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Advances in protein chemistry, Vol. VII
BOOK
REVIEWS
227
The present Vol. II contains contributions from the following authors whose names could well have appeared also on the title page: Keilin and Hartree; Vickery, Smith, and Nolan; Toennies and Kolb; hlecham and Olcott; Meister; Price and Levintow; Baer; Lardy and Fischer; Gibbs, Dumrose, and .4cher; Sable; Posternak; %IcCormick and Carter; Dunn and Stoddard; Vickery and Pucher; du Vigneaud and Miller; Lehninger; Knight, Jordan, Roe, and Swern; and Swern and Jordan. These contributions originate from laboratories located in the United States, Canada, England, and Switzerland; the experimental checks have been carried out in this country. The subjects show considerable variety-; however, it may reflect some trends in present, biochemistry that about a third of the preparations treated belong to the class of phosphoric acid derivatives. In the references, due credit is given to the authors concerned without overloading the volume with bibliographic material which, although it was probably tempting in some instances, would have upset the balance of this laboratory book. On the other hand, it is fortunate that the volume contains a cumulative Subject Index as well as a list of compounds of biochemical interest which have appeared in Vols. 1-27 of Organic Syntheses. Because of unfortunate circumstances, first of all the untimely death of Dr. Robert C. Sealock, three years have elapsed between the publication of Vols. I and 2 of Biochemical Preparations. It is suggested that the forthcoming volumes should appear at much shorter intervals, since this series will attain its true value only when a large pool of preparative information has been made available to the experimenters interested in the extended and various fields of biochemical research. L. ZECHMEISTER, Pasadena, California Advances in Protein Chemistry, Vol. VII. Edited by >I. L. ANSON, KENNETH *SD JOHN T. EDSALL. Academic Press, New Tork, 1952. viii + 411 pp. Price 8.50. This is an exceptionally valuable volume, dealing with problems from the frontiers of research, written by pioneers of the respect,ive fields or by authors closely associated with pioneering research. It is impossible to do justice to this volume within the limits of such a short review, the limits of which hardly allow more than an indication of the wealth of contents. The first article by F. Sanger on “The Arrangement of Amino Acids in Protein ” is written with extraordinary clarity. It,s very complex material is well arranged and gives a comprehensive outline of the whole problem together with detailed information about the methods employed and the results obtained. In the second paper, Richard S. Bear discusses “The Structure of the Collagen Fibrils.” It deals with all aspects of the problem from histology and electron optics to x-ray diffraction. Through the extensive knowledge of the literature transpires the equally extensive working knowledge of the author gained in the hard way. In the third article, Hans H. Weber and Hildegard Portzehl review “Muscle Cont,raction and Fibrous Muscle Proteins.” The art,icle excels through its comBAILEY,
228
BOOK
REVIEWS
pleteness and thoroughness, which, at places, overshadows the thread of the tale. The contractile proteins are discussed in themselves and in systems and models of different complexity from the simplest ones to the muscle fiber, dealing with the material from all important aspects, thermodynamics included. The article can leave lit.tlc doubt in the reader’s mind that muscular contraction, essentially, is a reaction of actomyosin with adenosine triphosphate (ATP). K. M. Rudalls deals with “The Proteins of the Mammalian Epidermis.” The first chapter is devoted to the epidermis as a whole and the following ones to the extracted proteins, their x-ray diffraction and infrared absorption. G. B. B. 31. Sutherland’s review deals with the “Infrared Analysis of the Structure of Amino Acids, Polypeptidcs and Proteins.” It is most profitable reading for those who want to be merely informed of the present status of this branch of science as well as for those who actually are engaged in research on these lines. Apart from summing up present knowledge, the paper gives many valuable practical hints. It delimits both the wide possibilities of the method as well as its limitations. The concluding article by G. II. Beaven and E. R. Holiday on “Ultraviolet Absorption Spectra of Proteins and Amino Acids” is less concerned with the theory of ultraviolet absorption spectra than with t.he question aa to what can be done with them and how should it be done and interpreted to lead to correct results. Every side of this problem is examined with painstaking conscientiousness. Those who want to work in this field will find this article indispensable. The la& two articles of the volume, dealing with the two invisible ends of the spectrum arc witnesses of one of the most exciting developments in the analysis of biological systems. The absence of this volume would make not only a library incomplete but even those small selections of books which many researchers have at their working bench. A. SZENT-GY~RGYI, Woods Hole, Massachusetts Dynamic Aspects of Biochemistry (2nd ed.). By ERNEST BALDWIN, Professor of Biochemistry at University College, University of London. Cambridge University Press, London and New York, 1952. xx + 544 pp. Price $5.00. A discussion of this second edition can largely be restricted to that of the rcvisions and additions it contains. Recent advances have, on the whole, been satisfactorily incorporated. This, however, has been done with the restraint characteristic for the original text, so that the book has hardly increased in size, and the text has not been condensed. Since this is a major advantage, one should be reasonable in accepting certain omissions. Thus, one could point out that the discussion on enzyme-substrate complexes (pp. 26-27) could have been extended with the results of recent kinetic studies with high-speed techniques. Yet, any not too superficial treatment of these would require a great deal of explanation, out of place in an elementary text. The same holds for other advances of a specialized nature. Among the main features is the inclusion of a chapter on biological energetics, beginning with an introduction on reversible and irreversible reactions, bond energy, and group transfers, and ending with a summary of the role of adenosine
REVIEWS
227
The present Vol. II contains contributions from the following authors whose names could well have appeared also on the title page: Keilin and Hartree; Vickery, Smith, and Nolan; Toennies and Kolb; hlecham and Olcott; Meister; Price and Levintow; Baer; Lardy and Fischer; Gibbs, Dumrose, and .4cher; Sable; Posternak; %IcCormick and Carter; Dunn and Stoddard; Vickery and Pucher; du Vigneaud and Miller; Lehninger; Knight, Jordan, Roe, and Swern; and Swern and Jordan. These contributions originate from laboratories located in the United States, Canada, England, and Switzerland; the experimental checks have been carried out in this country. The subjects show considerable variety-; however, it may reflect some trends in present, biochemistry that about a third of the preparations treated belong to the class of phosphoric acid derivatives. In the references, due credit is given to the authors concerned without overloading the volume with bibliographic material which, although it was probably tempting in some instances, would have upset the balance of this laboratory book. On the other hand, it is fortunate that the volume contains a cumulative Subject Index as well as a list of compounds of biochemical interest which have appeared in Vols. 1-27 of Organic Syntheses. Because of unfortunate circumstances, first of all the untimely death of Dr. Robert C. Sealock, three years have elapsed between the publication of Vols. I and 2 of Biochemical Preparations. It is suggested that the forthcoming volumes should appear at much shorter intervals, since this series will attain its true value only when a large pool of preparative information has been made available to the experimenters interested in the extended and various fields of biochemical research. L. ZECHMEISTER, Pasadena, California Advances in Protein Chemistry, Vol. VII. Edited by >I. L. ANSON, KENNETH *SD JOHN T. EDSALL. Academic Press, New Tork, 1952. viii + 411 pp. Price 8.50. This is an exceptionally valuable volume, dealing with problems from the frontiers of research, written by pioneers of the respect,ive fields or by authors closely associated with pioneering research. It is impossible to do justice to this volume within the limits of such a short review, the limits of which hardly allow more than an indication of the wealth of contents. The first article by F. Sanger on “The Arrangement of Amino Acids in Protein ” is written with extraordinary clarity. It,s very complex material is well arranged and gives a comprehensive outline of the whole problem together with detailed information about the methods employed and the results obtained. In the second paper, Richard S. Bear discusses “The Structure of the Collagen Fibrils.” It deals with all aspects of the problem from histology and electron optics to x-ray diffraction. Through the extensive knowledge of the literature transpires the equally extensive working knowledge of the author gained in the hard way. In the third article, Hans H. Weber and Hildegard Portzehl review “Muscle Cont,raction and Fibrous Muscle Proteins.” The art,icle excels through its comBAILEY,
228
BOOK
REVIEWS
pleteness and thoroughness, which, at places, overshadows the thread of the tale. The contractile proteins are discussed in themselves and in systems and models of different complexity from the simplest ones to the muscle fiber, dealing with the material from all important aspects, thermodynamics included. The article can leave lit.tlc doubt in the reader’s mind that muscular contraction, essentially, is a reaction of actomyosin with adenosine triphosphate (ATP). K. M. Rudalls deals with “The Proteins of the Mammalian Epidermis.” The first chapter is devoted to the epidermis as a whole and the following ones to the extracted proteins, their x-ray diffraction and infrared absorption. G. B. B. 31. Sutherland’s review deals with the “Infrared Analysis of the Structure of Amino Acids, Polypeptidcs and Proteins.” It is most profitable reading for those who want to be merely informed of the present status of this branch of science as well as for those who actually are engaged in research on these lines. Apart from summing up present knowledge, the paper gives many valuable practical hints. It delimits both the wide possibilities of the method as well as its limitations. The concluding article by G. II. Beaven and E. R. Holiday on “Ultraviolet Absorption Spectra of Proteins and Amino Acids” is less concerned with the theory of ultraviolet absorption spectra than with t.he question aa to what can be done with them and how should it be done and interpreted to lead to correct results. Every side of this problem is examined with painstaking conscientiousness. Those who want to work in this field will find this article indispensable. The la& two articles of the volume, dealing with the two invisible ends of the spectrum arc witnesses of one of the most exciting developments in the analysis of biological systems. The absence of this volume would make not only a library incomplete but even those small selections of books which many researchers have at their working bench. A. SZENT-GY~RGYI, Woods Hole, Massachusetts Dynamic Aspects of Biochemistry (2nd ed.). By ERNEST BALDWIN, Professor of Biochemistry at University College, University of London. Cambridge University Press, London and New York, 1952. xx + 544 pp. Price $5.00. A discussion of this second edition can largely be restricted to that of the rcvisions and additions it contains. Recent advances have, on the whole, been satisfactorily incorporated. This, however, has been done with the restraint characteristic for the original text, so that the book has hardly increased in size, and the text has not been condensed. Since this is a major advantage, one should be reasonable in accepting certain omissions. Thus, one could point out that the discussion on enzyme-substrate complexes (pp. 26-27) could have been extended with the results of recent kinetic studies with high-speed techniques. Yet, any not too superficial treatment of these would require a great deal of explanation, out of place in an elementary text. The same holds for other advances of a specialized nature. Among the main features is the inclusion of a chapter on biological energetics, beginning with an introduction on reversible and irreversible reactions, bond energy, and group transfers, and ending with a summary of the role of adenosine