- Email: [email protected]
Current topics in microbiology and immunology
Molecular Immunology, Vol. 28, No. l/2, pp. 195-196, 1991 Pergamon Press pk. Printed in Great Britain.
BOOK REVIEWS
Synthetic Polypeptides as Antigens, Laboratory Techniques in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Vol. 19. Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1988.227 pp. By M. H. V. VAN REGENMORTEL, J. P. BRIAND, S. MULLER and S. PLA& Synthetic Polypeptides us Antigens is a clear, concise and often precise guide to the chemistry of peptide synthesis, and its use in the expanding and successful field of synthetic vaccines. The authors usually provide us with a brief historical account of the concepts and techniques, but very quickly enter the state of the art. There are seven well-balanced chapters except, perhaps, the last one, which was too brief. These are in ascending order, “Molecular dissection of protein antigens and the prediction of epipeptide synthesis”, “Peptide carrier topes”, “Solid-phase conjugation”, “ Immunization with peptides”, “Solid-phase immunoassays”, “Detection of gene products with antipeptide antibodies”, and finally “Synthetic peptides as vaccines”. In the first chapter, Van Regenmortel provides us with his personal experience in the use and potential of computer programming in predicting peptide size epitopes but does warn us against its limitations from the various parameters at our disposal. The second chapter, which deals with the actual “handson” aspect of the synthesis, is very descriptive and gives the reader a number of troubleshooting hints which will save him time and frustrations. A small pitfall is the assumption that all laboratories can afford to buy their own hoc-amino acids; a short chapter listing protocols in their synthesis would be welcome. Also missing is a clear diagram and some photographs depicting a typical set-up for the novice. The authors mention recent developments in multiple synthesis kits, but fail to tell us how good they are, which are to be recommended, and what are the author’s experiences? The third chapter on peptide-carrier conjugation is sufficiently complete. However, it lacks accounts on the occasional peptide solubility problem and on the usefulness of coupling peptides to solid supports to use them as immunogens in oral vaccination, a field, today, with many patents. This brings us to the next chapter on immunization with peptides. In the fourth chapter, as very correctly implied, there is no one protocol in immunizing a given animal by a given route. Most work is empirical (concentrations, route, number of boosters) and this field often amounts to art. To solve this problem, the authors do well to describe several typical protocols from which the reader must choose which will suit him best as a starting model. Unfortunately, the authors omit the growing field of oral immunization with peptides, and the potential open to the investigator in the study of peptide recognition by M cells in the Peyer’s patches, as well as the IgA responses in the intestinal and colostral fluids. The next chapter tells us how to monitor immune responses in vitro. The protocols are already well established and well detailed here, however, the beginner may need more details in choosing “suitable” anti-immunoglobulin reagents. As already mentioned, the last chapter needs to be expanded; it is indeed the end result of many laboratories around the world. Also, why not mention the use of
oligonucleotides cloned into a microbial carrier such as Salmonella, which are derived from peptide sequences already shown to be immunogenic? Overall, we are very satisfied with the book, a leading text on the subject. It is refreshing and definitely a worthwile investment for the future peptide synthesizer. The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
ROBERT S. MARKS
Oncogenes Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology, Vol. 147. Selected Reviews, Edited by P. K. VOGT. Springer, Berlin, 1989. 172 pp. DM128. This volume contains an apparently random collection of reviews addressing various oncogene related studies. Of the five reviews included in this collection, two should be of special interest to immunologists. The first of those (by D. Boettiger) deals with the interaction of oncogenes with differentiation programs. It summarizes the expression patterns of numerous proto-oncogenes in a variety of differentiating systems, as well as the consequences of the experimental introduction of deregulated oncogenes into such systems. The chapter includes a nice discussion of the different compartments of prototype developmental programs. This is very helpful in providing the conceptual framework within which the multitude of data in the field can be evaluated. Included is a fairly detailed description of studies pertaining to hematopoietic systems, which have been most helpful in providing clues for the links between oncogenes and differentiation. Overall, this is a very informative review, which raises fundamental issues and covers a wealth of literature. My only regret is that the text is fraught with typographic errors, which sometimes interfere with fluent reading; more careful proof-reading could have been of great help. The other review which may be of great interest to immunologists (written by R. Risser and G. Holland) concerns the ubl oncogene. The compelling evidence for a direct role of abl activation in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) has stirred a lot of interest in the molecular biology of this oncogene. The main focus of this chapter, however, is on the effects of retroviral abl on a variety of cell types in culture. In this respect, one should particularly note the studies demonstrating the ability of abl to confer upon hematopoietic cells the ability to proliferate in a factorindependent manner. In addition, this chapter also provides valuable information about structural and functional features of the ubl protein. Another chapter of this volume (by J. T. Parsons and M. J. Weber) contains a very comprehensive discussion of the sx oncogene and its protein product. Written by two of the leading investigators in this field, it carefully summarizes a very large body of literature on this well-studied oncogene. Finally, this volume contains two reviews focusing on the study of proto-oncogene function in systems which are more amenable to genetic manipulation. One (F. M. Hoffmann) concerns the possible involvement of oncogene-related pro195
196
Book Reviews
teins in fly development. The other (D. Broek) describes exciting work in which r-as function was investigated in yeast. The problem of every book on oncogenes is that the very intensive research done by the many laboratories in the field often makes parts of it outdated even before they are published. This case is no exception. Nevertheless, it
does provide a plethora of basic information, as well as discussions of some fundamental unanswered questions of general interest. Department Weizmann Israel
of Chemical Immunology, Institute of Science,
M. OREN
BOOK REVIEWS
Synthetic Polypeptides as Antigens, Laboratory Techniques in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Vol. 19. Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1988.227 pp. By M. H. V. VAN REGENMORTEL, J. P. BRIAND, S. MULLER and S. PLA& Synthetic Polypeptides us Antigens is a clear, concise and often precise guide to the chemistry of peptide synthesis, and its use in the expanding and successful field of synthetic vaccines. The authors usually provide us with a brief historical account of the concepts and techniques, but very quickly enter the state of the art. There are seven well-balanced chapters except, perhaps, the last one, which was too brief. These are in ascending order, “Molecular dissection of protein antigens and the prediction of epipeptide synthesis”, “Peptide carrier topes”, “Solid-phase conjugation”, “ Immunization with peptides”, “Solid-phase immunoassays”, “Detection of gene products with antipeptide antibodies”, and finally “Synthetic peptides as vaccines”. In the first chapter, Van Regenmortel provides us with his personal experience in the use and potential of computer programming in predicting peptide size epitopes but does warn us against its limitations from the various parameters at our disposal. The second chapter, which deals with the actual “handson” aspect of the synthesis, is very descriptive and gives the reader a number of troubleshooting hints which will save him time and frustrations. A small pitfall is the assumption that all laboratories can afford to buy their own hoc-amino acids; a short chapter listing protocols in their synthesis would be welcome. Also missing is a clear diagram and some photographs depicting a typical set-up for the novice. The authors mention recent developments in multiple synthesis kits, but fail to tell us how good they are, which are to be recommended, and what are the author’s experiences? The third chapter on peptide-carrier conjugation is sufficiently complete. However, it lacks accounts on the occasional peptide solubility problem and on the usefulness of coupling peptides to solid supports to use them as immunogens in oral vaccination, a field, today, with many patents. This brings us to the next chapter on immunization with peptides. In the fourth chapter, as very correctly implied, there is no one protocol in immunizing a given animal by a given route. Most work is empirical (concentrations, route, number of boosters) and this field often amounts to art. To solve this problem, the authors do well to describe several typical protocols from which the reader must choose which will suit him best as a starting model. Unfortunately, the authors omit the growing field of oral immunization with peptides, and the potential open to the investigator in the study of peptide recognition by M cells in the Peyer’s patches, as well as the IgA responses in the intestinal and colostral fluids. The next chapter tells us how to monitor immune responses in vitro. The protocols are already well established and well detailed here, however, the beginner may need more details in choosing “suitable” anti-immunoglobulin reagents. As already mentioned, the last chapter needs to be expanded; it is indeed the end result of many laboratories around the world. Also, why not mention the use of
oligonucleotides cloned into a microbial carrier such as Salmonella, which are derived from peptide sequences already shown to be immunogenic? Overall, we are very satisfied with the book, a leading text on the subject. It is refreshing and definitely a worthwile investment for the future peptide synthesizer. The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
ROBERT S. MARKS
Oncogenes Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology, Vol. 147. Selected Reviews, Edited by P. K. VOGT. Springer, Berlin, 1989. 172 pp. DM128. This volume contains an apparently random collection of reviews addressing various oncogene related studies. Of the five reviews included in this collection, two should be of special interest to immunologists. The first of those (by D. Boettiger) deals with the interaction of oncogenes with differentiation programs. It summarizes the expression patterns of numerous proto-oncogenes in a variety of differentiating systems, as well as the consequences of the experimental introduction of deregulated oncogenes into such systems. The chapter includes a nice discussion of the different compartments of prototype developmental programs. This is very helpful in providing the conceptual framework within which the multitude of data in the field can be evaluated. Included is a fairly detailed description of studies pertaining to hematopoietic systems, which have been most helpful in providing clues for the links between oncogenes and differentiation. Overall, this is a very informative review, which raises fundamental issues and covers a wealth of literature. My only regret is that the text is fraught with typographic errors, which sometimes interfere with fluent reading; more careful proof-reading could have been of great help. The other review which may be of great interest to immunologists (written by R. Risser and G. Holland) concerns the ubl oncogene. The compelling evidence for a direct role of abl activation in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) has stirred a lot of interest in the molecular biology of this oncogene. The main focus of this chapter, however, is on the effects of retroviral abl on a variety of cell types in culture. In this respect, one should particularly note the studies demonstrating the ability of abl to confer upon hematopoietic cells the ability to proliferate in a factorindependent manner. In addition, this chapter also provides valuable information about structural and functional features of the ubl protein. Another chapter of this volume (by J. T. Parsons and M. J. Weber) contains a very comprehensive discussion of the sx oncogene and its protein product. Written by two of the leading investigators in this field, it carefully summarizes a very large body of literature on this well-studied oncogene. Finally, this volume contains two reviews focusing on the study of proto-oncogene function in systems which are more amenable to genetic manipulation. One (F. M. Hoffmann) concerns the possible involvement of oncogene-related pro195
196
Book Reviews
teins in fly development. The other (D. Broek) describes exciting work in which r-as function was investigated in yeast. The problem of every book on oncogenes is that the very intensive research done by the many laboratories in the field often makes parts of it outdated even before they are published. This case is no exception. Nevertheless, it
does provide a plethora of basic information, as well as discussions of some fundamental unanswered questions of general interest. Department Weizmann Israel
of Chemical Immunology, Institute of Science,
M. OREN