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Immunohistochemistry
Neurochem. Int. Vol. 6, No. 4, pp. 607-608, 1984 Printed in Great Britain. All rights reserved
0197-0186/84 $3.00 + 0.00 © 1984 Pergamon Press Ltd
BOOK REVIEWS Substance P, Volume 3. Petr Skrabanek and David Powell. Published by Eden Press, 0-88831-102-8. Price £30.25
Canada
1983.
ISBN
This little book cites most of the literature on substance P published between 1979 and 1981. It is therefore invaluable as a reference source to all those interested in substance P. The book consists of 118 pages in sixteen sections. There are another 70 pages of fully cited references to articles published between 1979 and November 1981. The authors do not attempt to discuss the merits of the different articles or to integrate the various works, which might prove a disadvantage to the student or newcomer to the field. This is the third volume on substance P, the first two having been published in 1978 and 1980. The present volume appears to have taken 18 months to appear, and since it contains no photographs and is in camera-ready format, it is strange that the publication time was so long. Progress in substance P is rapid, with many publications having appeared within the past 18 months, and for this reason the book's appeal might be limited, even to the specialist. This book, together with previous and subsequent volumes, should find its way into most scientific libraries, and at a price of £30.25, represents good value for money. NEVILLE OSBORNE
N. N. Osborne is a University Lecturer at the Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Oxford University.
Immunohistochemistry. Edited by A C CUELLO. IBRO Handbook Series: Methods in the Neurosciences, Vol. 3. John Wiley, Chichester, 1983. £ ISBN 0-471 90052. This volume in the IBRO Handbook Series bears the simple title Immunohistochemistry. Though commendably succinct it is unfortunately far from accurate, not to say misleading, for most of its 19 chapters are about the application of its methods to neurobiology. Those few chapters, mainly concerned with technology, whose content is relevant to other fields of routine and research practice, are splendid. For them alone the book should be an acquisition for all those involved with the discipline. All the chapters, without exception, are written to a high standard of excellence and the majority contain, in the form of protocols and appendices, precise and accurate technical details. This means that, interspersed with all sorts of restricted neurobiological nuances, the whole technical gamut of immunohistochemistry is represented. The genesis of the book explains its peculiarities. It is, in effect, the Proceedings of the 1st European Molecular Biology Organisation Course on Immunohistochemistry, held at the Brain Research Institute in Amsterdam. The predominance of contributors from the Low Countries is thus no matter for surprise. The Group working at the Brain Institute has long been involved with matters of sensitivity and specificity and
Chapter 1 reflects their continuing and very proper concern. Here 4 useful appendices provide a wealth of useful detail. Chapter 2 deals with the labelling of proteins with fluorescent dyes, and with tests to ensure that the product performs in a satisfactory manner. Chapter 3 describes the preparation of HRP-labelled antibodies and Chapter 4 the peroxidase-antiperoxidase techniques. With Chapter 5 begins a change of emphasis towards total neurobiological interests in dealing with the preparation of catecholamine-synthesising enzymes for use as immunogens. Chapter 6 follows with similar protocols for DBH, Chapter 7 for G A D and Chapter 8 for serotonin. The preparation and application of monoclonal antibodies (Chapter 9) reverses the trend for a short period, as does Chapter 10 in considering double staining techniques, but Chapter 11 returns to the field with EM immunocytochemistry of the CNS transmitters. Chapter 12 provides a further non-neurobiological excursion with a practical presentation on protein A-gold complexes and these are further discussed in Chapter 13. Inevitably some overlap occurs. A frank appraisal of whole mount technology is given in Chapter 14 and Chapter 15 concerns the immunocytochemistry of neurones in vitro and in situ. Chapter 16 deals with immunocytochemical Golgilike staining of neurones transporting tracer proteins or producing specific neuropeptides. Methodology for combined immunohistochemistry and autoradiography forms the bulk of Chapter 17, which culminates with a discussion of the results achieved and achievable, while the use of fluorescent dyes for marking neuronal pathways is briefly detailed in Chapter 18. Stereotaxic lesions (Chapter 19) brings the volume to a close. This book is an essential laboratory handbook for neurobiological immunocytochemistry. Those in other fields should also acquire the book and use the relevant pages. No one should be deterred, as one might be at first glance, by the apparently highly specialised nature of its contents. A. G. E. PEARSE
Professor Emeritus of Histochemistry, Royal Postgraduate Medical School, London
Journal of Neural Transmission, Supplementum 18, Basic Aspects of Receptor Biochemistry. Edited by M. GOLDSTEIN, K. JELLINGER and P. RIEDERER. Published by SpringerVerlag (Wien, New York), 1983, Price DM148. This book contains thirty-six contributions that were presented at a Satellite Symposium to the IXth International Congress of Neuropathology in Vienna 1982. The title of the Symposium and indeed this book is Basic Aspects of Receptor Biochemistry, which is a little misleading as the majority of articles do not direct questions to this specific topic but emphasise applied work on 607
NCI 6/4~M
0197-0186/84 $3.00 + 0.00 © 1984 Pergamon Press Ltd
BOOK REVIEWS Substance P, Volume 3. Petr Skrabanek and David Powell. Published by Eden Press, 0-88831-102-8. Price £30.25
Canada
1983.
ISBN
This little book cites most of the literature on substance P published between 1979 and 1981. It is therefore invaluable as a reference source to all those interested in substance P. The book consists of 118 pages in sixteen sections. There are another 70 pages of fully cited references to articles published between 1979 and November 1981. The authors do not attempt to discuss the merits of the different articles or to integrate the various works, which might prove a disadvantage to the student or newcomer to the field. This is the third volume on substance P, the first two having been published in 1978 and 1980. The present volume appears to have taken 18 months to appear, and since it contains no photographs and is in camera-ready format, it is strange that the publication time was so long. Progress in substance P is rapid, with many publications having appeared within the past 18 months, and for this reason the book's appeal might be limited, even to the specialist. This book, together with previous and subsequent volumes, should find its way into most scientific libraries, and at a price of £30.25, represents good value for money. NEVILLE OSBORNE
N. N. Osborne is a University Lecturer at the Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Oxford University.
Immunohistochemistry. Edited by A C CUELLO. IBRO Handbook Series: Methods in the Neurosciences, Vol. 3. John Wiley, Chichester, 1983. £ ISBN 0-471 90052. This volume in the IBRO Handbook Series bears the simple title Immunohistochemistry. Though commendably succinct it is unfortunately far from accurate, not to say misleading, for most of its 19 chapters are about the application of its methods to neurobiology. Those few chapters, mainly concerned with technology, whose content is relevant to other fields of routine and research practice, are splendid. For them alone the book should be an acquisition for all those involved with the discipline. All the chapters, without exception, are written to a high standard of excellence and the majority contain, in the form of protocols and appendices, precise and accurate technical details. This means that, interspersed with all sorts of restricted neurobiological nuances, the whole technical gamut of immunohistochemistry is represented. The genesis of the book explains its peculiarities. It is, in effect, the Proceedings of the 1st European Molecular Biology Organisation Course on Immunohistochemistry, held at the Brain Research Institute in Amsterdam. The predominance of contributors from the Low Countries is thus no matter for surprise. The Group working at the Brain Institute has long been involved with matters of sensitivity and specificity and
Chapter 1 reflects their continuing and very proper concern. Here 4 useful appendices provide a wealth of useful detail. Chapter 2 deals with the labelling of proteins with fluorescent dyes, and with tests to ensure that the product performs in a satisfactory manner. Chapter 3 describes the preparation of HRP-labelled antibodies and Chapter 4 the peroxidase-antiperoxidase techniques. With Chapter 5 begins a change of emphasis towards total neurobiological interests in dealing with the preparation of catecholamine-synthesising enzymes for use as immunogens. Chapter 6 follows with similar protocols for DBH, Chapter 7 for G A D and Chapter 8 for serotonin. The preparation and application of monoclonal antibodies (Chapter 9) reverses the trend for a short period, as does Chapter 10 in considering double staining techniques, but Chapter 11 returns to the field with EM immunocytochemistry of the CNS transmitters. Chapter 12 provides a further non-neurobiological excursion with a practical presentation on protein A-gold complexes and these are further discussed in Chapter 13. Inevitably some overlap occurs. A frank appraisal of whole mount technology is given in Chapter 14 and Chapter 15 concerns the immunocytochemistry of neurones in vitro and in situ. Chapter 16 deals with immunocytochemical Golgilike staining of neurones transporting tracer proteins or producing specific neuropeptides. Methodology for combined immunohistochemistry and autoradiography forms the bulk of Chapter 17, which culminates with a discussion of the results achieved and achievable, while the use of fluorescent dyes for marking neuronal pathways is briefly detailed in Chapter 18. Stereotaxic lesions (Chapter 19) brings the volume to a close. This book is an essential laboratory handbook for neurobiological immunocytochemistry. Those in other fields should also acquire the book and use the relevant pages. No one should be deterred, as one might be at first glance, by the apparently highly specialised nature of its contents. A. G. E. PEARSE
Professor Emeritus of Histochemistry, Royal Postgraduate Medical School, London
Journal of Neural Transmission, Supplementum 18, Basic Aspects of Receptor Biochemistry. Edited by M. GOLDSTEIN, K. JELLINGER and P. RIEDERER. Published by SpringerVerlag (Wien, New York), 1983, Price DM148. This book contains thirty-six contributions that were presented at a Satellite Symposium to the IXth International Congress of Neuropathology in Vienna 1982. The title of the Symposium and indeed this book is Basic Aspects of Receptor Biochemistry, which is a little misleading as the majority of articles do not direct questions to this specific topic but emphasise applied work on 607
NCI 6/4~M