of Fragile X Syndrome.- Neuroendocrine Alterations in the Fragile X Mouse.- Taking STEPs forward to understanding Fragile X Syndrome.- Fmr-1 as an Offspring Genetic and a Maternal Environmental Factor in Neurodevelopmental Disease.- Mouse Models of the Fragile X Premutation and the Fragile X Associated Tremor/Ataxia Syndrome.- Clinical Aspects of the Fragile X Syndrome.- Fragile X Syndrome: A Psychiatric Perspective.- Fragile X Syndrome and Targeted Treatment Trials.- The Fragile X-associate Tremor Ataxia Syndrome.- Vignettes: Models in Absentia."

This second edition of the book on Store-operated Ca2+ Entry Pathways has been updated with the newest discoveries that emerged in the field within the last five years. The crystal structure of the Ca2+ signaling core complex is described which adds to a new understanding of the molecular interactions involved. Each chapter has been revised and extended. The book retains its interdisciplinary approach and supplies biochemists, cell biologists and biophysicists as well as clinicians in immunology, neurology and cardiology with valuable information on Ca2+ signaling mechanisms, functions, dysfunctions and their consequences.

The book presents a new, powerful model of neuronal networks, consisting of a three-dimensional neuronal culture in which 3D neuronal networks are coupled to micro-electrode-arrays (MEAs). It discusses the main advantages of the three-dimensional system compared to its two-dimensional counterpart, and shows that the network dynamics, recorded during both spontaneous and stimulated activity, differs between the two models, with the 3D system being better able to emulate the in vivo behaviour of neural networks. The book offers an extensive analysis of the system, from the theoretical background, to its design and applications in neuro-pharmacological studies. Moreover, it includes a concise yet comprehensive introduction to both 2D and 3D neuronal networks coupled to MEAs, and discusses the advantages, limitations and challenges of their applications as cellular and tissue-like in vitro experimental model systems.

Continuous cell lines derived from human cancers are the mostwidely used resource in laboratory-based cancer research. The first 3 volumes of this series on Human Cell Culture are devoted to these cancer cell lines. The chapters in these first 3 volumes have a common aim. Their purpose is to address 3 questions offundamental importance to the relevanceof human cancer cell lines as model systems of each type of cancer: 1. Do the cell lines available accurately represent the clinical presentation? 2. Do the cell lines accurately represent the histopathology of the original tumors? 3. Do the cell lines accurately represent the molecular genetics of this type of cancer? The cancer cell lines available are derived, in most cases, from the more aggressive and advanced cancers. There are few cell lines derived from low grade organ-confined cancers. This gap can be filled with conditionally immortalized human cancer cell lines. We do not know why the success rate for establishing cell lines is so low for some types of cancer and so high for others. The histopathology of the tumor of origin and the extent to which the derived cell line retains the differentiated features of that tumor are critical. The concept that a single cell line derived from a tumor at a particular site is representative oftumors at that site is naive and misleading."

Cell biologists have recently come to understand that asymmetry of division is an important regulatory phenomenon in the fate of a cell. In adult organisms asymmetric divisions regulate the stem cell reservoir and are a source of the drift that contributes to aging. This book describes the phenomenon in different organisms and addresses its implications for the development of the organism, cell differentiation, human aging and the biology of cancers.

Applications: - Applications of Microbial Cell Sensors, by Mifumi Shimomura-Shimizu and Isao Karube - Whole-Cell Bioreporters for the Detection of Bioavailable Metals, by Anu Hynninen and Marko Virta - Bacteriophage-Based Pathogen Detection, by Steven Ripp - Cell-Based Genotoxicity Testing, by Georg Reifferscheid and Sebastian Buchinger - Cytotoxicity and Genotoxicity Reporter Systems Based on the Use of Mammalian Cells, by Christa Baumstark-Khan, Christine E. Hellweg, and Gunther Reitz - Live Cell Optical Sensing for High Throughput Applications, by Ye Fang - Cyanobacterial Bioreporters as Sensors of Nutrient Availability, by George S. Bullerjahn, Ramakrishna Boyanapalli, Mark J. Rozmarynowycz, and R. Michael L. McKay - Application of Microbial Bioreporters in Environmental Microbiology and Bioremediation, by E. E. Diplock, H. A. Alhadrami, and G. I. Paton

Writing or editing a book on a very topical field of science is always a great challenge,since by the time the book is published some of the newest and latest findings might be obsolete compared with results reported in the most current issues of various high-level journals. Nevertheless,stimulating good books describe complicated systems and int- relationships and provide a broad spectrum of material for talented researchers who may find new inspiration from a joint presentation of correlated data. Of course,an editor cannot rank his own book. However,in this case,the contrib- ing authors have high scientific standards and well-known achievements which speak for themselves. Transmembrane signaling has many different forms and biochemical and biophysical details. However,the final outcome of transmembrane signaling at the cellular level elucidates some cellular functions, which are at the center of se- defense, alimentation, escape reactions, etc. Transmembrane signaling can be studied best in the immune system,in particular in lymphocytes,the main cel- lar carriers of immune defense. The different chapters are independent studies, written by well-known experts in their particular fields. Some chapters include the authors' very recent data, generalized, on the one hand, to provide und- standable material for those who are interested in the field but not experts. On the other hand,the current data and novel efforts to unify biochemical and bioph- ical events in a physiological description provide interesting reading for experts as well.

Exocytosis is a fundamental cellular process that is used by eukaryotic cells to release a variety of biological compounds including peptide hormones and neurotransmitters or to insert specific lipids and proteins in the plasma membrane. In recent years, a multidisciplinary approach promoted an extraordinary progress in the understanding of the molecular mechanisms regulating exocytosis. This led to the discovery of a large number of components belonging to the machinery that governs the fusion of secretory vesicles with plasma membranes in different cell systems, including neuronal and endocrine cells. The basic machinery required for vesicle fusion turned out to be well conserved through evolution from yeast to man. So far, because of the large number of components involved, understanding of the molecular basis of exocytosis has remained the privilege of a relatively small group of specialists. This book, written by recognized experts in the field aims at clarifying for a non-specialist audience the role of the key players in the exocytotic process not only in neuronal and endocrine cells but also in a variety of other relevant cell systems. introduce researchers and students to the forefront of this rapidly moving and fascinating field.

In March 2000 leading scientists gathered at the Centro Seminariale Monte Verita, Ascona, Switzerland, for the Third International Symposium on "Fractals 2000 in Biology and Medicine." This interdisciplinary conference was held over a four-day period and provided stimulating contributions from the very topical field Fractals in Biology and Medicine. This Volume III in the MBI series highlights the growing power and efficacy of the fractal geometry in understanding how to analyze living phenomena and complex shapes. Many biological objects, previously considered as hopelessly far from any quantitative description, are now being investigated by means of fractal methods. Researchers currently used fractals both as theoretical tools, to shed light on living systems self-organization and evolution, and as useful techniques, capable of quantitatively analyzing physiological and pathological cell states, shapes and ultrastructures. The book should be of interest to researchers and students from Molecular and C"

Haploid plants have the gametophytic number of chromosomes. They are of great importance, especially in studies on the induction of muta tions and also for the production of homozygous plants, they are needed in large numbers. The conventional methods employed by plant breeders for their production are cumbersome, time-consuming, laborious and rather inefficient. Sometimes it may take years to produce a pure line. However, with the introduction of in vitro techniques, especially anther culture for the induction of androgenesis, it has become increasingly evi dent that these methods considerably accelerate the production of haploids for plant breeding programs. During the last decade, in vitro-produced haploids have been incor porated into breeding programs of many agricultural crops, and positive results have been obtained especially with rice, wheat, potato, barley, maize, asparagus, sunflower, brassica, tobacco, etc. Among these, rice and wheat are the best examples in which a number of improved varieties have been released. In wheat, the breeding cycle can be shortened by three or four generations when the pollen haploid breeding method is used instead of conventional cross-breeding. The release of the wheat varieties Jinghua 1 and Florin is a typical example of what can be achieved with other crops. Taking these developments into considera tion, the present volume, Haploids in Crop Improvement I, was compil ed."

A collection of standard and cutting-edge techniques for using Xenopus oocytes and oocytes/egg extracts to reconstitute biological and cellular processes. These readily reproducible methods take advantage of the oocyte's impressive protein abundance, its striking protein translation capacity, and its breathtaking possibilities for the assembly of infectious viral particles by single cell injection of multiple RNAs. The authors focus on the versatility of frog oocytes and egg extracts in cell biology and signal transduction, and cover all the major uses of oocytes/extracts as experimental models.

Neuroscience Perspectives provides multidisciplinary reviews of topics in one of the most diverse and rapidly advancing fields in the life sciences.
Whether you are a new recruit to neuroscience, or an established expert, look to this series for 'one-stop' sources of the historical, physiological, pharmacological, biochemical, molecular biological and therapeutic aspects of chosen research areas.
Although peripheral type benzodiazepne recognition sites have been demonstrated in the brain and peripheral organs of various species for more than 10 years, the exact physiological function or pharmacological effects have not yet been established. Peripheral benzodiazepine literature is so overwhelming that the novice may find it virtually impossible to form a clear idea about the diverse findings.
This volume, dedicated exclusively to pBR and their natural and synthetic ligands, puts the available data into perspective.
A truly interdisciplinary approach has brought neuroscientists, cardiologists, endocrinologists, and immunologists together to work on the description of pBR-mediated effects. The chemistry, biochemistry, and molecular biology of the pBR receptor and its ligands are reviewed, their pharmacological usefulness is conjectured, and thus a true overview of the field is provided.
* SPECIAL FEATURES
* This volume follows the Neuroscience Perspectives brief of providing a historical background, pharmacological, biochemical and physiological aspects of research and therapeutic potential, of its chosen topic.
* The peripheral benzodiazepine recognition site has been recognised for more than ten years, but the exact physiological and pharmacological effects have not yet been established.

Theodosius Dobzhansky's statement that nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution, also applies to the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). This book presents up-to-date, state-of-the-art reviews on diverse topics pertinent to MHC evolution, including the organization of the MHC in humans and other model vertebrates, the nature and origin of MHC polymorphism, MHC-parasite co-evolution, and the origin of the adaptive immune system. The book will be of interest not only for immunologists, geneticists, and evolutionary biologists, but also for other specialists who want to keep abreast of the latest developments in this rapidly expanding field.

Research into and interest in the role of stromal cells in immunology has exploded over the past 15 years. The conventional view that placed non-hematopoietic stromal cells as passive, structural, and supportive entities has now been replaced with an appreciation that these cells have active, dynamic roles during immune responses, and thus impact on the pathophysiology of multiple immune-mediated diseases. This book serves to provide solid grounding in the fundamentals of stromal immunology, focusing on the biological aspects of their function in addition to highlighting key areas for the development of the field in the future. The book is also a unique source of information on emerging concepts that place stromal cells from outside lymphoid organs as major contributors to the biology of diverse conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, chronic parasitic infection, inflammatory bowel disease, and cancer.

Ion channels are the major class of membrane proteins responsible for rapid and regulated transport of ions across biological membranes and for the generation and propagation of electrical signals in the brain, heart, and skeletal and vascular tissues. Ion channels are also known to play critical roles in regulation of cell proliferation, insulin secretion and intracellular signaling in a variety of cell types. This book focuses on the roles of ion channels in vascular tissues under normal and pathological conditions. Vascular abnormalities are known to underlie a plethora of severe pathological conditions, such as atherosclerosis, systemic and pulmonary hypertension, coronary or cerebral vasospasm, and diabetes. In addition, misregulated angiogenesis is one of the major contributors to the development of tumors. Therefore, it is clearly imperative to obtain a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms that contribute to vascular disorders. This book will be the first comprehensive assembly of assays to present the studies that have been done during the last decade to elucidate the roles of ion channels in different vascular diseases.

This volume presents examples of how ANNs are applied in biological sciences and related areas. Chapters focus on the analysis of intracellular sorting information, prediction of the behavior of bacterial communities, biometric authentication, studies of Tuberculosis, gene signatures in breast cancer classification, use of mass spectrometry in metabolite identification, visual navigation, and computer diagnosis. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, application details for both the expert and non-expert reader, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Artificial Neural Networks: Second Edition aids scientists in continuing to study Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs).

This volume presents the most current reviews on how cancer stem cells (CSCs) hypothesis dictates that the continued proliferation of a tumor is dependent on a sub-population of self-renewing and asymmetrically dividing neoplastic stem cells that supply a largely differentiated tumor. This volume provides a comprehensive overview of the characteristics of CSCs, their role in central nervous system (CNS) tumors, and the recent CSC-specific treatment modalities being used. The emerging focus on CSCs in brain tumors represents a paradigm shift in our understanding of the pathogenesis of these neoplasms. Importantly, the realization that a distinct sub-population of cells contributes disproportionately to the growth and sustenance of central nervous system tumors has important implications for the treatment of such tumors. To treat CNS tumors, there is now a growing need to treat CSCs to achieve adequate tumor control.

An understanding of the mechanisms by which plants perceive environmental cues, both physical and chemical, and transduce the signals that influence specific expression of genes, is an area of intensive scientific research. With the completion of the genome sequence of Arabidopsis it is understood now that a larger number of genes encode for proteins involved in signalling cascades and transcription factors. In this volume, different chapters deal with plant receptors, second messengers like calcium ions, phosphoinositides, salicylic acid and nitrous oxide, calcium binding proteins and kinases. In addition to dealing with the response of plants to light, hormones, pathogens, heat, etc. on cellular activity, work currently going on in apoptosis, cell division, and plastid gene expression is also covered in this book.

"Notch Signaling: Methods and Protocols" focuses on molecular, biochemical and bioinformatics aspects of Notch signaling. Chapters analyze the Notch interactome, post-translational modifications of Notch, ligand binding assays, methods to assess proteolytic cleavage and transcriptional targets. 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 key tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.

Authoritative and practical, " Notch Signaling: Methods and Protocols" is a valuable contribution to hundreds of labs and thousands of scientists who pursue this research area with vigor.

Animal cell technology is a growing discipline of cell biology, which aims not only to understand structures, functions, and behaviours of differentiated animal cells but also to ascertain their ability to be used for industrial and medical purposes. The goal of animal cell technology includes accomplishments of clonal expansion of differentiated cells with useful ability, optimisation of their culture conditions, modulation of their ability for production of medically and pharmaceutically important proteins, and the application of animal cells to gene therapy, artificial organs, and functional foods. This volume gives the reader a complete review of the present state of the art in Japan and other countries where this field is well advanced. The Proceedings will be useful for cell biologists, biochemists, molecular biologists, immunologists, biochemical engineers, and other disciplines related to animal cell culture, working in either academic environments or in industries of biotechnology and pharmacy.

This second edition volume expands on the first edition with new developments on Toll-Like Receptors (TLRs) controlling events such as cross-priming of associated pattern recognition receptors, post-transcriptional regulation, interaction with other cellular and biologic systems, and cancer progression. This book is divided into five sections: Part I outlines methods for TLR detection, interaction, and intracellular trafficking; Part II describes methods and assays to investigate how TLRs cross-prime other pattern recognition receptors, including intracellular DNA receptors and inflammasome formation; Part III highlights RNA regulation, detailing how TLRs can induce RNA transcripts and molecules such as lncRNAs and microRNAs; Part IV explores TLR detection and activation in systems such as epithelial barrier function, metabolism and the circadian clock, as well as cellular systems including T and B lymphocytes; and Part V describes models to delineate the role of TLRs in diseases such as dermatitis, arthritis, and gastric cancer. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, each chapter contains a summary, a list of required materials, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, useful notes to investigate TLRs in cell culture, systems and disease, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Practical and cutting-edge, Toll-Like Receptors: Methods and Protocols, Second Edition is a valuable resource to any immunologist, molecular or medical biologist working in a laboratory setting. It will add skill to both students and the more advanced molecular biologist who wishes to learn a new technique or move to a different area within their current repertoire of practical knowledge.

Of all scientific instruments, probably none has had more applications in the life sciences than the light microscope. In Light Microscopy: Methods and Protocols, expert researchers explore the basics and the latest advances in microscope instrumentation, sample preparation, and imaging techniques, all of which have been producing fundamental insights into the functions of cells and tissues. Chapters cover a variety of bright field and fluorescence microscopy-based approaches that are central to the study of a range of biological questions, providing information on how to prepare cells and tissues for microscopic investigations, covering detailed staining procedures, and exploring methods to analyze images and interpret the results accurately. Composed in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology(TM) series format, each chapter contains a brief introduction, step-by-step methods, a list of necessary materials, and a Notes section which shares tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Comprehensive and current, Light Microscopy: Methods and Protocols is an essential handbook for all researchers who are exploring the intriguing microscopic world of the cell.

The first libraries of complementary DNA (cDNA) clones were con structed in the mid-to-late 1970s using RNA-dependent DNA polymerase (reverse transcriptase) to convert poly A* mRNA into double-stranded cDNA suitable for insertion into prokaryotic vectors. Since then cDNA technology has become a fundamental tool for the molecular biologist and at the same time some very significant advances have occurred in the methods for con structing and screening cDNA libraries. It is not the aim of cDNA Library Protocols to give a comprehensive review of all cDNA library-based methodologies; instead we present a series of up-to-date protocols that together should give a good grounding of proce dures associated with the construction and use of cDNA libraries. In deciding what to include, we endeavored to combine up-to-date versions of some of the most widely used protocols with some very usefiil newer techniques. cDNA Library Protocols should therefore be especially useful to the investigator who is new to the use of cDNA libraries, but should also be of value to the more experienced worker. Chapters 1-5 concentrate on cDNA library construction and manipula tion, Chapters 6 and 7 describe means of cloning difficult-to-obtain ends of cDNAs, Chapters 8-18 give various approaches to the screening of cDNA libraries, and the remaining chapters present methods of analysis of cDNA clones including details of how to analyze cDNA sequence data and how to make use of the wealth of cDNA data emerging from the human genome project."

Over the past 10 years great progress has been made in the development of efficient techniques for both gene isolation and mapping. The identifica- tion and isolation of transcribed sequences from large chromosomal regions are central to the human genome mapping project. Techniques for isolating novel cDNAs have applications both in the overall construction and integra- tion of long-range physical and transcription maps and in the identification of disease genes. A number of different techniques for the isolation of cDNAs from mam- malian genomes have been developed, including screening "zoo" blots, the use of large genomic clones (YACs or cosmids) for hybridization against cDNA libraries, and CpG island mapping. More recently two highly efficient tech- niques have been introduced: exon trapping, based on the presence of exon splice sites, and direct selection, based on the enrichment of selected cDNAs using immobilized YACs or cosmids. Leading researchers in the field have contributed chapters detailing the practical procedures for these and other widely used methods. The most rapid progress presently being made in the field of gene isolation concerns the partial sequencing of cDNA clones from one or both ends to produce expressed sequence tags (ESTs). Indeed, by Octo- ber 1995, the EST division of Genbank (dbEST) contained a total of approxi- mately 270,000 human EST sequences accounting for almost half the number of sequence entries in Genbank.

In the past few years there has been the increased recognition that the effects of oxidative stress are not limited to the damage of cellular constituents. There is now evidence that reactive oxygen species (ROS) can alter cell function by acting upon the intermediates, or second messengers, in signal transductions. Such effects on signaling mechanisms probably account for the role of oxidative stress in inflammation, aging, and cancer. This volume brings together internationally recognized researchers in both the major areas covered by the book, oxidative stress and signal transduction. The work is organized in three sections. The first deals with the immediate cellular responses to oxidative stress and the production of second messengers. The second details the connection between second messengers and the gene. The third part looks more closely at the level of the gene.