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Isotopic tracers in biochemistry and physiology
REFERENCES
Nature, 171 (1953) 964. (1949) lO3(1952) 625. ~ta, 6 (195 o) 202. (1953) 609. [1.
75 (I948 ) 315 .
:,, J. Biol. Chem., 178 (1949) 431. M. STACEY, J. Chem. Soc., (1952) 3o3 . cta, IO (I953) 391. C. J. THRELFALL, J. Chem. Soc., (19471 1924) 383 . A. L. DOUNCE, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 74 ( "~CHIEDT AND H. REINWEIN, Z. Natur/orschung, (1952) b 2 7 0 . FRICK, Biochim. Biophys. Acta, in press. Recei~
BOOK
3rd, 1954
REVIEWS
ACOB SACKS, hic Tracers in Biochemistry and Physiology, by JACG ~ompany, Inc., New York, Toronto, London, 1953, vii + 383
Jill Book e $ 8.50.
chemistry [ believe this is a v e r y useful book, for t h e r e s e a r c h w o r k e r as well as t h e ,fter s o m e great pleasure he s t u d e n t . I n a n y case I h a v e p e r s o n a l l y r e a d it with grea of n u c l e a r trace1 i n t r o d u c t o r y c h a p t e r s (General principles in t h e use of isotopic isot, Lvy stable InI I ~ I , ~ U I ~ I I I ~ I I L O l tilt3 llUcLvy ~gctt cs a n d r a d i o a c t i v i t y ; M e a s u r e m e n t of r a d i o a c t i v i t y ; T h e measureme] ~es; Safe h a n d l i n g of r a d i o a c t i v e isotopes; T h e scope of t h e t r a c e r technique) t h e m a i n t o p~ics c h a p t e r s . I t is o b v i o u s tthh a t t h e t r a c e r m e t h o d s h a v e been u s e d are t r e a t e d in following follo IOI" w l lhich lcn arry t h e i nl trroodduuccttoorr'y c h a p t e r s are n o t i n t e n d e d to, or ever could, giive sufficient i n f o r m a t i o n to ccar eat w o r k i n d e p e n d e n t l y . H o w e v e r , t h e y c o n t a i n several rree m a r k s w h i c h c a n n o t be r e p)eated o u t t r:acer a ften. I n p a r t i c u l a r t h e c h a p t e r on t h e scope of t h e t r a c e r t e c h n i q u e a n d its l i m i t a t i o n s h a s too often. c o m e o u t v e r y well. ~undaries; TFhe h e specialized c h a p t e r s are c o n c e r n e d w i t h : M o v e m e n t of ions across p h a s e boundari~ ,drate C a r b o n isotopes in c a r b o h y d r a t e m e t a b o l i s m ; P h o s p h o r y dl aatteedd i n t e r m e d i a t e s in carbohydr~ steroids; M e t a b o l i s m of p r o t e i n s a n d m e t a b~olism; o l i s m M e t a b o l i s m of f a t t y acids, p h o s p h o l i p i d s a n d stere zrimidines; R a d i o a c t i v e iodine a n d t h e a m i n o acids; M e t a b o l i s m of nucleic acids, p u r i n e s a n d pyrimidi t u d i e s in t h e blood; P h o t o s y"nthesis nthe t h y r o iid; d ; I s o t o p e s in t h e s t u d y of m i n e r a l m e t a b o l i s m ; T r a c e r sstu n v e s t i g a t i o n s carried o u t b y m e sa n s •elated topics. T h e y clearly s h o w h o w m a n y r e s u l t s of iinv a n d related h e use of t h e tracer t e c h n i q u e . B u t of t h e classical m e t h o d s could be c o n f i r m e d a n d e x t e n d e d b y tthe ould wot a b o v e all t h e y d e m o n s t r a t e t h e f u n d a m e n t a l n e w i n s i g h t given b y t h e u s e of tracers, w h i c h w h a v e been difficult to a t t a i n o t h eerwise r w i s e a n d w o u l d c e r t a i n l y n o t y e t h a v e been gained w i t h o u t t h e m . As a t e a c h e r I w a r m l y r e co m m e n d t h i s b o o k for u s e b y s t u d e n t s following a d v a n c e d ccoouur sre s of b i o c h e m i s t r y as a s u p p l e m e n tt to t h e i r u s u a l t e x t b o o k s . It. G. K. WESTENBRINK (Utrec] (Utrecht)
~mistry and its Bearing on the Nature o/Biological Catalys~sis, The Theory o/ Wholes in Chemistr" by J. VINE, Newman Wolse, dolsey Ltd, London, 1953, 97 PP., $ 3. t is T h e a u t h o r s u g g e s t s t h a t he p u t s f o r w a r d n e w t h e o r e t i c a l a s p e c t s of biological catalysis, H ever, c a n h a r d l y be o t h e r w i s e described t h a n c o n f u s e d a n d tl h e t h e o r e t i c a l c o n s i d e r a t i o n s , however, heoreti reviewer f o u n d his logic i m p o s s iible b l e to follow. H e deals in a s t r a n g e w a y w i t h different ttheoretical f u n d a m e n t a l s . I n t h e opinion offf t h e reviewer, this work c a n n o t be r e c o m m e n d e d in a n y resp~ect a n d it c a n n o t fulfil a n y useful p u r p o s e . O n t h e s u b j e c t of t h e a c t i o,n n of e n z y m e s , n e i t h e r t h e p r e s e n t - d a y k n o w l e d g e n o r a n y t h i n g nne w c a n be l e a r n t f r o m t h i s book. P. H. H]ERMANS (Utrec (Utrecht)
Nature, 171 (1953) 964. (1949) lO3(1952) 625. ~ta, 6 (195 o) 202. (1953) 609. [1.
75 (I948 ) 315 .
:,, J. Biol. Chem., 178 (1949) 431. M. STACEY, J. Chem. Soc., (1952) 3o3 . cta, IO (I953) 391. C. J. THRELFALL, J. Chem. Soc., (19471 1924) 383 . A. L. DOUNCE, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 74 ( "~CHIEDT AND H. REINWEIN, Z. Natur/orschung, (1952) b 2 7 0 . FRICK, Biochim. Biophys. Acta, in press. Recei~
BOOK
3rd, 1954
REVIEWS
ACOB SACKS, hic Tracers in Biochemistry and Physiology, by JACG ~ompany, Inc., New York, Toronto, London, 1953, vii + 383
Jill Book e $ 8.50.
chemistry [ believe this is a v e r y useful book, for t h e r e s e a r c h w o r k e r as well as t h e ,fter s o m e great pleasure he s t u d e n t . I n a n y case I h a v e p e r s o n a l l y r e a d it with grea of n u c l e a r trace1 i n t r o d u c t o r y c h a p t e r s (General principles in t h e use of isotopic isot, Lvy stable InI I ~ I , ~ U I ~ I I I ~ I I L O l tilt3 llUcLvy ~gctt cs a n d r a d i o a c t i v i t y ; M e a s u r e m e n t of r a d i o a c t i v i t y ; T h e measureme] ~es; Safe h a n d l i n g of r a d i o a c t i v e isotopes; T h e scope of t h e t r a c e r technique) t h e m a i n t o p~ics c h a p t e r s . I t is o b v i o u s tthh a t t h e t r a c e r m e t h o d s h a v e been u s e d are t r e a t e d in following follo IOI" w l lhich lcn arry t h e i nl trroodduuccttoorr'y c h a p t e r s are n o t i n t e n d e d to, or ever could, giive sufficient i n f o r m a t i o n to ccar eat w o r k i n d e p e n d e n t l y . H o w e v e r , t h e y c o n t a i n several rree m a r k s w h i c h c a n n o t be r e p)eated o u t t r:acer a ften. I n p a r t i c u l a r t h e c h a p t e r on t h e scope of t h e t r a c e r t e c h n i q u e a n d its l i m i t a t i o n s h a s too often. c o m e o u t v e r y well. ~undaries; TFhe h e specialized c h a p t e r s are c o n c e r n e d w i t h : M o v e m e n t of ions across p h a s e boundari~ ,drate C a r b o n isotopes in c a r b o h y d r a t e m e t a b o l i s m ; P h o s p h o r y dl aatteedd i n t e r m e d i a t e s in carbohydr~ steroids; M e t a b o l i s m of p r o t e i n s a n d m e t a b~olism; o l i s m M e t a b o l i s m of f a t t y acids, p h o s p h o l i p i d s a n d stere zrimidines; R a d i o a c t i v e iodine a n d t h e a m i n o acids; M e t a b o l i s m of nucleic acids, p u r i n e s a n d pyrimidi t u d i e s in t h e blood; P h o t o s y"nthesis nthe t h y r o iid; d ; I s o t o p e s in t h e s t u d y of m i n e r a l m e t a b o l i s m ; T r a c e r sstu n v e s t i g a t i o n s carried o u t b y m e sa n s •elated topics. T h e y clearly s h o w h o w m a n y r e s u l t s of iinv a n d related h e use of t h e tracer t e c h n i q u e . B u t of t h e classical m e t h o d s could be c o n f i r m e d a n d e x t e n d e d b y tthe ould wot a b o v e all t h e y d e m o n s t r a t e t h e f u n d a m e n t a l n e w i n s i g h t given b y t h e u s e of tracers, w h i c h w h a v e been difficult to a t t a i n o t h eerwise r w i s e a n d w o u l d c e r t a i n l y n o t y e t h a v e been gained w i t h o u t t h e m . As a t e a c h e r I w a r m l y r e co m m e n d t h i s b o o k for u s e b y s t u d e n t s following a d v a n c e d ccoouur sre s of b i o c h e m i s t r y as a s u p p l e m e n tt to t h e i r u s u a l t e x t b o o k s . It. G. K. WESTENBRINK (Utrec] (Utrecht)
~mistry and its Bearing on the Nature o/Biological Catalys~sis, The Theory o/ Wholes in Chemistr" by J. VINE, Newman Wolse, dolsey Ltd, London, 1953, 97 PP., $ 3. t is T h e a u t h o r s u g g e s t s t h a t he p u t s f o r w a r d n e w t h e o r e t i c a l a s p e c t s of biological catalysis, H ever, c a n h a r d l y be o t h e r w i s e described t h a n c o n f u s e d a n d tl h e t h e o r e t i c a l c o n s i d e r a t i o n s , however, heoreti reviewer f o u n d his logic i m p o s s iible b l e to follow. H e deals in a s t r a n g e w a y w i t h different ttheoretical f u n d a m e n t a l s . I n t h e opinion offf t h e reviewer, this work c a n n o t be r e c o m m e n d e d in a n y resp~ect a n d it c a n n o t fulfil a n y useful p u r p o s e . O n t h e s u b j e c t of t h e a c t i o,n n of e n z y m e s , n e i t h e r t h e p r e s e n t - d a y k n o w l e d g e n o r a n y t h i n g nne w c a n be l e a r n t f r o m t h i s book. P. H. H]ERMANS (Utrec (Utrecht)