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Chitin Handbook. Edited by R. A. A. Muzzarelli and M. G. Peter. Atec Edizioni, Grottammare, Italy, 1997. 528 pp.
Analytical Biochemistry 266, 165–166 (1999) All articles available online at http://www.idealibrary.com on
BOOK REVIEWS New Beer in an Old Bottle: Eduard Buchner and the Growth of Biochemical Knowledge. Edited by Athel Cornish-Bowden. Universitat de Valencia, Valencia, 1997, 252 pp. This short volume celebrates the hundredth anniversary of Bucher’s discovery of cell-free fermentation and, by extension, cloture of the arguments for vitalism. Bucher’s paper, reporting utilization of sugar by an extract of ground yeast, is presented in its original form and in both Spanish and English translation. There follow a series of articles placing the discovery of the first system of soluble enzymes in historical context. Particularly effective is a 50-page review by Herbert Feldman of the period that includes the chemical synthesis of urea and the debate between Pasteur (the organism is responsible) and the chemists of the day, Berthelot (catalysis) and Liebig (chemical vibrations transmitted from yeast to sugar). As Feldman and several others develop it, here is the beginning of enzymology in its several aspects. The editor,
for example, presents a clever and informative approach to the thermodynamics of the fermentation, and there is brief reference to the beginnings of enzyme kinetics (K. Laidler), work with the purified enzymes (R. Scopes), various aspects of regulation and control (M. L. Cardenas, M. Cascante, and E. Marti), evolution of metabolic pathways (J. Pereto et al.), and a number of other subjects ranging from anaerobic energy metabolism to pharmacological manipulation of metabolism. A decade ago, I would not be sure that one needed the contribution of Arthur Kornberg in which he points out the usefulness of enzymological approaches, another aspect of the late Efraim Racker’s dictum not to waste clean thinking on dirty enzymes; today, this article may be again appropriate. William B. Jakoby National Institutes of Health Article ID abio.1998.2911
Chitin Handbook. Edited by R. A. A. Muzzarelli and M. G. Peter. Atec Edizioni, Grottammare, Italy, 1997. 528 pp. It is unusual to find a methods handbook, and a large one at that, entirely devoted to a single polysaccharide, even though chitin is said to be the second most abundant natural substance on earth, after cellulose. The size of the book certainly shows that there is no dearth of material on the subject, at least if one does not limit the range of topics to be covered. Indeed, the handbook deals with almost every procedure that falls under the common denominator “chitin” (or its deacetylated product, chitosan), ranging from analytical methods to industrial applications and even experiments to accompany a course on the subject. There is here something for everybody. Whether everybody is going to be happy with what he or she finds is something else. The book is quite heterogeneous. Despite what the editors say in the Introduction, the presentation of methods does not follow standard guidelines. Rather, it seems that each author designed his or her contribution according to their own standards. For instance, the chapter “Determination of the Degree of N-Acetylation of Chitin and Chitosan” (G. A. F. Roberts, p. 127) provides information about the reagents needed for each method, followed by a clear description of the procedure and an analysis of the data. On the other hand, the chapter “The Determination of Minute Quantities of Chitin in Tissues,” written by one of the editors, is a compilation of procedures apparently taken from the literature and with insufficient detail to carry out the analyses without consulting sources. At the same time there is yet another chapter on the determination of chitin (C. Jeuniaux and M. F. Voss-Foucart, p. 3). This repetitiousness occurs in
several other instances. It would be more useful if the reader were able to find an authoritative treatment of each topic, followed by clearly presented protocols. In several cases, the reason for choosing certain topics is obscure: There are three chapters on the purification of chitinases from Streptomyces, but nothing is said about chitinases from other bacteria or from plants, a great many of which have been the subject of studies that included the cloning of the corresponding genes. As another example, the section on chitin synthases is skimpy and does not include the published methods that are usually employed in the measurement of these enzymes. In certain instances, one doubts the scientific value of the proposed methods. In the chapter “Depolymerization of Chitins and Chitosans” (p. 153), papain and lipases are among the enzymes recommended for the depolymerization. It is clear that in these cases the hydrolysis must be due to chitinases or chitosanases present as impurities in the preparations used. How can these be recommended as standardized methods? One also questions the usefulness of presenting procedures that involve sophisticated industrial equipment and methods that are unlikely to be available in a typical laboratory. The reproduction of halftones is very poor. For instance, the figure on page 43 is so dark that gold grains are almost invisible. There are well-written chapters here that may be really useful to some investigators, but the book as a whole cannot be recommended. Enrico Cabib National Institutes of Health Article ID abio.1998.2912
0003-2697/99
165
BOOK REVIEWS New Beer in an Old Bottle: Eduard Buchner and the Growth of Biochemical Knowledge. Edited by Athel Cornish-Bowden. Universitat de Valencia, Valencia, 1997, 252 pp. This short volume celebrates the hundredth anniversary of Bucher’s discovery of cell-free fermentation and, by extension, cloture of the arguments for vitalism. Bucher’s paper, reporting utilization of sugar by an extract of ground yeast, is presented in its original form and in both Spanish and English translation. There follow a series of articles placing the discovery of the first system of soluble enzymes in historical context. Particularly effective is a 50-page review by Herbert Feldman of the period that includes the chemical synthesis of urea and the debate between Pasteur (the organism is responsible) and the chemists of the day, Berthelot (catalysis) and Liebig (chemical vibrations transmitted from yeast to sugar). As Feldman and several others develop it, here is the beginning of enzymology in its several aspects. The editor,
for example, presents a clever and informative approach to the thermodynamics of the fermentation, and there is brief reference to the beginnings of enzyme kinetics (K. Laidler), work with the purified enzymes (R. Scopes), various aspects of regulation and control (M. L. Cardenas, M. Cascante, and E. Marti), evolution of metabolic pathways (J. Pereto et al.), and a number of other subjects ranging from anaerobic energy metabolism to pharmacological manipulation of metabolism. A decade ago, I would not be sure that one needed the contribution of Arthur Kornberg in which he points out the usefulness of enzymological approaches, another aspect of the late Efraim Racker’s dictum not to waste clean thinking on dirty enzymes; today, this article may be again appropriate. William B. Jakoby National Institutes of Health Article ID abio.1998.2911
Chitin Handbook. Edited by R. A. A. Muzzarelli and M. G. Peter. Atec Edizioni, Grottammare, Italy, 1997. 528 pp. It is unusual to find a methods handbook, and a large one at that, entirely devoted to a single polysaccharide, even though chitin is said to be the second most abundant natural substance on earth, after cellulose. The size of the book certainly shows that there is no dearth of material on the subject, at least if one does not limit the range of topics to be covered. Indeed, the handbook deals with almost every procedure that falls under the common denominator “chitin” (or its deacetylated product, chitosan), ranging from analytical methods to industrial applications and even experiments to accompany a course on the subject. There is here something for everybody. Whether everybody is going to be happy with what he or she finds is something else. The book is quite heterogeneous. Despite what the editors say in the Introduction, the presentation of methods does not follow standard guidelines. Rather, it seems that each author designed his or her contribution according to their own standards. For instance, the chapter “Determination of the Degree of N-Acetylation of Chitin and Chitosan” (G. A. F. Roberts, p. 127) provides information about the reagents needed for each method, followed by a clear description of the procedure and an analysis of the data. On the other hand, the chapter “The Determination of Minute Quantities of Chitin in Tissues,” written by one of the editors, is a compilation of procedures apparently taken from the literature and with insufficient detail to carry out the analyses without consulting sources. At the same time there is yet another chapter on the determination of chitin (C. Jeuniaux and M. F. Voss-Foucart, p. 3). This repetitiousness occurs in
several other instances. It would be more useful if the reader were able to find an authoritative treatment of each topic, followed by clearly presented protocols. In several cases, the reason for choosing certain topics is obscure: There are three chapters on the purification of chitinases from Streptomyces, but nothing is said about chitinases from other bacteria or from plants, a great many of which have been the subject of studies that included the cloning of the corresponding genes. As another example, the section on chitin synthases is skimpy and does not include the published methods that are usually employed in the measurement of these enzymes. In certain instances, one doubts the scientific value of the proposed methods. In the chapter “Depolymerization of Chitins and Chitosans” (p. 153), papain and lipases are among the enzymes recommended for the depolymerization. It is clear that in these cases the hydrolysis must be due to chitinases or chitosanases present as impurities in the preparations used. How can these be recommended as standardized methods? One also questions the usefulness of presenting procedures that involve sophisticated industrial equipment and methods that are unlikely to be available in a typical laboratory. The reproduction of halftones is very poor. For instance, the figure on page 43 is so dark that gold grains are almost invisible. There are well-written chapters here that may be really useful to some investigators, but the book as a whole cannot be recommended. Enrico Cabib National Institutes of Health Article ID abio.1998.2912
0003-2697/99
165