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Ion channels. Volume 1
Cell, Vol. 55, 745-746,
December
2. 1968, Copyright
0 1988 by Cell Press
Book Reviews
“Current” Developments Ion Channels. Volume 1. By T. Narahashi. New York: Plenum Press. (1988). 334 pp. $59.50.
/on Channels is the first in a series “dealing with current developments in the study of ion channels!’ The preface fails to point out to whom the series, or this its first member, is really directed. A target audience is not immediately obvious: it is not a book for the uninitiated, but contains material of interest to researchers, postdoctoral fellows, and, perhaps, graduate students in the field. And what of the material itself? The eight contributors (there are eight chapters, some multiauthored) range widely both in the way in which they have interpreted their remits and in the audience that they seem to address. Two chapters deal with general methods to study ion channels-one is fluorescence spectroscopy and the other is the use of toxins. The chapter on fluorescence spectroscopy (Angelides) contains a useful review of the principles, but both suffer from too much technical detail. Both chapters, but most notably the one on toxins (Albuquerque et al.), contain boring tables of apparently unpublished (and perhaps unpublishable) data, which are hardly likely to enthuse strangers to the fields. The contribution by Albuquerque et al. is particularly heavy with details, containing forty-two figures (the other chapters have an average of twelve). Two chapters report on potassium channels. Brown’s contribution on the M current is typically erudite, without superfluous detail but conveying a helpful appreciation of this particular conductance. The main difficulties here are that there remains much ignorance of the single-channel properties, and this leaves the reader a little unfulfilled, and there is not much effort made to place the current in a true perspective when other cell currents (many targets of the same transmitters) are also considered. The other chapter, on potassium current sensitive to internal ATP in the heart (Noma and Shibaski), is a very well balanced mix of critical methodological points as well as a succinct review of the most important results. These two contributions are highly recommended reading. The final two chapters of the book deal with channels in epithelial tissue; one (Eaton and Hamilton) reviews the amiloride-sensitive sodium channel. Poor editing makes it a struggle for the average reader to determine whether the channels are in intestine, kidney, bladder, cell lines, bilayers, or frog skin. On the other hand, the specialist will find here a useful review of the properties of this particular set of channels. The contribution on ocular epithelium (Rae et al.) is more general, dealing with the difficulties of identifying particular channels under circumstances where several channels are commonly found in one patch. The chapter is prefaced by a particularly interesting
section on different glasses in the construction of patch clamp electrodes. Reynolds and Snyder contribute a nice review on dihydropyridine binding sites, entitled “Calcium Antagonist Receptors.” This material, unfortunately, is out of date, as it includes nothing about the amino acid sequence of the dihydropyridine binding site. Such is the problem of multiauthor books such as this one. The eighth contribution is from Kidokoro and deals with the properties of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor during development. This clear and well-written review succeeds in guiding the reader through the various experimental findings in different species at different stages. It is refreshingly unpatronizing by comparison with other chapters (several of which start by saying what a singlechannel recording is and how it is obtained), and it is succinctly but appropriately illustrated. Overall, the kickoff of the series is a limited success. Some contributors have made a good effort to review their fields in a scholarly yet succinct manner; others have succumbed to the opportunity to present overwhelming details of their own unpublished findings. The volume appears to have been edited sparingly, if at all. If the further members of the series can attain or surpass the quality of this first volume, then the publication may deserve a place on the shelf of the libraries of those institutions with significant cadres of ion channel enthusiasts; it is unlikely to be cost-effective for the collections of individual scientists. Perhaps the best way to ensure its place even in the institutional library would be, first, more serious editing and, second, some contributions from the quite distinguished members of the editorial board of the series. Until we see the next volume or two, the impact of the series will remain sub judice. R. Alan North Vollum Institute for Advanced Biomedical Research The Oregon Health Sciences University Portland, Oregon 97201
Molecules at the Frontiers Molecular Immunology. Edited by 9. D. Hames and D. M. Glover. Oxford: IRL Press. (1988). 248 pp. $30.00.
One wonders whether the ambitious undertaking of providing a “comprehensive, up-to-date account of the major areas of progress in our understanding of the immune system” is realistic for a paperback of under 250 pages. Molecular Immunology, however, achieves this goal or at least comes very close. The recipe: to focus on five major areas (covered in five chapters) and to hire lead-
December
2. 1968, Copyright
0 1988 by Cell Press
Book Reviews
“Current” Developments Ion Channels. Volume 1. By T. Narahashi. New York: Plenum Press. (1988). 334 pp. $59.50.
/on Channels is the first in a series “dealing with current developments in the study of ion channels!’ The preface fails to point out to whom the series, or this its first member, is really directed. A target audience is not immediately obvious: it is not a book for the uninitiated, but contains material of interest to researchers, postdoctoral fellows, and, perhaps, graduate students in the field. And what of the material itself? The eight contributors (there are eight chapters, some multiauthored) range widely both in the way in which they have interpreted their remits and in the audience that they seem to address. Two chapters deal with general methods to study ion channels-one is fluorescence spectroscopy and the other is the use of toxins. The chapter on fluorescence spectroscopy (Angelides) contains a useful review of the principles, but both suffer from too much technical detail. Both chapters, but most notably the one on toxins (Albuquerque et al.), contain boring tables of apparently unpublished (and perhaps unpublishable) data, which are hardly likely to enthuse strangers to the fields. The contribution by Albuquerque et al. is particularly heavy with details, containing forty-two figures (the other chapters have an average of twelve). Two chapters report on potassium channels. Brown’s contribution on the M current is typically erudite, without superfluous detail but conveying a helpful appreciation of this particular conductance. The main difficulties here are that there remains much ignorance of the single-channel properties, and this leaves the reader a little unfulfilled, and there is not much effort made to place the current in a true perspective when other cell currents (many targets of the same transmitters) are also considered. The other chapter, on potassium current sensitive to internal ATP in the heart (Noma and Shibaski), is a very well balanced mix of critical methodological points as well as a succinct review of the most important results. These two contributions are highly recommended reading. The final two chapters of the book deal with channels in epithelial tissue; one (Eaton and Hamilton) reviews the amiloride-sensitive sodium channel. Poor editing makes it a struggle for the average reader to determine whether the channels are in intestine, kidney, bladder, cell lines, bilayers, or frog skin. On the other hand, the specialist will find here a useful review of the properties of this particular set of channels. The contribution on ocular epithelium (Rae et al.) is more general, dealing with the difficulties of identifying particular channels under circumstances where several channels are commonly found in one patch. The chapter is prefaced by a particularly interesting
section on different glasses in the construction of patch clamp electrodes. Reynolds and Snyder contribute a nice review on dihydropyridine binding sites, entitled “Calcium Antagonist Receptors.” This material, unfortunately, is out of date, as it includes nothing about the amino acid sequence of the dihydropyridine binding site. Such is the problem of multiauthor books such as this one. The eighth contribution is from Kidokoro and deals with the properties of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor during development. This clear and well-written review succeeds in guiding the reader through the various experimental findings in different species at different stages. It is refreshingly unpatronizing by comparison with other chapters (several of which start by saying what a singlechannel recording is and how it is obtained), and it is succinctly but appropriately illustrated. Overall, the kickoff of the series is a limited success. Some contributors have made a good effort to review their fields in a scholarly yet succinct manner; others have succumbed to the opportunity to present overwhelming details of their own unpublished findings. The volume appears to have been edited sparingly, if at all. If the further members of the series can attain or surpass the quality of this first volume, then the publication may deserve a place on the shelf of the libraries of those institutions with significant cadres of ion channel enthusiasts; it is unlikely to be cost-effective for the collections of individual scientists. Perhaps the best way to ensure its place even in the institutional library would be, first, more serious editing and, second, some contributions from the quite distinguished members of the editorial board of the series. Until we see the next volume or two, the impact of the series will remain sub judice. R. Alan North Vollum Institute for Advanced Biomedical Research The Oregon Health Sciences University Portland, Oregon 97201
Molecules at the Frontiers Molecular Immunology. Edited by 9. D. Hames and D. M. Glover. Oxford: IRL Press. (1988). 248 pp. $30.00.
One wonders whether the ambitious undertaking of providing a “comprehensive, up-to-date account of the major areas of progress in our understanding of the immune system” is realistic for a paperback of under 250 pages. Molecular Immunology, however, achieves this goal or at least comes very close. The recipe: to focus on five major areas (covered in five chapters) and to hire lead-