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A history of biochemistry; personal recollections III; comprehensive biochemistry, vol. 37
ht. J. Biochem.Vol. 24, No. 10, pp. 1677-1678,1992
Pergamon Press Ltd. Printed in Great Britain
BOOK REVIEWS
A History of Biochemistry; Personal Recollections III; Comprehensive Biochemistry, Vol. n--Edited by G. SEMENZA and R. JAENICKE.396 pp. 1990. Elsevier, Amsterdam. $114.25; DFl 200. This is the third volume of personal recollections. They include: Physics and the riddle of life, by Max Perutz; An octogenarian looks back, by Albert Neuberger; Wladimir Englehardt, the man and the scientist; autobiographical notes from a nomadic biochemist, by Herman Kalckar; Enzymic regulation, by Albert Sols; Jean Brachet’s life; my love affair with membranes, by Aser Rothstein; Never a dull moment, by Henryk Eisenberg; Total synthesis of insulin, by Chen-Lu Tsou. These very interesting accounts put the flesh onto the biochemical skeleton and make it live (and dance!).
Plant L,eetinsA.
F’LJSZTAI. 263 pp. 1991. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. f40, $79.95.
Lectins are proteins or glycoproteins of non-immunoglobulin nature capable of specific recognition and reversible binding to carbohydrate moieties of complex glycoconjugates without altering the covalent structure of any of the recognised glycosyl ligands. They play a role in cell
Nucleic Acids and Molecular
Biology, Vol. %-Edited by F. ECKSTEIN and D. M. J. LILLEY.251 pp. 1991. Springer, Berlin. DM 198. The topics reviewed in this volume are: structure of telomeric DNA; parallel stranded DNA with trans Crick-Watson base pairs; scanning tunnelling microscopy of nucleic acids; repair of U.V. damaged DNA; mismatch repair in Eukaryotic systems; initiation of chromosomal replication; mechanism of DNA polymerase I; rules for protein DNA recognition for a family of Helix-turn-Helix proteins; DNA binding motif, SPKK and its variants; DNA sequence determination by Eco RI endonuclease; structure of DNAse I; DNA conformational changes during RNA transcription; regulation of HIV-I gene expression by the RNA binding proteins tat and rev; transgenic technology for the study of mammalian development. There is also a subject and author index for Vols l-5.
Molecular Neurobiology; A Practical ApproachEdited
This volume gives practical details for the study of: ionic channel recordings; distinguishing between multiple calcium channel types; physiological approaches to the study of glutamate receptors; identifying and characterizing stretch activated ionic channels; identification of G-protein mediated processes; modification to phosphoinositide signalling; exogenous kinases and phosphatases as probes of intracellular modulations; expression of neurotransmitters receptors and ion channels in Xenopus oocytes; structure and function of the GABA-A receptors; in siru hybridization with synthetic DNA probes.
KRICKA. 233 pp. 1992. Wiley, New York. f63. The subjects reviewed in this volume are: unique applications of immobilized proteins in bioanalytical systems; fundamentals of dry reagent chemistries using enzymes; enzyme-electrode biosensors; enzyme labelled probes for nucleic acid hybridization; DNA restriction enzymes and RFLPs in medicine; advances in enzymatically coupled field effect transistors; enzyme labelled antibodies in bioassays. There is also a cumulative author and subject index for Vol. l-36. Databases
by
J. CHADand H. WHEAL.236 pp. 1991. IRL Press/Oxford University Press, Oxford. $56.
Bioanalytical Application of Enzymes; Methods of Biochemical Analysis, Vol. J&Edited by C. H. SUEZLTER and L.
Molecular Studies-J.
NBRF-PIR, NEWAT, PRF-SEQDB, GENESEQ]; the main structure databanks IPDB. CCD. CCSD. CAN/SND. ISIS]; sequence searching; casd stud; specification’of ai expert system for protein structure prediction. This book will be a useful introduction to those wishing to analyse protein and DNA sequences and also for those wishing to use computer databanks for structure analysis.
Cellular Neurobiology;
A Practical
ApproacLEdited
by
J. CHADand H. WHEAL.287 pp. 1991. IRL Press/Oxford University Press, Oxford. $73.
for Protein Sequence and Structure
A. A. SILLINCEand M. SILLINCE.236 pp. 1992. Springer, Berlin. DM 98.
On-line molecular databases are becoming increasingly important in searching for sequence analogies. This book starts by revising the structure of proteins and nucleic acids since these have the major databases. This leads to the nature of sequence data and structure data. There follows a chapter on computer based sequencing projects and analysis. Details are given of computer representation and registration; database searching; use of expert systems in database searching [knowledge based systems KBS]; the main, sequence databanks [Genbank, EMBL, GENINFLO,
This volume gives practical details for the study of: culture of adult mammalian peripheral neurons; dissociated neurons from adult rat hippocampus; production of organotypic slice cultures of neural tissue using the roller tube technique; chemical synapses in cell culture; NG 108-15 neuroblastoma x glioma hybrid cell line as a model neuronal system; isolation of potassium currents; perfusion of nerve cells and separation of sodium and potassium currents; whole cell voltage clamp techniques applied to the study of synaptic function in hippocampal slices; photolabile calcium buffers to selectively activate calcium dependent processes; caged molecules activated by light; optical techniques and calcium imaging; three-dimensional reconstruction and analysis of the cable properties of neurons; modelling the non-linear conductances of excitable membranes. This and the volume on Molecular Neurobiology provide an excellent account of the practical techniques used and some of the results obtained in modem neurobiology. These two volumes will be essential purchases in all neurosciences laboratories.
1677
Pergamon Press Ltd. Printed in Great Britain
BOOK REVIEWS
A History of Biochemistry; Personal Recollections III; Comprehensive Biochemistry, Vol. n--Edited by G. SEMENZA and R. JAENICKE.396 pp. 1990. Elsevier, Amsterdam. $114.25; DFl 200. This is the third volume of personal recollections. They include: Physics and the riddle of life, by Max Perutz; An octogenarian looks back, by Albert Neuberger; Wladimir Englehardt, the man and the scientist; autobiographical notes from a nomadic biochemist, by Herman Kalckar; Enzymic regulation, by Albert Sols; Jean Brachet’s life; my love affair with membranes, by Aser Rothstein; Never a dull moment, by Henryk Eisenberg; Total synthesis of insulin, by Chen-Lu Tsou. These very interesting accounts put the flesh onto the biochemical skeleton and make it live (and dance!).
Plant L,eetinsA.
F’LJSZTAI. 263 pp. 1991. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. f40, $79.95.
Lectins are proteins or glycoproteins of non-immunoglobulin nature capable of specific recognition and reversible binding to carbohydrate moieties of complex glycoconjugates without altering the covalent structure of any of the recognised glycosyl ligands. They play a role in cell
Nucleic Acids and Molecular
Biology, Vol. %-Edited by F. ECKSTEIN and D. M. J. LILLEY.251 pp. 1991. Springer, Berlin. DM 198. The topics reviewed in this volume are: structure of telomeric DNA; parallel stranded DNA with trans Crick-Watson base pairs; scanning tunnelling microscopy of nucleic acids; repair of U.V. damaged DNA; mismatch repair in Eukaryotic systems; initiation of chromosomal replication; mechanism of DNA polymerase I; rules for protein DNA recognition for a family of Helix-turn-Helix proteins; DNA binding motif, SPKK and its variants; DNA sequence determination by Eco RI endonuclease; structure of DNAse I; DNA conformational changes during RNA transcription; regulation of HIV-I gene expression by the RNA binding proteins tat and rev; transgenic technology for the study of mammalian development. There is also a subject and author index for Vols l-5.
Molecular Neurobiology; A Practical ApproachEdited
This volume gives practical details for the study of: ionic channel recordings; distinguishing between multiple calcium channel types; physiological approaches to the study of glutamate receptors; identifying and characterizing stretch activated ionic channels; identification of G-protein mediated processes; modification to phosphoinositide signalling; exogenous kinases and phosphatases as probes of intracellular modulations; expression of neurotransmitters receptors and ion channels in Xenopus oocytes; structure and function of the GABA-A receptors; in siru hybridization with synthetic DNA probes.
KRICKA. 233 pp. 1992. Wiley, New York. f63. The subjects reviewed in this volume are: unique applications of immobilized proteins in bioanalytical systems; fundamentals of dry reagent chemistries using enzymes; enzyme-electrode biosensors; enzyme labelled probes for nucleic acid hybridization; DNA restriction enzymes and RFLPs in medicine; advances in enzymatically coupled field effect transistors; enzyme labelled antibodies in bioassays. There is also a cumulative author and subject index for Vol. l-36. Databases
by
J. CHADand H. WHEAL.236 pp. 1991. IRL Press/Oxford University Press, Oxford. $56.
Bioanalytical Application of Enzymes; Methods of Biochemical Analysis, Vol. J&Edited by C. H. SUEZLTER and L.
Molecular Studies-J.
NBRF-PIR, NEWAT, PRF-SEQDB, GENESEQ]; the main structure databanks IPDB. CCD. CCSD. CAN/SND. ISIS]; sequence searching; casd stud; specification’of ai expert system for protein structure prediction. This book will be a useful introduction to those wishing to analyse protein and DNA sequences and also for those wishing to use computer databanks for structure analysis.
Cellular Neurobiology;
A Practical
ApproacLEdited
by
J. CHADand H. WHEAL.287 pp. 1991. IRL Press/Oxford University Press, Oxford. $73.
for Protein Sequence and Structure
A. A. SILLINCEand M. SILLINCE.236 pp. 1992. Springer, Berlin. DM 98.
On-line molecular databases are becoming increasingly important in searching for sequence analogies. This book starts by revising the structure of proteins and nucleic acids since these have the major databases. This leads to the nature of sequence data and structure data. There follows a chapter on computer based sequencing projects and analysis. Details are given of computer representation and registration; database searching; use of expert systems in database searching [knowledge based systems KBS]; the main, sequence databanks [Genbank, EMBL, GENINFLO,
This volume gives practical details for the study of: culture of adult mammalian peripheral neurons; dissociated neurons from adult rat hippocampus; production of organotypic slice cultures of neural tissue using the roller tube technique; chemical synapses in cell culture; NG 108-15 neuroblastoma x glioma hybrid cell line as a model neuronal system; isolation of potassium currents; perfusion of nerve cells and separation of sodium and potassium currents; whole cell voltage clamp techniques applied to the study of synaptic function in hippocampal slices; photolabile calcium buffers to selectively activate calcium dependent processes; caged molecules activated by light; optical techniques and calcium imaging; three-dimensional reconstruction and analysis of the cable properties of neurons; modelling the non-linear conductances of excitable membranes. This and the volume on Molecular Neurobiology provide an excellent account of the practical techniques used and some of the results obtained in modem neurobiology. These two volumes will be essential purchases in all neurosciences laboratories.
1677