Leading experts in enzyme manipulation describe in detail their cutting-edge techniques for the screening, evolution, production, immobilization, and application of enzymes. These readily reproducible methods can be used to improve enzyme function by directed evolution, to covalently immobilize enzymes, to microencapsulate enzymes and cells, and to manufacture enzymes for human health, nutrition, and environmental protection. Overview chapters on microorganisms as a source of metabolic and enzymatic diversity, and on the fast-moving field of enzyme biosensors are presented. Microbial Enzymes and Biotransformations offers laboratory and industrial scientists a wealth of proven enzymatic protocols that show clearly how to go from laboratory results to successful industrial applications.

For over 50 years, the mission of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has been to conduct and support basic and applied research to better understand, treat, and prevent infectious, immunologic, and allergic diseases with the ultimate goal of improving the health of individuals in the United States and around the world. As part of its mission to foster biomedical discovery and to reduce the burden of human disease, NIAID is committed to encouraging the accelerated translation of biomedical discoveries into effective clinical care and public health practice throughout the world. In pursuit of this goal and its disease-specific scientific objectives, NIAID seeks to broaden research opportunities and collaborations involving scientists and institutions outside the United States. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH: Volume 1, Frontiers in Research contains presentations given at the 2006 NIAID Research Conference held in Opatija, Croatia which brought internationally known researchers from the United States and Central and Eastern Europe to focus together on shared interests in microbiology, infectious disease, HIV/AIDS, and basic and clinical immunology. Some of the topics covered include emerging and re-emerging infections, the development of infectious disease prophylactics and therapeutics, drug resistance, and various topics in immunomodulation, autoimmunity, infections and immunity, and the development of vaccines.

Extensive and in-depth, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH: Volume 1, Frontiers in Research is a valuable, comprehensive guide to the state of research today.

In Advanced Physiochemical Treatment Technologies, leading pollution control educators and practicing professionals describe how various combinations of different cutting-edge process systems can be arranged to solve air, noise, and thermal pollution problems. Each chapter discusses in detail the three basic forms in which pollutants and waste are manifested: gas, solid, and liquid. There is an extensive collection of design examples and case histories.

Poverty is a severe problem in Africa, Asia, South America and even in pockets of the developed world. Addressing poverty alleviation via the expanded use of biological nitrogen fixation in agriculture was the theme of the 15th International Congress on Nitrogen Fixation. Because nitrogen-fixation research is multidisciplinary, exploiting its benefits for agriculture and environmental protection has continued to attract research by diverse groups of scientists, including chemists, biochemists, plant physiologists, evolutionary biologists, ecologists, agricultural scientists, extension agents, and inoculant producers. The 15th International Congress on Nitrogen Fixation was held jointly with the 12th International Conference of the African Association for Biological Nitrogen Fixation. This joint Congress was hosted in South Africa at the Cape Town International Conv- tion Centre, 21-26 January 2007, and was attended by about 200 registered participants from 41 countries world-wide. During the Congress, some 100 oral and approximately 80 poster papers were presented. The wide range of topics covered and the theme of the Congress justifies this book's title, Nitrogen Fixation: Applications to Poverty Alleviation.

In recent years, major developments have been made in understanding various genetic and epigenetic regulatory processes that are critical for the generation of B cell repertoires. These include the role of chromatin regulation and nuclear organization in understating the IgH gene regulation. A role and mechanism of DNA repair proteins in somatic hypermutation has been elucidated. Genetic mutation studies have been instrumental in providing insight into some of the mechanisms involved in targeting CSR to various switch DNA regions located upstream of C region genes, especially a role of AID motifs, transcription, and R-loops. Recent studies support a dominant role of receptor editing in central B cell tolerance and signaling pathways that regulate receptor editing in self-reactive and non-self-reactive immature B cells. These were some of the topics of discussion at the 11th International Conference on B cell Biology. These proceedings highlight recent developments in lymphocyte development, Ig gene rearrangements and somatic hypermutation, chromatin structure modification, B lymphocyte signaling and fate, receptor editing, and autoimmunity.

Predatory Prokaryotes examines the ecology of predation at the microbial level. It aims to increase the awareness of the great possibilities that predation between microbes offer for studying and discussing basic ecological and general biological concepts.

This volume is based on the 10th International Nidovirus Symposium: Towards Control of SARS and other Nidovirus Diseases. The volume includes articles by all of the major contributors to this burgeoning area of research which summarize the work presented at the meeting.

This represents the only comprehensive book to cover this field in the last five years.

This work offers a fascinating insight into a crucial genetic process. Recombination is, quite simply, one of the most important topics in contemporary biology. This book is a totally comprehensive treatment of the subject, summarizing all existing views on the topic and at the same time putting them into context. It provides in-depth and up-to-date analysis of the chapter topics, and has been written by international experts in the field.

A comprehensive guide to the revolutionary area of systems biology and its application in cell culture engineering, this volume presents an overall picture of the current topics central to structural and functional genomics, proteomics, metabolomics and bioinformatics, including such hot topics as RNAi, metabolic engineering and unfolded protein response. It includes reviews of the cellular response of environmental modulation such as low temperature and osmolarity, critical assessments of the applications of metabolomics and fluxomics approaches, examination of the utility of modulation of key genes and a presentation of a theory of chemical organisation which provides a new view of the system's structure. The clearly written chapters by experts in the field describe methods applicable to investigating the unique facets of cell culture. The book should be of interest to all those working in cell culture development and drug discovery in pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies as well as in academic institutions. It provides an invaluable resource for students and researchers in biotechnology, cell culture, genomics and bioinformatics.

Greengenetechnology(GGT), understoodasapartofmodernbiotechnology, has been on a steady, triumphal progression over the last ten years (ISAAA 2007, see thecontribution byEinsele in thisissue). This volume, jointly edited byProf. Fiechterandme, dealswithsomeactualscienti?candsocio-economic aspects with regard to genetically modi?ed plants (GMP). Worldwide more than 100 million hectares of agronomical land are covered by GMP. This - cludes some prominent industrialised Western countries like the USA and Canada, aseriesofthresholdcountrieslikeArgentina, Brazil, IndiaandChina, and a number of developing countries. Clearly, some of these countries have to deal with crop plant production and human nutrition in a very pragmatic way since, for example, India has to feed about a 1/5 of the world population on about 3% of the arable land. In contrast, the situation in Europe appears very different. Food supply is more than suf?cient and comparably inexp- sive. This surplus of food is on one hand convenient, since starvation has been largely unknown in Europe for about 50 years, with only comparatively few exceptions of socially peripheral individuals. On the other hand it makes the population careless about the future food supply. Even beyond mere food supply, Europe gained its culturalvalues fromitsagricultural success over the centuries. Asinglefarmerbecameabletofeedmoreandmorepeoplemaking them free towork outside of agriculture as a craftsman, artist, poet, scientist, engineer, mayor, administrativeof?cial, priest, philosopher, orsoldier-togive only a few examples. In the public perception this connection between agr- omyandculturalwelfareisnotsuf?cientlyappreciatedinEurope. Switzerland, geographically in the centre of Europe (although not a member of the pol- ical union) has the same cultural tradition, only somewhat shifted towards the more conservative mood commonto mountain p

A collection of readily reproducible classic and emerging molecular methods for the laboratory isolation and identification of the pathogens, viruses, and parasites that cause food-borne disease. Among the pathogens covered are specific bacteria, including Salmonella spp, Campylobacter spp., Listeria spp., and Bacillus spp.; viruses, including noroviruses and enteroviruses; and parasites, including Cryptosporidium and seafood nematode worms. The protocols follow the successful Methods in Biotechnology (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.

With the application of new analytical techniques, the field of food fermentation has grown in recent years. This book provides the latest information and relevant advances on the microbial ecology of fermented foods and the application of molecular methods. This book serves as a guide for students and researchers on the most advanced techniques to identify bacteria and helps in choosing the most appropriate tools to study fermented food from a microbiological point of view.

Two of the recent books in the Methods in Molecular Biology series, Yeast Protocols and Pichia Protocols, have been narrowly focused on yeasts and, in the latter case, particular species of yeasts. Food Microbiology Pro- cols, of necessity, covers a very wide range of microorganisms. Our book treats four categories of microorganisms affecting foods: (1) Spoilage organisms; (2) pathogens; (3) microorganisms in fermented foods; and (4) microorganisms p- ducing metabolites that affect the flavor or nutritive value of foods. Detailed information is given on each of these categories. There are several chapters devoted to the microorganisms associated with fermented foods: these are of increasing importance in food microbiology, and include one bacteriophage that kills the lactic acid bacteria involved in the manufacture of different foods-cottage cheese, yogurt, sauerkraut, and many others. The other nine chapters give procedures for the maintenance of lactic acid bacteria, the isolation of plasmid and genomic DNA from species of Lac- bacillus, determination of the proteolytic activity of lactic acid bacteria, det- mination of bacteriocins, and other important topics.

The many thousands of human-made and other chemical compounds present in the environment offer a serious challenge to our btosphere. It is appropriate, therefore, that our response to these products of human kno- edge and ingenuity should draw on a body of mtenstve scientific endeavor that is no less impressive. Bioremediation offers the possibility of harnessing the diversity of the biosphere to degrade, remove, alter, or otherwise detoxify these various chemicals. It brings together scientists from a wide variety of disciplines and backgrounds, such as microbiology, molecular biology, a- lytical chemistry, and chemical and environmental engineering, among o- ers. These different fields, each with its own individual approach, have actively contributed to the development of bioremediation research tn recent years. The prmcipal objective of Bioremediation Protocols is to make the fruits of some of this research available in a different format to that of the textbook or journal article. It provides a selection of clearly written laboratory pro- cols presented as stepwise, easy-to-follow mstructions. In common with p- wous volumes in this and the companion Methods in Molecular Biology series, an extensive "Notes" section is provided with each chapter. This contains u- ful mformation (of a type often not normally included m a research paper) supplementmg the protocol. Reviews and case studies are also included to provide a deeper context to the methods chapters.

Pichia Protocols focuses on recent developments of Pichia pastoris as a recombinant protein production system. Highlighted topics include a discussion on the use of fermentors to grow Pichia pastoris, information on the O- and N-linked glycosylation, methods for labeling Pichia pastoris expressed proteins for structural studies, and the introduction of mutations in Pichia pastoris genes by the methods of restriction enzyme-mediated integration (REMI).

This volume fully updates and expands upon the first edition of Pichia Protocols, and focuses primarily on information that has come to light since its original publication. Each chapter presents cutting-edge and cornerstone protocols for utilizing P. pastoris as a model recomibinant protein production system.

Research into gluten sensitivity has never been more popular nor more exciting. Thus a call for a new book, Celiac Disease: Methods and Protocols, devoted entirely to techniques and technology seemed a most appropriate undertaking. I am therefore grateful to Professor J. M. Walker for inviting me to complete this task for Humana Press. To do this would have been imp- sible without the contributions of friends and colleagues from around the world who have devoted so much interest to the project. It has also been necessary for them to master the unique chapter-writing skills required of every ma- script published in this series of laboratory monographs. With regard to gluten sensitivity we are in a period of great change, occasioned by the introduction of reproducible methods for cloning lymp- cytes, the application of physical methods to identify gluten sequences as T-cell antigens, the study of peptide responses in vitro and in vivo by either jejunal or rectal challenge, elucidating the locations of other genes concerned in pathogenesis, or the use of elegant immunohistocytochemical and mRNA probing techniques for analyzing the finer points of the mucosal inflam- tory response to gluten.

Surprisingly what separates us from the open environment all around us sometimes is a single layer of epithelial cells. It is at these seemingly fragile sites that most pathogens, including HIV, influenza, emerging and biodefense agents, gain access to our inside milieu. While there are major similarities between the cells and the immune responses generated at the mucosal membranes of the gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts together with the genitourinary tract, there are also important differences. Knowledge of these differences and similarities is required in order to understand the interactions between us, as the host, and the pathogens that attack through each tract, and how our immune system reacts to each of them. Whether we want to devise rational prophylactic or therapeutic vaccines or treatments to either prevent or treat mucosal infections we must acquire such knowledge. This is the rationale behind putting this book together.

This book will provide the readers in the areas of vaccinology, virology, bacteriology, epidemiology, immunology and mucosal immunology within academia (undergraduate, graduate, post doctoral fellows and professors), as well as preclinical and clinical scientists in vaccine and drug industries a thorough appreciation of the mucosal immune system and its importance in protecting humans against mucosal pathogens.

Phosphorus (P) is a finite resource which is essential for life. It is a limiting nutrient in many ecosystems but also a pollutant which can affect biodiversity in terrestrial ecosystems and change the ecology of water bodies. This book collects the latest information on biological processes in soil P cycling, which to date have remained much less understood than physico-chemical processes. The methods section presents spectroscopic techniques and the characterization of microbial P forms, as well as the use of tracers, molecular approaches and modeling of soil-plant systems. The section on processes deals with mycorrhizal symbioses, microbial P solubilization, soil macrofauna, phosphatase enzymes and rhizosphere processes. On the system level, P cycling is examined for grasslands, arctic and alpine soils, forest plantations, tropical forests, and dryland regions. Further, P management with respect to animal production and cropping, and the interactions between global change and P cycling, are treated.

Studies on the phenomenon of plant pathogenesis (disease development) have been useful to have a deep insight into the interactions between host plant and the pathogen. Depending on the levels of susceptibility (compatibility) or resistance (incompatibility) of the host plant and virulence of the pathogen, disease development may progress, either leading to symptom expression or result in the suppression of pathogen proliferation. Molecular techniques have been applied to elucidate the nature of interactions between the gene products of the plant and pathogen at cellular and molecular levels. Successful evasion of host's surveillance system and subsequent activities of metabolites of the pathogen (enzymes and toxins) encoded by pathogen genes counteracting the effects of various defense-related antimicrobial compounds present already or produced by the host plants, after initiation of infection have been critically studied by applying various molecular techniques. In addition to studying various phases of disease development in individual plants, molecular methods have been demonstrated to be effective, in gathering data on various aspects of epidemiology under natural conditions where the interaction of pathogen with populations of plants is influenced significantly by the environmental conditions existing in different ecosystems. This volume focuses on the possibility of applying the knowledge on pathogenesis and molecular epidemiology to determine the vulnerable stages in the life cycles of the pathogens that can be disrupted to achieve more effective disease control.

The enormous advances in molecular biology that have been witnessed in . Not recent years have had major impacts on many areas of the biological sciences least of these has been in the field of clinical bacteriology and infectious disease . Molecular Bacteriology: Protocols and ClinicalApplications aims to provide the reader with an insight into the role that molecular methodology has to play in modern medical bacteriology. The introductory chapter ofMolecular Bacteriology: ProtocolsandCli- cal Applications offers a personal overview by a Consultant Medical Microbio- gist of the impact and future potential offered by molecular methods. The next six chapters comprise detailed protocols for a range of such methods . We believe that the use of these protocols should allow the reader to establish the various methods described in his or her own laboratory. In selecting the methods to be included in this section, we have concentrated on those that, arguably, have greatest current relevance to reference clinical bacteriology laboratories; we have deliberately chosen not to give detailed protocols for certain methods, such as multilocus enzyme electrophoresis that, in our opinion, remain the preserve of specialist la- ratories and that are not currently suited for general use. We feel that the methods included in this section will find increasing use in diagnostic laboratories and that it is important that the concepts, advantages, and limitations of each are th- oughly understood by a wide range of workers in the field .

The Right Book at the Right Time The poxviruses comprise a family of complex DNA viruses that replicate in the cytoplasm of vertebrate or invertebrate cells. Of the eight recognized g- era of vertebrate poxviruses, those belonging to the orthopoxvirus genus have been most intensively studied. This group includes variola virus, the agent of smallpox, as well as cowpox virus and vaccinia virus. Jenner's original sma- pox vaccine, described in 1798, consisted of live cowpox virus, but vaccinia virus later replaced it (1). There has been speculation as to the origin of v- cinia virus; the most likely idea is that it is a separate species, possibly ori- nally isolated from a horse, and is now extinct or rare in nature (2). Recent genome sequencing studies confirm the distinctness of variola virus, cowpox virus, and vaccinia virus and also their very close genetic relationship, which accounts for the cross protection of smallpox vaccines. The novelty of the smallpox vaccine can be readily appreciated by the time it took, about 80 years, before the next live vaccine against rabies was developed, and another 50 years for the yellow fever vaccine. Moreover, the eradication of smallpox in 1977 stands as a unique medical achievement. Because of its historical role, sma- pox vaccination contributed greatly to present concepts of infectious disease, immunity, and pathogenesis. Less well known, however, are the many other "firsts" for vaccinia virus.

Several developmental and historical threads are woven and displayed in these two volumes of Bacterial Artificial Chromosomes, the first on Library Construction, Physical Mapping, and Sequencing, and the second on Fu- tional Studies. The use of large-insert clone libraries is the unifying feature, with many diverse contributions. The editors have had quite distinct roles. Shaying Zhao has managed several BAC end-sequencing projects. Marvin Stodolsky during 1970-1980 contributed to the elucidation of the natural b- teriophage/prophage P1 vector system. Later, he became a member of the Genome Task Group of the Department of Energy (DOE), through which s- port flowed for most clone library resources of the Human Genome Program (HGP). Some important historical contributions are not represented in this volume. This preface in part serves to mention these contributions and also briefly surveys historical developments. Leon Rosner (deceased) contributed substantially in developing a PAC library for drosophila that utilized a PI virion-based encapsidation and tra- fection process. This library served prominently in the Drosophila Genome Project collaboration. PACs proved easy to purify so that they substantially replaced the YACs used earlier. Much of the early automation for massive clone picking and processing was developed at the collaborating Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. However, the P1 virion encapsidation system itself was too fastidious, and P1 virion-based methods did not gain popularity in other genome projects.

Asaresultofvarioushumanactivities, suchasincreaseinhumanpopulation, decrease in arable land due to soil degradation, urbanization, industrialization and associated increase in the demand for livestock products, dramatic changes are occurring in the global ruminant livestock sector. These changes includeshift inthesize of regional livestock populations and in the types of management and feeding systems under which ruminant livestock are held, and increased demand of a wider range of quality attributes from animal agriculture, not just of the products themselves but also of the methods used in their production. The livestock sector will need to respond to newchallengesofincreasinglivestockproductivitywhileprotectingenvironmentand human health and conservingbiodiversity and natural resources. The micro-organisms in the digestive tracts of ruminant livestock have a profound in?uence on the conversion offeedinto end products, which can impact on the- imal and theenvironment. As the livestock sector grows particularly in developing countries, there will be an increasing need to understand these processes for b- ter management and use ofbothfeed and other natural resources that underpinthe development of sustainable feeding system

This book outlines three emergent disciplines, which are now poised to engineer a paradigm shift from hypothesis- to data-driven research: theoretical immunology, immunoinformatics, and Artificial Immune Systems. It details how these disciplines will enable new understanding to emerge from the analysis of complex datasets. Coverage shows how these three are set to transform immunological science and the future of health care.

This book reveals that scientific logic is an extension of common, everyday logic and that it can and should be understood by everyone. Written by a practicing and successful scientist, it explores why questions arise in science and looks at how questions are tackled, what constitutes a valid answer, and why. The author does not bog the reader down in technical details or lists of facts to memorize. He uses accessible examples, illustrations, and descriptions to address complex issues. The book should prove enlightening to anyone who has been perplexed by the meaning, relevance, and moral or political implications of science.