While many cytokines are known for their inflammatory action, there is a growing interest in the tissue-protective effects of some cytokines. The prototypic tissue-protective cytokine is EPO. Initially described as neuro-protective, it is beneficial in animal models of ischemic and other types of injury. Scientists had to overcome the notion that EPO had only erythropoietic actions, was only produced by the kidney, and that its receptor was only present in erythroid progenitor cells. The use of in vitro and in vivo disease models was essential to demonstrate the protective effects of EPO. Reproducible models will be needed for the further study of the mechanism of action of EPO and for the identification of other tissue-protective cytokines. In Tissue-Protective Cytokines: Methods and Protocols, expert researchers in the field detail the key models that have been used to characterize the tissue-protective actions of cytokines. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology (TM) series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, provide step-by-step laboratory protocols, and key tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Thorough and intuitive, Tissue Protective Cytokines: Methods and Protocols aids scientists in continuing to study tissue-protection that will be a new field of interest of cytokine biology, both in discovering novel actions of known cytokines and in developing new drugs.

While many cytokines are known for their inflammatory action, there is a growing interest in the tissue-protective effects of some cytokines. The prototypic tissue-protective cytokine is EPO. Initially described as neuro-protective, it is beneficial in animal models of ischemic and other types of injury. Scientists had to overcome the notion that EPO had only erythropoietic actions, was only produced by the kidney, and that its receptor was only present in erythroid progenitor cells. The use of in vitro and in vivo disease models was essential to demonstrate the protective effects of EPO. Reproducible models will be needed for the further study of the mechanism of action of EPO and for the identification of other tissue-protective cytokines. In Tissue-Protective Cytokines: Methods and Protocols, expert researchers in the field detail the key models that have been used to characterize the tissue-protective actions of cytokines. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology (TM) series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, provide step-by-step laboratory protocols, and key tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Thorough and intuitive, Tissue Protective Cytokines: Methods and Protocols aids scientists in continuing to study tissue-protection that will be a new field of interest of cytokine biology, both in discovering novel actions of known cytokines and in developing new drugs.

Post-Translational Modifications of Proteins discusses several important topics of interest to researchers and students in protein chemistry and biochemistry, including the occurrence and function of hydroxylated residues and the three enzymes required for their formation; the damaging effects of reactions between sugars and proteins; ADP-riboosylation of proteins outside the nucleus; and Monod, Wyman, and Changeux's concerted model for allosteric control of enzyme activity exemplified by studies on glycogen phosphorylase. The application of Fast Atom Bombardment Mass Spectometry (FAB-MS) to studies on the structure and biosynthesis of various oligosaccharide moieties in protein is examined, and the understanding of the structural diversity and function of glycoprotein oligosaccharides is discussed in this volume.