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Antimicrobial peptides (Ciba Foundation Symposium 186)
106
Protein Biotechnology is an impressive book that contains 11 chapters on: The scope of protein biotechnology, Protein sources, Downstream processing of protein products, Therapeutic proteins: blood products, vaccines, monoclonal antibodies and related substances, Therapeutic proteins: Hormones, regulatory factors and enzymes, Proteins for diagnostic purposes, Polymer-degrading enzymes of industrial significance, Other proteins of industrial significance. In the preface, the editors state that the book is intended for mixed audience of students studying biotechnology, biochemistry, microbiology or any other branch of biomedical sciences. They have done an elegant job of accomplishing this objective. The book's organisation is thoughtful and innovative. The individual chapters give excellent detailed and specific treatment of the subjects under consideration, together with some historical context. The collection of reviews present in the book are generally lucid and appear to have been edited appropriately. The resulting collection is a definitive work that should become the authoritative source on the current status of our knowledge of protein biotechnology. Every chapter has a goodly number of tables, schematic diagrams and references for further reading. All this should be of great help to the learners. The only fault that this reviewer finds is that the discussion on immobilisation and protein engineering, which has a major impact on the study of protein structure, stability, and function is rather very limited. Inclusion of further details on these facets of protein biotechnology would complete what is otherwise an excellent and worthy publication that should be on the shelf of every biotechnologist. Arvind M Kayastha
Microbial Physiology and Metabolism by D R Caidwell, pp 353. W C B r o w n , D u b u q u e , Iowa. 1995. $45 ISBN 0 - 6 9 7 - 1 7 1 9 2 - 2 The variety and inventiveness of microbial metabolism is seldom reflected in introductory biochemistry textbooks, a particularly serious omission if an evolutionary emphasis is to be maintained. In such instances, a short book on microbial biochemistry might present a valuable supplement to a more general text. It is possible that Caldwell's Microbial Physiology and Metabolism could be used in such a fashion, as it covers most aspects of bacterial metabolism from bioenergetics to protein synthesis in remarkably few pages. Unfortunately, brevity is not always a virtue and, in this case, appears to be obtained by means of the omission of material which should probably be present in such a book. The most striking example is the inexplicable failure to include any discussion of the remarkable biochemistry of the Archaea (formerly, archaebacteria) a topic of undoubted evolutionary significance and one that certainly falls within the book's ~'microbial" scope. These organisms do not even appear in the index. Brevity can also be accomplished by precise writing and through the use of apt and clear illustrations, but, in this case, isn't. The writing, which is often anything but precise, does not appear to have benefited from effective editing. For example, on page 21, the section on plasmids begins with a sentence that suggests (inadvertently one hopes) that yeasts are prokaryotes. Reading of other sections require attention bordering on the cryptographic, and one wonders how relatively-unsophisticated students will fare. The sections describing regulation by energy charge (pp 87 and 222) appeared particularly inaccessible, often leading to the recurring impression that something was being left out. Clarity was also not improved by unexplained differences in the form of the energy charge equation as it appeared in the two locations. The lack of editorial care even extended to the index,
BIOCHEMICAL EDUCATION 23(2) 1995
which was generally useful, but which was, for example, inconsistent in the use of italics to denote taxonomic terms: (Streptococcus pneumoniae versus Streptococcus pyogenes). Finally, many illustrations were confusing to the point of failing to illustrate. The figure on p 90, which purports to summarize the hexose monophosphate pathway, might actually have been included for comic relief. It employs an assortment of dashed and solid arrows without evident distinction. In one case, a (dotted) arrow intersects other (solid) arrows a total four times. In another, the decarboxylation of 6-phosphogluconate is drawn so as to appear as a carboxylation, instead. The sense of confusion is augmented by the use of abbreviations for intermediates, which are defined in a lengthy legend. Regrettably, a number of the figures yield the impression that the publisher reproduced, intact, drawings that had been intended by the author to serve as preliminary sketches. In summary, this book often combines confusing text material with unhelpful illustrations. Its utility, either as a supplement, or as a text in its own right, appears rather limited. John L Howland
Antimicrobial Peptides (Ciba Foundation Symposium 186) E d i t e d by J Marsh and J A G o o d e . pp 275. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester. 1994. £47.50 ISBN 0 - 4 7 1 - 9 5 0 2 5 - 4 Species right across the evolutionary scale, from insects to mammals use peptides to counter microbial predators. These antimicrobial peptides are small peptides directly encoded by genes, which show a broad range of activity against bacteria, fungi, mycobacteria and some viruses. Though originally identified in insects, they are also produced by mammals, amphibians, bacteria, and plants. Although resistance to conventional antibiotics which are used therapeutically is a serious problem in health care, the resistance to these peptides does not appear to be wide-spread. Thus, rational design of short peptides having only antimicrobia[ activity is possible and has considerable potential for producing therapeutic agents. This book describes studies on such peptides and discusses the application of this research in the treatment of infectious diseases caused b,, pathogens. Antimicrobial Peptides is volume 186 in the Ciba Foundation Symposium series and is a multi-author contribution deriving from a symposium on Antimicrobial Peptides, held at the Ciba Foundation, London, 18-20 January 1994. This is an impressive book that has 15 Chapters (or Lectures), the edited contribution of 37 authorities, whose interests range from the design and synthesis of antimicrobial peptides and structure-function relationships to the mechanism of specific peptides. As with most reviews of this type, there is a tendency for some of the authors to present their area of specialisation at a level of detail that is too complex for readers with expertise outside the chapter subject area. At the end of each chapter, some elements of the discussion which took place during the symposium are reported and they clarify some aspects of the text. Besides 15 chapters the book on its first page has opening remarks by the chairman, Professor Boman, wherein he has given a nice historical background of the antimicrobial peptides which runs in parallel with the penicillin work. Finally. the chairman in his concluding remarks, has summarized the current state of affairs with respect to antimicrobial peptides. In conclusion, the book is produced to a high standard and the chapters have been written by well-known scientists in the field. This volume is warmly recommended for scientists who need to be aware of the latest in antimicrobial peptides. Arvind M Kayastha
Protein Biotechnology is an impressive book that contains 11 chapters on: The scope of protein biotechnology, Protein sources, Downstream processing of protein products, Therapeutic proteins: blood products, vaccines, monoclonal antibodies and related substances, Therapeutic proteins: Hormones, regulatory factors and enzymes, Proteins for diagnostic purposes, Polymer-degrading enzymes of industrial significance, Other proteins of industrial significance. In the preface, the editors state that the book is intended for mixed audience of students studying biotechnology, biochemistry, microbiology or any other branch of biomedical sciences. They have done an elegant job of accomplishing this objective. The book's organisation is thoughtful and innovative. The individual chapters give excellent detailed and specific treatment of the subjects under consideration, together with some historical context. The collection of reviews present in the book are generally lucid and appear to have been edited appropriately. The resulting collection is a definitive work that should become the authoritative source on the current status of our knowledge of protein biotechnology. Every chapter has a goodly number of tables, schematic diagrams and references for further reading. All this should be of great help to the learners. The only fault that this reviewer finds is that the discussion on immobilisation and protein engineering, which has a major impact on the study of protein structure, stability, and function is rather very limited. Inclusion of further details on these facets of protein biotechnology would complete what is otherwise an excellent and worthy publication that should be on the shelf of every biotechnologist. Arvind M Kayastha
Microbial Physiology and Metabolism by D R Caidwell, pp 353. W C B r o w n , D u b u q u e , Iowa. 1995. $45 ISBN 0 - 6 9 7 - 1 7 1 9 2 - 2 The variety and inventiveness of microbial metabolism is seldom reflected in introductory biochemistry textbooks, a particularly serious omission if an evolutionary emphasis is to be maintained. In such instances, a short book on microbial biochemistry might present a valuable supplement to a more general text. It is possible that Caldwell's Microbial Physiology and Metabolism could be used in such a fashion, as it covers most aspects of bacterial metabolism from bioenergetics to protein synthesis in remarkably few pages. Unfortunately, brevity is not always a virtue and, in this case, appears to be obtained by means of the omission of material which should probably be present in such a book. The most striking example is the inexplicable failure to include any discussion of the remarkable biochemistry of the Archaea (formerly, archaebacteria) a topic of undoubted evolutionary significance and one that certainly falls within the book's ~'microbial" scope. These organisms do not even appear in the index. Brevity can also be accomplished by precise writing and through the use of apt and clear illustrations, but, in this case, isn't. The writing, which is often anything but precise, does not appear to have benefited from effective editing. For example, on page 21, the section on plasmids begins with a sentence that suggests (inadvertently one hopes) that yeasts are prokaryotes. Reading of other sections require attention bordering on the cryptographic, and one wonders how relatively-unsophisticated students will fare. The sections describing regulation by energy charge (pp 87 and 222) appeared particularly inaccessible, often leading to the recurring impression that something was being left out. Clarity was also not improved by unexplained differences in the form of the energy charge equation as it appeared in the two locations. The lack of editorial care even extended to the index,
BIOCHEMICAL EDUCATION 23(2) 1995
which was generally useful, but which was, for example, inconsistent in the use of italics to denote taxonomic terms: (Streptococcus pneumoniae versus Streptococcus pyogenes). Finally, many illustrations were confusing to the point of failing to illustrate. The figure on p 90, which purports to summarize the hexose monophosphate pathway, might actually have been included for comic relief. It employs an assortment of dashed and solid arrows without evident distinction. In one case, a (dotted) arrow intersects other (solid) arrows a total four times. In another, the decarboxylation of 6-phosphogluconate is drawn so as to appear as a carboxylation, instead. The sense of confusion is augmented by the use of abbreviations for intermediates, which are defined in a lengthy legend. Regrettably, a number of the figures yield the impression that the publisher reproduced, intact, drawings that had been intended by the author to serve as preliminary sketches. In summary, this book often combines confusing text material with unhelpful illustrations. Its utility, either as a supplement, or as a text in its own right, appears rather limited. John L Howland
Antimicrobial Peptides (Ciba Foundation Symposium 186) E d i t e d by J Marsh and J A G o o d e . pp 275. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester. 1994. £47.50 ISBN 0 - 4 7 1 - 9 5 0 2 5 - 4 Species right across the evolutionary scale, from insects to mammals use peptides to counter microbial predators. These antimicrobial peptides are small peptides directly encoded by genes, which show a broad range of activity against bacteria, fungi, mycobacteria and some viruses. Though originally identified in insects, they are also produced by mammals, amphibians, bacteria, and plants. Although resistance to conventional antibiotics which are used therapeutically is a serious problem in health care, the resistance to these peptides does not appear to be wide-spread. Thus, rational design of short peptides having only antimicrobia[ activity is possible and has considerable potential for producing therapeutic agents. This book describes studies on such peptides and discusses the application of this research in the treatment of infectious diseases caused b,, pathogens. Antimicrobial Peptides is volume 186 in the Ciba Foundation Symposium series and is a multi-author contribution deriving from a symposium on Antimicrobial Peptides, held at the Ciba Foundation, London, 18-20 January 1994. This is an impressive book that has 15 Chapters (or Lectures), the edited contribution of 37 authorities, whose interests range from the design and synthesis of antimicrobial peptides and structure-function relationships to the mechanism of specific peptides. As with most reviews of this type, there is a tendency for some of the authors to present their area of specialisation at a level of detail that is too complex for readers with expertise outside the chapter subject area. At the end of each chapter, some elements of the discussion which took place during the symposium are reported and they clarify some aspects of the text. Besides 15 chapters the book on its first page has opening remarks by the chairman, Professor Boman, wherein he has given a nice historical background of the antimicrobial peptides which runs in parallel with the penicillin work. Finally. the chairman in his concluding remarks, has summarized the current state of affairs with respect to antimicrobial peptides. In conclusion, the book is produced to a high standard and the chapters have been written by well-known scientists in the field. This volume is warmly recommended for scientists who need to be aware of the latest in antimicrobial peptides. Arvind M Kayastha