The aim of the Protein Reviews is to serve as a publication vehicle for review articles that focus on crucial current vigorous aspects of protein structure, function, evolution and genetics. Volume 17 of Protein Reviews is the beginning of a new publication format. The volumes will appear online before they are published in a printed book. Articles will be selected according to their importance to the understanding of biological systems, their relevance to the unravelling of issues associated with health and disease or their impact on scientific or technological advances and developments. The chapters in this volume are authored by experts in the field. They deal with aspects of structure and biological activity of selected proteins. Specific chapters deal with the aggregation of FET proteins (FUS, EWSR1, TAF15) as a pathological change in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, structural changes fundamental to gating of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator anion channel pore, the dual roles for epithelial splicing regulatory proteins 1 (ESRP1) and 2 (ESRP2) in cancer progression, controlling autolysis during flagella insertion in Gram-negative bacteria, the regulation of skeletal muscle myoblast differentiation and the proliferation by pannexins, hyaluronidase and chondroitinase, factors that control mitotic spindle elongation, how secreted phospholipase A2 type IIA (sPLA2-IIA) activates integrins in an allosteric manner, the simple and unique allosteric machinery of Thermus caldophilus lactate dehydrogenase, and the reduction of chemically stable multibonds: Nitrogenase-like biosynthesis of tetrapyrroles. This volume is intended for research scientists, clinicians, physicians, and graduate students in fields of biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology microbiology, immunology and genetics.

The aim of the Protein Reviews is to serve as a publication vehicle for review articles that focus on crucial current vigorous aspects of protein structure, function, evolution and genetics. The volumes will appear online before they are published in a printed book. Articles are selected according to their importance to the understanding of biological systems, their relevance to the unravelling of issues associated with health and disease or their impact on scientific or technological advances and developments. Volume 19 focusses on Purinergic receptors, also termed purinoceptors. These are plasma membrane proteins present in nearly all mammalian tissues. They participate in a number of cell functions that include proliferation and migration of neural stem cells, vascular reactivity, apoptosis and cytokine secretion and have been associated with learning and memory, feeding conduct, movement and sleep. They facilitate relaxation of smooth muscle of the gut in response to adenosine (P1 receptors) or ATP (P2 receptors). The chapters in this volume are authored by experts in the field. They deal with aspects of structure and biological activity of selected receptor proteins. The first chapter in this volume reviews the current research on the Mechanism of channel gating and regulation of the activity of calcium-activated chloride channel ANO1. This is followed by a chapter dealing with Structure and function of the two-component cytotoxins of Staphylococcus aureus and a chapter on Membrane Fusion and Infection involving the Influenza virus Hemagglutinin. The fourth chapter reviews the impact of arrhythmogenic mutations through the structural determination of the L-type voltage-gated calcium channel. Then there is a chapter that discusses some open questions pertaining to histone post-translational modifications and nucleosome organization in transcriptional regulation. The next chapter deals with regulation of the extracellular SERPINA5 (protein C inhibitor) penetration through cellular membranes. This is followed by a chapter on coding of Class I and II aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases; a chapter on regulation of nephrin phosphorylation in diabetes and chronic kidney injury and a chapter on The Structure-Forming Juncture in oxidative protein folding and the events in the ER. Finally the last chapter deals with the polyspecificity of anti-lipid antibodies and its relevance to the development of autoimmunity. This volume is intended for research scientists, clinicians, physicians and graduate students in the fields of biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, immunology and genetics.

The MPSA international conference is held in a different country every two years. It is devoted to methods of determining protein structure with emphasis on chemistry and sequence analysis. Until the ninth conference, MPSA was an acronym for Methods in Protein Sequence Analysis. To give the conference more flexibility and breadth, the Scientific Advisory Committee of the lOth MPSA decided to change the name to Methods in Protein Structure Analysis; however, the emphasis remains on "methods" and on "chemistry. " In fact, this is the only major conference that is devoted to methods. The MPSA conference is truly international, a fact clearly reflected by the composi tion of its Scientific Advisory Committee. The Scientific Advisory Committee oversees the scientific direction of the MPSA and elects the chairman of the conference. Members of the committee are elected by active members, based on scientific standing and activity. The chairman, subject to approval of the Scientific Advisory Committee, appoints the Organizing Committee. It is this latter committee that puts the conference together. The lectures of the MPSA have traditionally been published in a special proceedings issue. This is different from, and more detailed than, the special MPSA issue of the Journal of Protein Chemistry in which only a brief description of the talks is given in short papers and abstracts. In the I Oth MPSA, about half the talks are by invited speakers and the remainder were selected from submitted short papers and abstracts."

The immune response is largely dependent on molecular inter actions involving proteins. The recognition of antigen molecules, whether they are proteins or non-proteins, whether they are self or non-self, takes place at the molecular-cellular interface through membrane receptor molecules that are proteins. The initial step of recognition activates a complex series of cellular events requiring some mechanism of cell-cell interactions and communi cations, eventually leading to antibody production. This biolo gical cascade is controlled at several positions along its con secutive pathways by protein molecules, either in the free form or as receptors on membranes of cells committed to this activity. Clearly, then, the proper understanding of the response by cells of the immune system will depend, to a great measure, on the definition of the molecular events involving protein interactions. Obviously, cells work via molecules and molecules work via cells and, at this level of functional resolution, molecular immunology and cellular immunology will merge and will depend heavily on protein chemistry."

The articles in this volume represent papers delivered by invited speakers at the 7th International Symposium on the Immunobiology of Proteins and Peptides. In addition, a few of the abstracts submitted by participants were scheduled for minisymposia and some of the authors, whose presentations were judged by the Scientific Council to be of high quality, were invited to submit papers for publication in this volume. This symposium was established in 1976 for the purpose of bringing together, once every two or three years, active investigators in the forefront of contemporary immunology, to present their findings and discuss their significance in the light of current concepts and to identify important new directions of investigation. The founding of the symposium was stimulated by the achievement of major breakthroughs in the understanding of the immune recognition of proteins and peptides. We believed that these breakthroughs will lead to the creation of a new generation of peptide reagents which should have enormous potential in biological, therapeutic, and basic applications. This anticipated explosion has in fact since occurred and many applications of these peptides are now being realized. The seventh symposium focused on immune responses that have undesirable effects on the host, hence we named them unwanted immune responses. Two major aspects of unwanted immune responses were discussed at the symposium: Allergy and Autoimmunity.

This volume summarizes the proceedings of the Eighth International Symposium on the Immunobiology of Proteins and Peptides which was held on November 16-20 in Rio Rico, Arizona. The articles represent papers by invited speakers as well as papers selected by the Scientific Council, from among those submitted by the participants, on the basis of quality and timeliness. This symposium series was established in 1976 for the purpose of bringing together, once every two or three years, active investigators in the forefront of contemporary immunology, to present their findings, discuss their significance in the light of current concepts and identify important new directions of investigation. The founding of the symposium was stimulated by the achievement of major breakthroughs in the understanding of the immune recognition of proteins and peptides. We believed that these breakthroughs would lead to the creation of a new generation of peptide reagents, which could have enormous potential in biological, therapeutic, and basic applications. This anticipated explosion has since occurred and many applications ofthese peptides are now being realized. The eighth symposium focused on the manipulation or modulation of the immune response. This volume broadly covers the areas of adjuvants, cytokines, vaccines, and the use of intravenous immunoglobulins for disease management. There is a clear need to identify methods for improving vaccine efficacy and guiding the host to respond with a particular type of immune response.

This symposium was established in 1976 for the purpose of bringing to gether once every two or three years, active investigators in the fore front of contemporary immunology, to present their findings and to discuss their significance in the light of current concepts and to identify important new directions of investigation. The founding of the symposium was stimulated by the achievement of major breakthroughs in the under standing of the immune recognition of proteins and peptides. We believed that these breakthroughs will lead to the creation of a new generation of peptides which should have enormous potential in biological, therapeutic and basic applications. This anticipated explosion has finally occurred and many applications of these peptides are now being realized. The main symposia topics of the fourth symposium were: T-cell recognition of proteins, structure and function of the T-cell receptor, presentation of protein antigens, recycling and activation of membrane receptor molecules, Ir-gene control of T-cell responses and methods of cell separation. The molecular features recognized by antibodies on proteins were the first immune recognition sites to be local ized and confirmed by synthetic peptides. The complete antigenic structures of several proteins have been defined, and individual antigenic sites have been described on many more proteins. More recently, major breakthroughs have been reported in the immune recognition of proteins by T cells."

The articles in this volume represent papers delivered by invited speakers at the 6th International Symposium on the Immunobiology of Proteins and Peptides. In addition, a few of the abstracts submitted by participants were scheduled for minisymposia and some of the authors, whose presentations were judged by the Scientific Council to be of high quality, were invited to submit papers for publication in this volume. This symposium was established in 1976 for the purpose of bringing together, once every two or three years, active investigators in the forefront of contemporary immunology, to present their findings and discuss t heir significance in the light of current concepts and to identify important new directions of investigation. The founding of the symposium was stimulated by the achievement of major breakthroughs in the understanding of the immune recognition of proteins and peptides. We believed that these breakthroughs will lead to the creation of a new generation of peptide reagents which should have enormous potential in biological, therapeutic and basic applications. This anticipated explosion has in fact since occurred and many applications of these pep tides are now being realized.

The structural features responsible for the immunogenicity of certain parts of native protein molecules have been of interest to immunochemists and protein chemists for over three decades. Following the early work of Land steiner in 1942, which showed that peptide fragments from silk fibroin exhibited an inhibitory activity toward the reaction of the protein with its antibodies, fragments from many other protein systems have been isolated and studied. However, no concerted effort was (or could be) devoted to the elucidation of the complete antigenic structure of a protein. In order for these endeavors to be successful and meaningful, knowledge of both the amino acid sequence and the detailed three-dimensional structure of the protein is necessary. Such information was not available for a protein until early in the 1960s. This and the fact that protein chemistry was not in fact sufficiently developed early in the 1960s to enable the successful completion of the entire antigenic structure of a protein were major contributing factors for the slow progress in this field. Determination of the antigenic structures of proteins therefore posed a chemical challenge of enormous proportions. For these reasons, many investigators diverted their attention to study of the immunochemistry of homo- or mixed amino acid polymers in the hope that the information derived from these systems might prove useful in the understanding of the immunochemistry of proteins."

The MPSA international conference is held in a different country every two years. It is devoted to methods of determining protein structure with emphasis on chemistry and sequence analysis. Until the ninth conference, MPSA was an acronym for Methods in Protein Sequence Analysis. To give the conference more flexibility and breadth, the Scientific Advisory Committee of the lOth MPSA decided to change the name to Methods in Protein Structure Analysis; however, the emphasis remains on "methods" and on "chemistry. " In fact, this is the only major conference that is devoted to methods. The MPSA conference is truly international, a fact clearly reflected by the composi tion of its Scientific Advisory Committee. The Scientific Advisory Committee oversees the scientific direction of the MPSA and elects the chairman of the conference. Members of the committee are elected by active members, based on scientific standing and activity. The chairman, subject to approval of the Scientific Advisory Committee, appoints the Organizing Committee. It is this latter committee that puts the conference together. The lectures of the MPSA have traditionally been published in a special proceedings issue. This is different from, and more detailed than, the special MPSA issue of the Journal of Protein Chemistry in which only a brief description of the talks is given in short papers and abstracts. In the I Oth MPSA, about half the talks are by invited speakers and the remainder were selected from submitted short papers and abstracts."

One of the central questions in immunology is the understanding in molecular terms of antigen-antibody interactions and of the cellu lar recognition of antigens. It is hoped that this understanding will extend eventually to the immunobiological basis of host defense to infectious agents and of tissue damage or deranged cell functions which stem from these reactions. A variety of natural and artificial substances have been used as models for these studies. Emphasis was placed upon substances of known and relatively uncomplicated chemical structures. These included polysaccharides, amino acid polymers, nu cleic acids and haptens. On the other hand. until recently there has been very little information on protein antigens. The complexity of these molecules posed an immense chemical obstacle to precise immuno chemical analysis. Indeed, it is this difficulty with proteins that spurred the synthesis and immunological studies of amino acid poly mers. The control and normal regulation of the immune system at the cellular-molecular interface and the great majority of antigens asso ciated with immune disorders are attributed to protein molecules. In the last few years great advances have been made in the analysis and synthesis of the antigenic sites of some proteins. The entire antigenic structures of myoglobin and lysozyme and the partial anti genic structures of several other proteins have been determined. Moreover, in the past seven years several biological responses resulting from the reactions of proteins and their peptides with cells of the immune system were described."

The Protein Reviews series serves as a publication vehicle for reviews that focus on crucial contemporary and vital aspects of protein structure, function, evolution and genetics. Volumes are published online first, prior to publication in a printed book. Chapters are selected according to their importance to the understanding of biological systems, relevance to the unravelling of issues associated with health and disease, or impact on scientific or technological advances and developments. Volume 23 presents four review chapters authored by experts in related fields.  The first chapter covers the structure and function of SNM1 family nucleases. Chapter two examines the molecular details of DNA integration by CRISPR-associated (Cas) proteins during adaptation in bacteria and archaea. The third chapter reviews the ordered motions in the nitric-oxide dioxygenase (NOD) mechanism of flavohemoglobin and assorted globins with tightly coupled reductases. Chapter four reviews structural analyses of the multicopper site of CopG support a role as a redox enzyme. This volume is intended for research scientists, clinicians, physicians and graduate students in the fields of biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, immunology and genetics.

The Protein Reviews series serves as a publication vehicle for reviews that focus on crucial contemporary and vital aspects of protein structure, function, evolution and genetics. Volumes are published online first, prior to publication in a printed book. Chapters are selected according to their importance to the understanding of biological systems, relevance to the unravelling of issues associated with health and disease, or impact on scientific or technological advances and developments. Volume 22 presents six review chapters authored by experts in related fields. The first chapter covers carotenoid-protein interactions. Chapter two addresses the non-continuum of eukaryotic transcriptional regulation. The third chapter reviews the structure of the regulatory and catalytic domains of the photoreceptor phosphodiesterase (PDE6) holoenzyme. Chapter four reviews the current knowledge on small molecule compounds that have been evaluated as rhodopsin modulators to be considered as leads for the development of novel therapies for retinitis pigmentosa. Chapter five deals with Plasticity-associated functionality and inhibition of the HIV protease. Finally, chapter six covers single-run catalysis and kinetic control of human telomerase holoenzyme. This volume is intended for research scientists, clinicians, physicians and graduate students in the fields of biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, immunology and genetics.  

The Protein Reviews series serves as a publication vehicle for reviews that focus on crucial contemporary and vital aspects of protein structure, function, evolution and genetics. Volumes are published online first, prior to publication in a printed book. Chapters are selected according to their importance to the understanding of biological systems, relevance to the unravelling of issues associated with health and disease, or impact on scientific or technological advances and developments. Volume 22 presents six review chapters authored by experts in related fields. The first chapter covers carotenoid-protein interactions. Chapter two addresses the non-continuum of eukaryotic transcriptional regulation. The third chapter reviews the structure of the regulatory and catalytic domains of the photoreceptor phosphodiesterase (PDE6) holoenzyme. Chapter four reviews the current knowledge on small molecule compounds that have been evaluated as rhodopsin modulators to be considered as leads for the development of novel therapies for retinitis pigmentosa. Chapter five deals with Plasticity-associated functionality and inhibition of the HIV protease. Finally, chapter six covers single-run catalysis and kinetic control of human telomerase holoenzyme. This volume is intended for research scientists, clinicians, physicians and graduate students in the fields of biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, immunology and genetics.

The Protein Reviews series serves as a publication vehicle for reviews that focus on crucial contemporary and vital aspects of protein structure, function, evolution and genetics. Volumes are published online first, prior to publication in a printed book. Chapters are selected according to their importance to the understanding of biological systems, relevance to the unravelling of issues associated with health and disease, or impact on scientific or technological advances and developments. Volume 21 presents eight review chapters authored by experts in the related fields. The first chapter covers the enzyme squalene monooxygenase and lipid levels and its relevance in health and disease. Chapter two presents a systematic analysis of the structural and functional aspects of heteromeric solute carriers. The third chapter provides a review of the role of CI- in type IV collagen assembly, function, and disease, including future directions for studies. This is followed by a summary in chapter four about the recent progress on defining the roles of the Slit-Robo signaling in bone metabolism and the possible roles of the interaction between Robo and neural epidermal growth factor-like proteins. Chapter five discusses recent data about the evolutionary aspects on structural differences between humans and the nematode in relation to previous knowledge of core proteins and GAG-attachment sites in Chn and CS proteoglycans of C.elegans and humans. The sixth chapter summarizes the immunochemical character of the IGHV1-69-derived RFs and the recognition mechanism of the IGHV1-69-derived RFs. Chapter seven covers regulated alternative translocation and its role as an emerging mechanism to regulate transmembrane proteins. Finally, chapter eight reviews current progress on IL-36 protein and biology and novel investigative tools. This volume is intended for research scientists, clinicians, physicians and graduate students in the fields of biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, immunology and genetics.

The Protein Reviews series serves as a publication vehicle for reviews that focus on crucial contemporary and vital aspects of protein structure, function, evolution and genetics. Volume 20, Purinergic Receptors, has ten chapters. The first five chapters deal with various aspects of membrane binding. The first chapter focuses on the phox-homology (PX) domain, which is a phosphoinositide-binding domain conserved in all eukaryotes and present in forty-nine human proteins. The next chapter deals with the modeling of PH domains/phosphoinositides interactions. This is followed by a chapter on BAR domain proteins regulate Rho GTPase signaling. The BAR (Bin-Amphiphysin-Rvs) domain is a membrane lipid binding domain present in a wide variety of proteins, often proteins with a role in Rho-regulated signaling pathways. The fourth article presents AP180 N-terminal homology (ANTH) and Epsin N-terminal homology (ENTH) domains and discusses their physiological functions and involvement in disease. The fifth article reviews the polyphosphoinositide-binding domains and presents insights from peripheral membrane and lipid-transfer proteins. This is followed by a chapter on the physiological functions of phosphoinositide-modifying enzymes and their interacting proteins in Arabidopsis, then by a chapter on the molecular mechanisms of Vaspin action in various tissues such as adipose tissue, skin, bone, blood vessels, and the brain. The eighth chapter deals with exceptionally selective substrate targeting by the metalloprotease anthrax lethal factor followed by an article on Salmonella, E. coli, and Citrobacter type III secretion system effector proteins that alter host innate immunity. The last chapter presents New techniques to study intracellular receptors in living cells, with insights into RIG-I-like receptor signaling. Volume 20 is intended for research scientists, clinicians, physicians and graduate students in the fields of biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, immunology and genetics.

The Protein Reviews series serves as a publication vehicle for reviews that focus on crucial contemporary and vital aspects of protein structure, function, evolution and genetics. Volumes are published online first, prior to publication in a printed book. Chapters are selected according to their importance to the understanding of biological systems, relevance to the unravelling of issues associated with health and disease, or impact on scientific or technological advances and developments. Volume 21 presents eight review chapters authored by experts in the related fields. The first chapter covers the enzyme squalene monooxygenase and lipid levels and its relevance in health and disease. Chapter two presents a systematic analysis of the structural and functional aspects of heteromeric solute carriers. The third chapter provides a review of the role of CI- in type IV collagen assembly, function, and disease, including future directions for studies. This is followed by a summary in chapter four about the recent progress on defining the roles of the Slit-Robo signaling in bone metabolism and the possible roles of the interaction between Robo and neural epidermal growth factor-like proteins. Chapter five discusses recent data about the evolutionary aspects on structural differences between humans and the nematode in relation to previous knowledge of core proteins and GAG-attachment sites in Chn and CS proteoglycans of C.elegans and humans. The sixth chapter summarizes the immunochemical character of the IGHV1-69-derived RFs and the recognition mechanism of the IGHV1-69-derived RFs. Chapter seven covers regulated alternative translocation and its role as an emerging mechanism to regulate transmembrane proteins. Finally, chapter eight reviews current progress on IL-36 protein and biology and novel investigative tools. This volume is intended for research scientists, clinicians, physicians and graduate students in the fields of biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, immunology and genetics.

The Protein Reviews series serves as a publication vehicle for reviews that focus on crucial contemporary and vital aspects of protein structure, function, evolution and genetics. Volume 20, Purinergic Receptors, has ten chapters. The first five chapters deal with various aspects of membrane binding. The first chapter focuses on the phox-homology (PX) domain, which is a phosphoinositide-binding domain conserved in all eukaryotes and present in forty-nine human proteins. The next chapter deals with the modeling of PH domains/phosphoinositides interactions. This is followed by a chapter on BAR domain proteins regulate Rho GTPase signaling. The BAR (Bin-Amphiphysin-Rvs) domain is a membrane lipid binding domain present in a wide variety of proteins, often proteins with a role in Rho-regulated signaling pathways. The fourth article presents AP180 N-terminal homology (ANTH) and Epsin N-terminal homology (ENTH) domains and discusses their physiological functions and involvement in disease. The fifth article reviews the polyphosphoinositide-binding domains and presents insights from peripheral membrane and lipid-transfer proteins. This is followed by a chapter on the physiological functions of phosphoinositide-modifying enzymes and their interacting proteins in Arabidopsis, then by a chapter on the molecular mechanisms of Vaspin action in various tissues such as adipose tissue, skin, bone, blood vessels, and the brain. The eighth chapter deals with exceptionally selective substrate targeting by the metalloprotease anthrax lethal factor followed by an article on Salmonella, E. coli, and Citrobacter type III secretion system effector proteins that alter host innate immunity. The last chapter presents New techniques to study intracellular receptors in living cells, with insights into RIG-I-like receptor signaling. Volume 20 is intended for research scientists, clinicians, physicians and graduate students in the fields of biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, immunology and genetics.

The aim of the Protein Reviews is to serve as a publication vehicle for review articles that focus on crucial current vigorous aspects of protein structure, function, evolution and genetics. The volumes will appear online before they are published in a printed book. Articles are selected according to their importance to the understanding of biological systems, their relevance to the unravelling of issues associated with health and disease or their impact on scientific or technological advances and developments. The chapters in volume 18 are authored by experts in the field. They deal with aspects of structure and/or biological activity of selected proteins. The chapters review current research of the following topics: the Mechanism of channel gating and regulation of the activity of calcium-activated chloride channel ANO1, Structure and function of the two-component cytotoxins of Staphylococcus aureus, Membrane Fusion and Infection involving the influenza virus hemagglutinin, The impact of arrhythmogenic mutations through the structural determination of the L-type voltage-gated calcium channel, Discussion of some open questions pertaining to histone post-translational modifications and nucleosome organization in transcriptional regulation, Regulation of the extracellular SERPINA5 (protein C inhibitor) penetration through cellular membranes, Coding of Class I and II aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases, Nephrin phosphorylation in diabetes and chronic kidney injury, The structure-forming juncture in oxidative protein folding and the events in the ER, The polyspecificity of anti-lipid antibodies and its relevance to the development of autoimmunity. This volume is intended for research scientists, clinicians, physicians and graduate students in the fields of biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, immunology and genetics.

The aim of the Protein Reviews is to serve as a publication vehicle for review articles that focus on crucial current vigorous aspects of protein structure, function, evolution and genetics. The volumes will appear online before they are published in a printed book. Articles are selected according to their importance to the understanding of biological systems, their relevance to the unravelling of issues associated with health and disease or their impact on scientific or technological advances and developments. The chapters in volume 18 are authored by experts in the field. They deal with aspects of structure and/or biological activity of selected proteins. The chapters review current research of the following topics: the Mechanism of channel gating and regulation of the activity of calcium-activated chloride channel ANO1, Structure and function of the two-component cytotoxins of Staphylococcus aureus, Membrane Fusion and Infection involving the influenza virus hemagglutinin, The impact of arrhythmogenic mutations through the structural determination of the L-type voltage-gated calcium channel, Discussion of some open questions pertaining to histone post-translational modifications and nucleosome organization in transcriptional regulation, Regulation of the extracellular SERPINA5 (protein C inhibitor) penetration through cellular membranes, Coding of Class I and II aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases, Nephrin phosphorylation in diabetes and chronic kidney injury, The structure-forming juncture in oxidative protein folding and the events in the ER, The polyspecificity of anti-lipid antibodies and its relevance to the development of autoimmunity. This volume is intended for research scientists, clinicians, physicians and graduate students in the fields of biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, immunology and genetics.

The aim of the Protein Reviews is to serve as a publication vehicle for review articles that focus on crucial current vigorous aspects of protein structure, function, evolution and genetics. Volume 17 of Protein Reviews is the beginning of a new publication format. The volumes will appear online before they are published in a printed book. Articles will be selected according to their importance to the understanding of biological systems, their relevance to the unravelling of issues associated with health and disease or their impact on scientific or technological advances and developments. The chapters in this volume are authored by experts in the field. They deal with aspects of structure and biological activity of selected proteins. Specific chapters deal with the aggregation of FET proteins (FUS, EWSR1, TAF15) as a pathological change in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, structural changes fundamental to gating of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator anion channel pore, the dual roles for epithelial splicing regulatory proteins 1 (ESRP1) and 2 (ESRP2) in cancer progression, controlling autolysis during flagella insertion in Gram-negative bacteria, the regulation of skeletal muscle myoblast differentiation and the proliferation by pannexins, hyaluronidase and chondroitinase, factors that control mitotic spindle elongation, how secreted phospholipase A2 type IIA (sPLA2-IIA) activates integrins in an allosteric manner, the simple and unique allosteric machinery of Thermus caldophilus lactate dehydrogenase, and the reduction of chemically stable multibonds: Nitrogenase-like biosynthesis of tetrapyrroles. This volume is intended for research scientists, clinicians, physicians, and graduate students in fields of biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology microbiology, immunology and genetics.

Silicone Gels as Adjuvants: Effects on Humoral and Cellmediated Immune Responses; J.O. Naim, C.J. van Oss The Effect of Molecular Weight and Gel Preparation on Humoral Adjuvancy of Silicone Oils and Silicone Gels; J.O. Naim, C.J. van Oss Glucans as Immunological Adjuvants; N. Mohagheghpour, et al. Copolymer Adjuvants; R.N. Brey Regulation of Il4 and Il5 Secretion by Histamine and PGE2; M.M. Khan Immunoglobulin Isotype Modulation after Administration of Il12; V. Van Cleave, et al. Substance P Mediated Stimulation of Cytokine Levels in Cultured Murine Bone Marrow Stromal Cells; J.M. Manske, et al. Malaria Transmissionblocking Immunity: Identification of Epitopes and Evaluation of Immunogenicity; N. Kumar, et al. Experimental Feline Lyme Borreliosis As a Model for Testing Borrelia burgdorferi Vaccines; M.D. Gibson, et al. Liposoma Vaccines; S. Green, et al. Protection Strategies against Botulinum Toxin; L. Middlebrook Collagen Arthritis in T Cell Receptor Congenic Mice: A Unique Approach to Study the Role of T Cell Receptor Genotypes in Autoimmune Arthritis; G.H.H. Nabozny, C.S. David The Blood-Brain Barrier in Virusinduced Demyelination; C.J.R. Welsh, et al. 14 additional articles. Index.

Is There a Link between the Nature of Agents That Trigger Mast Cells and the Induction of Immunoglobulin (IG)E Synthesis?.- Immunogenetic Aspects of IgE-Mediated Responses.- Structure and Function of the Low Affinity IgE Receptor.- Characterization of the Human IgE Fc-Fce RIa Interaction.- The Analysis of Mast Cell Function in Vivo Using Mast Cell-Deficient Mice.- The Immunogenetic Basis of Collagen Induced Arthritis in Mice: An Experimental Model for the Rational Design of Immunomodulatory Treatments of Rheumatoid Arthritis.- Suppression of Experimental Autoimmune Myasthenia Gravis by Epitope-Specific Neonatal Tolerance.- T Cell Reactivity to Self and Allogeneic MHC-Peptides.- Antiribosomal Antibodies in SLE, Infection, and Following Deliberate Immunization.- Cross-Reactions of Anti-Immunoglobulin Sera with Synthetic T-Cell Receptor ? Peptides: Mapping on a 3-Dimension Model.- Stress Proteins in Autoimmunity.- Polyclonal B Cell Activation and B Cell Cross-Reactivity During Autoantibody Production in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.- Autoantibody Activity and V Gene Usage by B-Cell Malignancies.- Naturally Occurring Human Autoantibodies to Defend T-Cell Receptor and Light Chain Peptides.- Natural Autoantibodies.- Regulatory Autoantibody and Cellular Aging and Removal.- B-Cell Origin of Cold Agglutinins.- Initiation of Autoimmune Type 1 Diabetes and Molecular Cloning of a Gene Encoding for Islet Cell-Specific 37KD Autoantigen.- Mapping of the Polypeptide Chain Organization of the Main Extracellular Domain of the ?-Subunit in Membrane-Bound Acetylcholine Receptor by Anti-Peptide Antibodies Spanning the Entire Domain.