Six decades after the serendipitous discovery of chlorpromazine as an antipsychotic and four decades after the launch of clozapine, the first atypical or second generation antipsychotic, psychopharmacology has arrived at an important crossroad. It is clear that pharmacological research and pharmaceutical development must now focus on complementary or even alternative mechanisms of action to address unmet medical needs, i.e. poorly treated domains of schizophrenia, improved acceptance by patients, better adherence to medication, safety in psychoses in demented patients, and avoiding cardiac and metabolic adverse effects. The first completely novel mechanisms evolving from our insights into the pathophysiology of psychotic disorders, especially the role of glutamatergic mechanisms in schizophrenia, are now under development, and further principles are on the horizon. This situation, in many respects similar to that when the initial second-generation antipsychotics became available, can be rewarding for all. Preclinical and clinical researchers now have the opportunity to confirm their hypotheses and the pharmaceutical industry may be able to develop really novel classes of therapeutics. When we were approached by the publishers of the Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology to prepare a new volume on antipsychotics, our intention was to capture both, the accumulated preclinical and clinical knowledge about current antipsychotics as well as prospects for new and potentially more specific antischizophrenia principles. These efforts should be based on the pathophysiology of the diseases and the affected neurotransmitter systems. Since preclinical research on antipsychotic compounds is only reliable when intimately linked through translational aspects to clinical results, we decided to include clinical science as well. It turned out that that this endeavor could not be covered by a single volume. We thank the editorial board and the publishers for supporting our decision to prepare two volumes: Current Antipsychotics and Novel Antischizophrenia Treatments. These topics cannot really be separated from one another and should be seen as a composite entity despite the somewhat arbitrary separation of contributions into two volumes. The continuing challenges of developing improved and safer antipsychotic medications remain of concern and are discussed in the first volume. The new opportunities for the field to develop and license adjunctive treatments for the negative symptoms and cognitive deficits that are treated inadequately by existing compounds have been incentivized recently and provide the focus for the second volume. We hope these collective contributions will facilitate the development of improved treatments for the full range of symptomatology seen in the group of schizophrenias and other major psychotic disorders. Gerhard Gross, Ludwigshafen, Germany Mark A. Geyer, La Jolla, CA This volume will try to put current therapy - achievements, shortcomings, remaining medical needs - and emerging new targets into the context of increasing knowledge regarding the genetic and neurodevelopmental contributions to the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Some of the chapters will also deal with respective experimental and clinical methodology, biomarkers, and translational aspects of drug development. Non-schizophrenia indications will be covered to some extent, but not exhaustively.

ABPP Methodology: Introduction and Overview, by Matthew B. Nodwell und Stephan A. Sieber Activity-Based Protein Profiling for Natural Product Target Discovery, by Joanna Krysiak und Rolf Breinbauer Photoaffinity Labeling in Activity-Based Protein Profiling, by Paul P. Geurink, Laurette M. Prely, Gijs A. van der Marel, Rainer Bischoff und Herman S. Overkleeft Application of Activity-Based Protein Profiling to the Study of Microbial Pathogenesis, by William P. Heal und Edward W. Tate Functional Analysis of Protein Targets by Metabolomic Approaches, by Yun-Gon Kim und Alan Saghatelian

Excess of homocysteine, a product of the metabolism of the essential amino acid methionine, is associated with poor health, is linked to heart and brain diseases in general human populations, and accelerates mortality in heart disease patients. Neurological and cardiovascular abnormalities occur in patients with severe genetic hyperhomocysteinemia and lead to premature death due to vascular complications. Although it is considered a non-protein amino acid, studies over the past dozen years have discovered mechanisms by which homocysteine becomes a component of proteins. Homocysteine-containing proteins lose their normal biological function and become auto-immunogenic and pro-thrombotic. In this book, the author, a pioneer and a leading contributor to the field, describes up-to date studies of the biological chemistry of homocysteine-containing proteins, as well as pathological consequences and clinical implications of their formation. This is a comprehensive account of the broad range of basic science and medical implications of homocysteine-containing proteins for health and disease.

NMR Spectroscopy for Chemical Analysis at Low Magnetic Fields, by Stefan Gloeggler, Bernhard Blumich, Stephan Appelt Dynamic Nuclear Hyperpolarization in Liquids, by Ulrich L. Gunther NMR with Multiple Receivers, by Eriks Kupce TROSY NMR Spectroscopy of Large Soluble Proteins, by Yingqi Xu, Stephen Matthews Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy of Proteins, by Henrik Muller, Manuel Etzkorn, Henrike Heise Paramagnetic Solid-State Magic-Angle Spinning NMR Spectroscopy, by Guido Pintacuda, Gwendal Kervern

Sequencing projects have revealed the presence of at least several hundred receptor kinases in a typical plant genome. Receptor kinases are therefore the largest family of primary signal transducers in plants, and their abundance suggests an immense signaling network that we have only just begun to uncover. Recent research findings indicate that individual receptor kinases fulfill important roles in growth and development, in the recognition of pathogens and symbionts or, in a few examples, in both growth and defense. This volume will focus on the roles of receptor kinases, their signaling pathways, and the ways in which these important signaling proteins are regulated.

In Single Molecule Studies of Proteins, expert researchers discuss the successful application of single-molecule techniques to a wide range of biological events, such as the imaging and mapping of cell surface receptors, the analysis of the unfolding and folding pathways of single proteins, the analysis interaction forces between biomolecules, the study of enzyme catalysis or the visualization of molecular motors in action. The chapters are aimed at established investigators and post-doctoral researchers in the life sciences wanting to pursue research in the various areas in which single-molecule approaches are important; this volume also remains accessible to advanced graduate students seeking similar research goals.

The book will discuss classes of proteins and their folding, as well as the involvement of bioinformatics in solving the protein folding problem. In vivo and in vitro folding mechanisms are examined, as well as the failures of in vitro folding, a mechanism helpful in understanding disease caused by misfolding. The role of energy landscapes is also discussed and the computational approaches to these landscapes.

Volume I highlights the association of the cellular prion protein (PrPC) with copper and zinc, the potential roles of PrPC in Alzheimer's disease and cancers, insoluble PrPC, PMCA, molecular and cellular mechanisms of PrPSc formation and clearance, possible co-factors involved in the conversion of PrPC into PrPSc, infectious and pathogenic forms of PrP, cell biology of prions, prion strains and their interference, as well as yeast prions and their inheritable and structural traits. This unique volume will take you through the fascinating chronicle of prions in mammals, yeast, and fungi.

The CCN family of genes currently comprises six secreted proteins (designated CCN16 i.e., Cyr61/CCN1; ctgf/CCN2; Nov/CCN3; WISP1/CCN4; WISP2/CCN5, and WISP3/CCN6) showing a strikingly conserved primary structure, with four modules sharing partial identity with IGF binding proteins, Von Willebrand protein, thrombospondin and several matricellular proteins and growth factors. The current view is that CCN proteins modulate signaling pathways that involve regulatory components of the extracellular matrix. As such, they likely act as a central hub in the regulation of mitosis, adhesion, apoptosis, extracellular matrix production, growth arrest and migration of multiple cell types. The 5th international workshop on the CCN family of genes, that was held in Toronto in 2008 brought together scientists from around the world who have an interest in the biological roles of this emerging family of proteins. On an educational point of view, the workshop was a unique place for an efficient diffusion of scientific information. The present book comprises a series of selected manuscripts that are based on the original communications that were presented at the meeting by worldwide leaders in the field of CCN biology. All major aspects of CCN proteins biology in both normal and pathological conditions are covered in this volume, from structure-functions analysis up to the involvement of CCN proteins in complex physiological functions. In addition to reports that support the Yin-Yang concept of CCN proteins driving opposite effects on the same biological process, this book also comprises several contributions that point to CCN proteins as amenable targets for therapeutic manipulation of disease processes. Together with the special issue of Journal of Cell Communication and Signaling in which authors have extended on the original data presented at the meeting, the present Proceedings provide an instant picture and unique update of the state of the art in the CCN field.

This work presents the most advanced discoveries from translational research laboratories directly involved in identifying molecules and signalling pathways that play an instrumental role in metastasis. In contrast to other works, conventionally focused on a single type of tumour, the various chapters in this book provide a broad perspective of the similarities and discrepancies among the dissemination of several solid malignancies. Through recurrent and overlapping references to molecular mechanisms and mediators, the readers will gain knowledge of the common ground in metastasis from a single source. Finally, an introductory chapter provides a clinical perspective of the problems presented by metastatic tumours for diagnosis and treatment. The work presented here is directed to researchers in tumour biology with a developing interest in metastatic dissemination as well as medical and graduate students seeking to expand and integrate the notions acquired in basic cancer biology and oncology courses.

Michael D. Wendt Protein-Protein Interactions as Drug Targets Shaomeng Wang , Yujun Zhao , Denzil Bernard , Angelo Aguilar , Sanjeev Kumar Targeting the MDM2-p53 Protein-Protein Interaction for New Cancer Therapeutics Kurt Deshayes , Jeremy Murray , Domagoj Vucic The Development of Small-Molecule IAP Antagonists for the Treatment of Cancer John F. Kadow , David R. Langley , Nicholas A. Meanwell , Michael A. Walker , Kap-Sun Yeung , Richard Pracitto Protein-Protein Interaction Targets to Inhibit HIV-1 Infection Nicholas A. Meanwell , David R. Langley Inhibitors of Protein-Protein Interactions in Paramyxovirus Fusion - a Focus on Respiratory Syncytial Virus Andrew B. Mahon , Stephen E. Miller , Stephen T. Joy , Paramjit S. Arora Rational Design Strategies for Developing Synthetic Inhibitors of Helical Protein Interfaces Michael D. Wendt The Discovery of Navitoclax, a Bcl-2 Family Inhibitor

It can be concluded (under the specific experimental procedures em ployed) that: - 1) HCG labelled with 1 - 2 atoms of radioactive iodine did not differ sig nificantly from the unlabelled hormone; 2) The ovary alone exhibited a capacity to affix specifically HCG; 3) The amount of radioactive material in the ovary was directly proport ional to the quantity of labelled HCG injected; 4) When the HCG present in the circulation is bound to an antiserum to HCG, the antigen-antibody complex is not concentrated by the ovary; 5) Circulating labelled HCG decreased to 50% within 30 minutes following a single intravenous injection; 6) There are four different phases of ovarian uptake of HCG, namely: the first phase, when there is only an inflow from the circulation and stor age mainly in the follicular envelopes; the second phase, when there is a greater inflow than outflow; the third phase, when the inflow is equal to the outflow; and the fourth period, when the outflow is bigger than the in flow. REFERENCES 1. Lunenfeld, B. and Eshkol, A. Vitamins and Hormones (1967) 25:165 2. Eshkol, A. In: Recent Research on Gonadotropbio Hormones, eds. E. T. Bell andJ. A. Loraine, Edinburgh, Livingstone (1967), p. 202. 3. Eshkol, A. and Lunenfeld, B. Proc. Tel-Hashomer Hosp. (1967) 6:4. ACKNOWLEOOMEN'IS This work was supported in part by a grant from the Population Council, N. Y., U. S. A. andbyGrantNo."

Lactoferrin is an iron-binding glycoprotein belonging to the transferrin family. It acts as a defense in host animals against microbes and viruses, since it has a broad spectrum of antimicrobial and antiviral activities. Lactoferrin has been shown to regulate the growth and differentiation of many types of cells. The results of recent studies indicate that lactoferrin is a potent regulator of dermal fibroblasts, and promotes cutaneous wound healing. The collagen gel contraction, a model of wound contraction during wound healing process, and migration of human fibroblasts were enhanced by lactoferrin. LRP-1 (LDL Receptor related Protein-1) acts as a signaling receptor for lactoferrin that mediate fibroblast response to lactoferrin by activating ERK/MAPK signaling pathway. In addition, lactoferrin promotes biosynthesis of extracellular matrix (ECM) component such as type-I collagen and hyaluronan. Hyaluronan is a major component of ECM in connective tissue and promotes wound healing. The promoting effect of lactoferrin on hyaluronan production was accompanied by promotion of HAS2 (hyaluronan synthase 2) expression. These observations suggest that lactoferrin promotes the wound healing by providing an ECM that promotes fibroblast migration. Lactoferrin is also known for its anti-inflammatory and immune modulating properties. According to recent in vivo study, lactoferrin promotes wound repair by promoting the early inflammatory phase of wound healing. Based on this, recombinant human lactoferrin was subsequently tested clinically in a Phase II trial in patients with diabetic ulcers and was found to be effective. Lactoferrin should be further evaluated in patients with diabetic and other types of ulcers.

This book contains 14 original review chapters each yielding new, exciting and intriguing data about the emerging understanding of nucleolar structure and function in normal, stressed and diseased cells. The goal of this work is to provide special insight into the nucleolus of the past, present and future, as well its regulation, translocation, and biomedical function. A multitude of topics are introduced and discussed in detail, including nucleologenesis, nucleolar architecture, nucleolar targeting, retention, anchoring, translocation, and the relationship between the nucleolus and cancer. This book also brings together work from several different species, from human to Drosophila to Dictyostelium and other eukaryotic microbes. The final chapter summarizes some of the issues brought up in the various chapters with a view to future research. This book supports the continued emergence of the nucleolus as a dynamic intranuclear region that oversees a vast diversity of events.

There are nearly 100 000 different protein sequences encoded in the human genome, each with its own specific fold. Understanding how a newly formed polypeptide sequence finds its way to the correct fold is one of the greatest challenges in the modern structural biology. The aim of this thesis is to provide novel insights into protein folding by considering the problem from the point of view of statistical mechanics. The thesis starts by investigating the fundamental degrees of freedom in polypeptides that are responsible for the conformational transitions. This knowledge is then applied in the statistical mechanics description of helix coil transitions in polypeptides. Finally, the theoretical formalism is generalized to the case of proteins in an aqueous environment. The major novelty of this work lies in combining (a) a formalism based on fundamental physical properties of the system and (b) the resulting possibility of describing the folding unfolding transitions quantitatively. The clear physical nature of the formalism opens the way to further applications in a large variety of systems and processes.

The book highlights work from many different labs that taught us abnormal HDACs potentially contribute to the development or progression of many human diseases including immune dysfunctions, heart disease, cancer, memory impairment, aging, and metabolic disorders.

Infrared spectroscopy is a new and innovative technology to study protein folding/misfolding events in the broad arsenal of techniques conventionally used in this field. The progress in understanding protein folding and misfolding is primarily due to the development of biophysical methods which permit to probe conformational changes with high kinetic and structural resolution. The most commonly used approaches rely on rapid mixing methods to initiate the folding event via a sudden change in solvent conditions. Traditionally, techniques such as fluorescence, circular dichroism or visible absorption are applied to probe the process. In contrast to these techniques, infrared spectroscopy came into play only very recently, and the progress made in this field up to date which now permits to probe folding events over the time scale from picoseconds to minutes has not yet been discussed in a book. The aim of this book is to provide an overview of the developments as seen by some of the main contributors to the field. The chapters are not intended to give exhaustive reviews of the literature but, instead to illustrate examples demonstrating the sort of information, which infrared techniques can provide and how this information can be extracted from the experimental data. By discussing the strengths and limitations of the infrared approaches for the investigation of folding and misfolding mechanisms this book helps the reader to evaluate whether a particular system is appropriate for studies by infrared spectroscopy and which specific advantages the techniques offer to solve specific problems.

Genetics of Prion Disease, by S. Lloyd, S. Mead and J. Collinge. Atypical Prion Diseases in Humans and Animals, by M. A. Tranulis, S. L. Benestad, T. Baron and H. Kretzschmar. Chronic Wasting Disease, by S. Gilch, N. Chitoor, Y. Taguchi, M. Stuart, J. E. Jewell and H. M. Schatzl. Transgenic Mouse Models and Prion Strains, by G. C. Telling. Neuroprotective and Neurotoxic Signaling by the Prion Protein, by U. K. Resenberger, K. F. Winklhofer and J. Tatzelt. Prion Seeded Conversion and Amplification Assays, by C. D. Orru and B. Caughey. Prion Protein and Its Conformational Conversion: A Structural Perspective, by W. K. Surewicz and M. I. Apostol. Molecular Dynamics as an Approach to Study Prion Protein Misfolding and the Effect of Pathogenic Mutations, by M.W. van der Kamp and V. Daggett. Chemical Biology of Prion Protein: Tools to Bridge the In Vitro/Vivo Interface, by R. Seidel and M. Engelhard. The PrP-Like Proteins Shadoo and Doppel, by D. Westaway, N. Daude, S. Wohlgemuth and P. Harrison. Fungal Prions: Structure, Function and Propagation, by M. F. Tuite, R. Marchante and V. Kushnirov."

The preceding volumes of Cell and Muscle Motility have focused on various aspects of motile systems in both muscle and non muscle cells. These essays have been critical reviews on topics of current interest and, hopefully, have provided a base from which future investigations may develop. During the past decade, however, much attention in the fields of biochemistry and cell biology has focused on motile systems in non muscle cells. Our current under- standing of the three-dimensional organization of the cytoplasm involve three major fibrous proteins which are collectively known as the cytoskeletal system. These polymorphic cytoskeletal proteins are microtubules (25-nm diameter), microfilaments (6-nm diameter), and intermediate filaments (lO-nm diame- ter). Microtubules consist of tubulin and several well-characterized micro- tubule associated proteins (MAPs) including MAP , MAP , tau, and others. l 2 Microfilaments consist of actin and associate with actin-binding proteins in- cluding a-actinin, filamin, myosin, tropomyosin, vinculin, and others. Inter- mediate filaments (lO-nm filaments) consist of at least five different tissue- specific classes, including desmin or skeletin (muscle), prekeratin (epithelial), vimentin (mesenchymal), neurofilament (nerve), and glial acidic fibrillary protein (astrocytes). These major fibrous proteins apparently interact with each other as well as other cytoplasmic components and appear to be inti- mately associated with such biological processes as cell shape changes, growth, motility, secretion, cell division, and uptake of materials from the exterior of the cell.

The Fifth Chinese Peptide Symposium, hosted by Lanzhou University, was held at Lanzhou, China July 14-17, 1998, with 156 participants, including 30 scientists from abroad, representing nine countries. The four-day conference was both intense and spiritually rewarding. Our goal for CPS-98 was to provide a forum for the exchange of knowledge, cooperation and friendship between the international and Chinese scientific communities, and we believe this goal was met. The symposium consisted of 8 sessions with 42 oral and 90 poster presentations, including synthetic methods, molecular diversity and peptide libraries, structure and conformation of peptides and proteins, bioactive peptides, peptide immunology, De Novo design and synthesis of proteins and peptides, ligand-receptor interactions, the chemistry-biology-interface and challenging problems in peptides. The enthusiastic cooperation and excellent contributions were gratifying and the active response of the invited speakers contributed to the success of the symposium. The presentations were of excellent caliber and represented the most current and significant aspects of peptide science. Dr. Kit Lam of the University of Arizona and Dr. Yun-Hua Ye of Peking University were the recipients of "The Cathay Award" sponsored by the H. H. Liu Education Foundation, offered for their seminal contribution in peptide science and the Chinese Peptide Symposium. Four outstanding young scientists were selected by the organizing committee to receive awards sponsored by Haikou Nanhai Pharmaceutical Industry Co. Ltd. (Zhong He Group).

Tetraspanin proteins have recently emerged as a new class of modulators of various processes involving cell surface receptors, including cell migration and invasion, host immune responses, cell-cell fusion, and viral infection. The book summarises recent advances in the fields of biology in which the role of tetraspanins have been established and also covers the molecular evolution of the tetraspanin superfamily and structural aspects of the organisation of tetraspanin microdomains.

Many physiological conditions such as host defense or aging and pathological conditions such as neurodegenerative diseases, and diabetes are associated with the accumulation of high levels of reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species. This generates a condition called oxidative stress. Low levels of reactive oxygen species, however, which are continuously produced during aerobic metabolism, function as important signaling molecules, setting the metabolic pace of cells and regulating processes ranging from gene expression to apoptosis. For this book we would like to recruit the experts in the field of redox chemistry, bioinformatics and proteomics, redox signaling and oxidative stress biology to discuss how organisms achieve the appropriate redox balance, the mechanisms that lead to oxidative stress conditions and the physiological consequences that contribute to aging and disease.

Intracellular Signalling Proteins, Volume 116, presents an overview of the current developments in mechanisms of intracellular signaling and involvement of these mechanisms in the development of a number of disorders and diseases. Opportunities for targeting the intracellular signaling cascades for benefiting patients are also discussed, along with chapters that focus on Voices from the Dead: The Complex Language of Dead Cells, Nucleobindins and Encoded Peptides: From Cell Signalling to Physiology, Estrogen Receptor Signaling Mechanisms, Intracellular Signaling of the AMP-Activating Protein Kinase, the Relationship between Mitofusin 2 and Cancer, Molecular Signaling in Bone Cells: Regulation Cell Differentiation and Survival, and more.

Main Question: G protein coupled receptors are involved in highly efficient and specific activation of signalling pathways. How do GPCR signalling complexes get assembled to generate such specificity? In order to answer this question, we need to understand how receptors and their signalling partners are synthesized, folded and quality-controlled in order to generate functional proteins. Then, we need to understand how each partner of the signalling complex is selected to join a complex, and what makes this assembly possible. GPCRs are known to be able to function as oligomers, what drives the assembly into oligomers and what will be the effects of such organization on specificity and efficacy of signal transduction. Once the receptor complexes are assembled, they need to reach different locations in the cell; what drives and controls the trafficking of GPCR signalling complexes. Finally, defects in synthesis, maturation or trafficking can alter functionality of GPCRs signalling complexes; how can we manipulate the system to make it function normally again? Pharmacological chaperones may just be part of the answer to this question.

Volume II features a variety of animal and human prion diseases, including the newly-identified atypical forms of bovine spongiform encephalopathy and scrapie in animals, and variably protease-sensitive prionopathy in humans, prions in the environment, Tau pathology in human prion disease, transmission of the disease by blood transfusion, mammalian and non-mammalian models, conventional and advanced diagnoses, prion-specific antibodies, as well as decontamination of prions and development of therapeutics of prion diseases, such as the application of immunomodulation. This volume provides up-to-date knowledge about the etiology, pathogenesis, classification, histopathological, and clinical aspects of the highly publicized animal and human prion diseases.