- Email: [email protected]
Chemical neurobiology: An introduction to neurochemistry
149
The Practice of Quantitative Gel Electrophoresis by A n d r e a s C h r a m b a c h . p p 265. V C H P u b l i s h e r s , W e i n h e i m , F D R . 1985. D M 110 ISBN 0-895-73062-4 You might expect from the title that this is a book about using gel electrophoresis to measure the amounts of specific proteins in mixtures, by quantifying the amount of dye bound or using enzyme assays. This is not what the author has in mind at all. The book is about using a sound understanding of the process of gel electrophoresis at the molecular level to select the most appropriate pH, buffer system and gel concentration to achieve the desired separation. The book starts with a chapter concerned with the choice of solvent, including the use of non-ionic detergents, to prepare samples for electrophoresis which retain their enzymic or binding properties. Several chapters then deal with the detail of buffer and pH selection, using computer methods to avoid having to deal with the mathematics of the theory of movingboundary electrophoresis. There is very little theory in this book although it deals with the practical consequences that the theory predicts. The author analyses carefully the requirements for the ideal apparatus for both disc and slab gel electrophoresis and is critical of the design of most commercially-available equipment. The book also discusses in detail the use of varying the acrylamide concentration to enable the construction of Ferguson plots for the measurement of molecular radii and weights. In addition there are chapters on electrofocussing, SDS gel electrophoresis, the use of agarose gels and preparative methods. In the introduction this is described as a book to be dipped into, as a handbook for users of gel electrophoresis to improve their technique and perhaps to think about what they are doing a bit more. For anyone with the time, it is worth reading even by those who think they are familiar with gel electrophoresis but perhaps suspect that they are not using the method to its full potential. Alan Betteridge
Chemical Neurobiology: An Introduction to Neurochemistry by H F B r a d f o r d . p p 507. W H F r e e m a n & C o , O x f o r d . 1986. £21.95 ISBN 0-7167-1694-1 Our understanding of the biochemical processes underlying neurological function has expanded rapidly over the last twenty years. The provision of a balanced and sufficiently detailed overview of the neurochemical field within a single text has consequently become an ever more difficult task. For the most part, 'Chemical Neurobiology' achieves this end, by providing useful summaries of a range of neurochemical topics, integrated around the central theme of chemical neurotransmission. Aimed primarily at the undergraduate, the book does not presume a previous knowledge of the subject and initial chapters therefore introduce the specialized components and metabolic processes peculiar to the nervous system. From this basis, there follows a detailed description of specific aspects of synaptic transmission which include chapters devoted to neurotransmitters, neuropeptides and synaptosomes. Several of the concepts described are then integrated, to an extent, in the concluding chapters which discuss the role of neurotransmitter systems in behaviour and in neurological disease. The text is written clearly and is further supported by a wealth of illustrative material. Many examples of chemical structure and tables of information (particularly those detailing drug interactions with specific transmitter systems) also provide a useful
BIOCHEMICAL EDUCATION 14(3) 1986
source of reference material. As the work of a single author, it has been possible to provide numerous cross-references between chapters. This aspect, although not conducive to bedtime reading, can often help the reader to view specific points in a wider perspective. Although most sections are discussed with an appropriate degree of detail, a few specific topics, most notably those relating to second messenger systems, probably deserve a more expanded coverage. For those readers wishing to obtain more detailed information, each chapter provides a list of relevant review articles which, like the references cited in the text, is suitably up-to-date. Overall, 'Chemical Neurobiology' provides a useful introduction to neurochemistry which should prove popular with both undergraduates and research workers encountering the subject for the first time. Ewen Kirkness
The Human Skin by E J W o o d a n d P T B l a d o n . p p 68. E d w a r d A r n o l d , L o n d o n . 1985. £2.95 ISBN 0-7131-2900-X This little book is No 164 in the Studies in Biology series published in association with the Institute of Biology of the UK. It deals with a variety of aspects, but at a rather basic level, of the skin, an amazing and intricate organ which constitutes about one-eighth of the body weight of a normal adult individual. The level of presentation is such that those with some background in biology could easily follow and derive benefit from it. Biochemical topics that are presented briefly include keratins, collagen, elastin, glycosaminoglycans, melanin formation, potphyria, immunoglobulins, and abnormalities of collagen biosynthesis. These are placed within the context of a simple description of the histology, physiology, microbiology, pharmacology and medicine of the skin. Very appealing to students will be the conciseness of presentation, the integrated approach, and the illustrations which are simple and informative. F Vella
Progress in Drug Metabolism Volume 8 E d i t e d by J W B r i d g e s a n d L F C h a s s e a u d . p p 407. T a y l o r & F r a n c i s , L o n d o n & P h i l a d e l p h i a . 1984. £35 ISBN 0-85066-269-9 'Progress in Drug Metabolism' has aimed at bringing to its readers the latest developments in the biological fate of xenobiotics in a series of review articles by experts in the field. These volumes have contributed enormously to research in this field as handy reference sources and also to the design and development of new drugs and pesticides. This volume of the series will in no doubt contribute towards these objectives. There are five extensive review articles discussing the mechanism of sulfotransferases active with xenobiotics; the metabolic aspects of sulfation; metabolism and the design of pesticides; pharmacokinetics of benzodiazepines and of their metabolites; and pharmacokinetics and the metabolism of styrene. Benzodiazepines still represent today, the most widely used class of drugs in the world and in ten years (from 1973 to 1982), the number of available benzodiazepines rose from 7 to 32. The discussion on the pharmacokinetics of the benzodiazepines by Guentert and the article on metabolism and pesticide design by Brooks, (a particularly comprehensive treatise on the issue of pesticide development, their economic values and the need for their rapid biodegradation by the environment), should be read by all industrialists involved in the production of these drugs and pesticides. G I Adoga
The Practice of Quantitative Gel Electrophoresis by A n d r e a s C h r a m b a c h . p p 265. V C H P u b l i s h e r s , W e i n h e i m , F D R . 1985. D M 110 ISBN 0-895-73062-4 You might expect from the title that this is a book about using gel electrophoresis to measure the amounts of specific proteins in mixtures, by quantifying the amount of dye bound or using enzyme assays. This is not what the author has in mind at all. The book is about using a sound understanding of the process of gel electrophoresis at the molecular level to select the most appropriate pH, buffer system and gel concentration to achieve the desired separation. The book starts with a chapter concerned with the choice of solvent, including the use of non-ionic detergents, to prepare samples for electrophoresis which retain their enzymic or binding properties. Several chapters then deal with the detail of buffer and pH selection, using computer methods to avoid having to deal with the mathematics of the theory of movingboundary electrophoresis. There is very little theory in this book although it deals with the practical consequences that the theory predicts. The author analyses carefully the requirements for the ideal apparatus for both disc and slab gel electrophoresis and is critical of the design of most commercially-available equipment. The book also discusses in detail the use of varying the acrylamide concentration to enable the construction of Ferguson plots for the measurement of molecular radii and weights. In addition there are chapters on electrofocussing, SDS gel electrophoresis, the use of agarose gels and preparative methods. In the introduction this is described as a book to be dipped into, as a handbook for users of gel electrophoresis to improve their technique and perhaps to think about what they are doing a bit more. For anyone with the time, it is worth reading even by those who think they are familiar with gel electrophoresis but perhaps suspect that they are not using the method to its full potential. Alan Betteridge
Chemical Neurobiology: An Introduction to Neurochemistry by H F B r a d f o r d . p p 507. W H F r e e m a n & C o , O x f o r d . 1986. £21.95 ISBN 0-7167-1694-1 Our understanding of the biochemical processes underlying neurological function has expanded rapidly over the last twenty years. The provision of a balanced and sufficiently detailed overview of the neurochemical field within a single text has consequently become an ever more difficult task. For the most part, 'Chemical Neurobiology' achieves this end, by providing useful summaries of a range of neurochemical topics, integrated around the central theme of chemical neurotransmission. Aimed primarily at the undergraduate, the book does not presume a previous knowledge of the subject and initial chapters therefore introduce the specialized components and metabolic processes peculiar to the nervous system. From this basis, there follows a detailed description of specific aspects of synaptic transmission which include chapters devoted to neurotransmitters, neuropeptides and synaptosomes. Several of the concepts described are then integrated, to an extent, in the concluding chapters which discuss the role of neurotransmitter systems in behaviour and in neurological disease. The text is written clearly and is further supported by a wealth of illustrative material. Many examples of chemical structure and tables of information (particularly those detailing drug interactions with specific transmitter systems) also provide a useful
BIOCHEMICAL EDUCATION 14(3) 1986
source of reference material. As the work of a single author, it has been possible to provide numerous cross-references between chapters. This aspect, although not conducive to bedtime reading, can often help the reader to view specific points in a wider perspective. Although most sections are discussed with an appropriate degree of detail, a few specific topics, most notably those relating to second messenger systems, probably deserve a more expanded coverage. For those readers wishing to obtain more detailed information, each chapter provides a list of relevant review articles which, like the references cited in the text, is suitably up-to-date. Overall, 'Chemical Neurobiology' provides a useful introduction to neurochemistry which should prove popular with both undergraduates and research workers encountering the subject for the first time. Ewen Kirkness
The Human Skin by E J W o o d a n d P T B l a d o n . p p 68. E d w a r d A r n o l d , L o n d o n . 1985. £2.95 ISBN 0-7131-2900-X This little book is No 164 in the Studies in Biology series published in association with the Institute of Biology of the UK. It deals with a variety of aspects, but at a rather basic level, of the skin, an amazing and intricate organ which constitutes about one-eighth of the body weight of a normal adult individual. The level of presentation is such that those with some background in biology could easily follow and derive benefit from it. Biochemical topics that are presented briefly include keratins, collagen, elastin, glycosaminoglycans, melanin formation, potphyria, immunoglobulins, and abnormalities of collagen biosynthesis. These are placed within the context of a simple description of the histology, physiology, microbiology, pharmacology and medicine of the skin. Very appealing to students will be the conciseness of presentation, the integrated approach, and the illustrations which are simple and informative. F Vella
Progress in Drug Metabolism Volume 8 E d i t e d by J W B r i d g e s a n d L F C h a s s e a u d . p p 407. T a y l o r & F r a n c i s , L o n d o n & P h i l a d e l p h i a . 1984. £35 ISBN 0-85066-269-9 'Progress in Drug Metabolism' has aimed at bringing to its readers the latest developments in the biological fate of xenobiotics in a series of review articles by experts in the field. These volumes have contributed enormously to research in this field as handy reference sources and also to the design and development of new drugs and pesticides. This volume of the series will in no doubt contribute towards these objectives. There are five extensive review articles discussing the mechanism of sulfotransferases active with xenobiotics; the metabolic aspects of sulfation; metabolism and the design of pesticides; pharmacokinetics of benzodiazepines and of their metabolites; and pharmacokinetics and the metabolism of styrene. Benzodiazepines still represent today, the most widely used class of drugs in the world and in ten years (from 1973 to 1982), the number of available benzodiazepines rose from 7 to 32. The discussion on the pharmacokinetics of the benzodiazepines by Guentert and the article on metabolism and pesticide design by Brooks, (a particularly comprehensive treatise on the issue of pesticide development, their economic values and the need for their rapid biodegradation by the environment), should be read by all industrialists involved in the production of these drugs and pesticides. G I Adoga