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Plant proteins — an engineer's perspective
69
Fungal biotechnology: the molecular geneticist's story Applied Molecular Genetics of Filamentous Fungi
edited by_[. R. Kinghorn and G. Turner, Blackie Academic and Professional, 1992. UK~,65.00 (:vii + 259pages) I S B N O 7514 0058 0
In the past decade or so, there has been considerable research into the molecular genetics of the flamentous fungi. In the late 1980s and early 1990s there were a number of very useful review articles summarizing the progress made to date. This book represents the next stage of activity in the cycle, i.e. when the subject has expanded to such an extent that those working in the field feel they can no longer keep abreast of all the developments and, in particular, with the application of those developments. O n the dust cover of the book is the comment that, 'none o f the books currently available covers recent developments in the applied molecular biology o f fungi, outside the yeasts'. While this is not strictly accurate (e.g. Molecular Industrial Mycology by S. A. Leong and R. M. Berka, Marcel Dekker, 199l) it does reflect the dearth of books covering this topic, especially those that attempt to cover the utilization of new genetic techniques in the improvement of fungal processes. The editors are well qualified to fill this gap, and to aid them they have assembled a multinational team of authors from the USA, Japan and Europe. The diversity of the authors is reflected in the contents of the book, with subjects ranging from biological control to mushrooms, via heterologous protein production. This serves to emphasize both the importance, and the widespread application of molecular genetic techniques to the filamentous fungi. The book starts, sensibly enough, at the beginning of the story. Chapter 1 concentrates on developments in Aspergillus nidulans, emphasizing its role as a model system and discussing its relevance to other, more industrially significant fungi. Chapter 2 gives a brief review ofgene organization in
the economically important fungi and makes the particularly valuable point that today's laboratory curiosity might turn out to be either the ideal host for foreign gene expression, or a useful source o f genes for insertion elsewhere. Clearly, our ability to transfer genes between species may force us to reconsider which species we label as 'valuable' or otherwise. Chapter 3 discusses fungal enzymes in oriental food and beverages and Chapter 4 covers the enzymes involved in tignocellutose degradation. In each case the genetics are discussed succinctly. Chapter 5 is especially useful, in that as well as emphasizing the potential for expressing heterologous proteins in moulds, it also discusses the hurdles to be overcome before successful expression is achieved. Chapter 6 reviews the stability of recombinant strains in fermentation systems, and
might serve as a good introduction for the non-specialist. Chapters 7-9 focus on lesscommonly encountered applications of molecular biology to the fungi, biological control, and the improvement of Agaricus and oriental mushroom production, respectively. A useful overview of the molecular genetics of fungal secondary metabolite formation is given in Chapter 10. The editors have the last word with a very short chapter entitled 'Future prospects', which could have been greatly expanded. This also applies to the index. The editors have achieved much in bringing together a wide range of material in such an accessible form. They have achieved their stated aims o f giving not only a good introduction to recent developments in the molecular genetics of the filamentous fungi, but also of discussing the impact upon fungal processes. The latter is all the more valuable because it is so infrequently encountered. The book would be of use to postgraduate researchers working with fungi, and to some senior undergraduates. All in all a timely work, with a good balance to it, but why no paperback edition?
Brian McNeil Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK G1 1XW.
Plant proteins - an engineer's perspective Plant Protein Engineering
edited by Peter R. Shewry and Steven Gutteridge, Cambridge University Press, 1992. US$55.00 (hbk) (ix + 346pages) I S B N 0 521 41761 9
This is the first book in a new senes entitled Plant and Microbial Biotechnology which aims to produce volumes covering aspects of plant and microbial biotechnology that have not previously been addressed in the literature. The series editor, J. M. Lynch, has chosen both the topic and the editors of this introduction to the series extremely
wisely; between them, Peter Shewry and Steven Gutteridge have assembled an international collection of contributors and an outstanding volume on plant protein engineering. The first section gives an introduction to protein expression and structure. All three chapters are very clearly written and provide a TIBTECHFEBRUARY1993(VOL11)
7O
book reviews thorough background to the rest of the book. I would recommend that anyone intending to start any form of engineering, or heterologous expression o f proteins should read the introductory chapters, as they provide an excellent review of this area. The only approach not covered in detail is the baculovirus expression system - a small omission. (The topic is adequately covered elsewhere, e.g. The Baculovirus Expression System - A Laboratory Guide, reviewed in T I B T E C H 10, 409-410.) The analysis of plant metabolism in Part 2, contains chapters on the mutagenesis of ribulose bisphosphate oxygenase/ carhoxylase (Rubisco) and Photosystem II, and organellar targeting in plants. Fred Hartman's discussion of the history of the mutagenesis o f Rubisco before an X-ray crystal structure became available and the interpretation of both old and new data in the hght of the three-dimensional structural information, is a detailed account of the problems associated with 'blind' mutagenesis. Although heavy going for those not interested in P, ubisco per se, this chapter paints a clear
picture of the problems of using 'educated guesses' to devise mutagenesis programs, and the difficulty of interpreting results without crystal information and a sophisticated knowledge of the intermediate stages in a reaction. Rubisco is one of the most intensively studied plant proteins at all levels, however, the vast amount of information available on this protein has still left many questions on the structure-function relationships unanswered. The largest section, Part 3 contains six chapters on the engineering of plant proteins for the food industry. Four chapters concentrate on seed storage proteins, the others cover sweet proteins and a discussion on predicting three-dimensional structure in relation to cysteine proteases and amylases, which is of relevance to all proteins. As in the other sections, each chapter introduces the reader to the problems associated with the manipulation of the particular protein in question, which in the case o f seed storage proteins is a story of improving quality without sacrificing packing density.
Some like it hot The Archaebacteria: Biochemistry and Biotechnology edited by M.J. Danson, D. HI. Hough and G. G. Lunt, Portland Press, 1992. U K £ 4 5 . 0 0 (x + 212pages) I S B N 1 855 78010 0
The archaebacteria (archaea) were placed by Carl Woese 1 as a separate taxonomic order; breaking the eukaryote/prokaryote mould to give three lines of evolutionary descent - the eubacteria, the eukaryotes and the archaea. The archaea are primitive organisms, adapted to grow in conditions that existed on the primitive earth - hot sediments that are poor in oxygen, but rich in hydrogen, or in simple hydrocarbon-based compounds such as methanol and acetate. The present-day archaea include the methanogens that can reduce C O 2 or C 1 compounds to methane; the thermophiles that grow in natural locations of thermal TIBTECHFEBRUARY1993(VOL11)
activity up to 110°C; and the halophiles that grow in saturated sodium chloride solutions. Interest in the archaea has been increasing for some time, most notably because of the potential of such robust organisms and their proteins for industrial bioproducts and bioprocesses. Actual and potential uses of the archaea in biotechnology and biochemistry are described in 16 chapters of this Biochemical Society Symposium book. This work should serve as an introduction to the archaea as well as being a stateof-the-art description of the structures, functions and biosynthesis of some o f their unique
Part 4 covers protein interactions with chymotrypsin inhibitor 2 and ricin as examples. The final sections cover the topics of crop protection and novel plant proteins, both areas of strong industrial interest. In fact, many of the contributors to this volume are from the industrial sector, which highlights the importance placed on the engineering of plant proteins. My overall impression o f this book is that it is written very clearly. All chapters are easy to understand by a reader with only a minimal background in the area. For those interested specifically in any of the proteins covered, each chapter stands alone as an excellent review article, and for those seeking to gain useful pointers on protein engineering, thc book is well worth reading. I hope that the subsequent books in the series prove to be as easy to read and of equal quality the first volume has set a high standard. Andrea Prescott Department of Applied Genetics, John Innes institute, John InnesCentre for Plant Science Research, Norwich, UK NR4 7UH.
components. A good example of the latter is the chapter by M. Kates on the membrane lipids, which are diphytanylglycerol ethers or dibiphytanyldoglyceroltetraether derivatives. These unusual lipids impart stability to oxidative breakdown and control membrane fluidity. The archaeal metabolic enzyme pathways are compared with those of the eubacteria by M. Danson and D. Hough. Together with the chapters by 1K. Hensel and D. Cowan, the stability and stabilization ofarchaeal enzymes and their potential for industrial biotransformation is reviewed. The structure, function and evolution of the archaeal ribosome is considered by A. Matheson. Recombinant R N A has played an important part in grouping organisms in evolutionary time, since the ribosome is ubiquitous. The genetics of the archaea are surveyed in chapters by W. Ford Doolittle, W. Zillig and P. Forterre. Study of the genetics of the archaea is crucial, not only to allow genetic manipulation of the
Fungal biotechnology: the molecular geneticist's story Applied Molecular Genetics of Filamentous Fungi
edited by_[. R. Kinghorn and G. Turner, Blackie Academic and Professional, 1992. UK~,65.00 (:vii + 259pages) I S B N O 7514 0058 0
In the past decade or so, there has been considerable research into the molecular genetics of the flamentous fungi. In the late 1980s and early 1990s there were a number of very useful review articles summarizing the progress made to date. This book represents the next stage of activity in the cycle, i.e. when the subject has expanded to such an extent that those working in the field feel they can no longer keep abreast of all the developments and, in particular, with the application of those developments. O n the dust cover of the book is the comment that, 'none o f the books currently available covers recent developments in the applied molecular biology o f fungi, outside the yeasts'. While this is not strictly accurate (e.g. Molecular Industrial Mycology by S. A. Leong and R. M. Berka, Marcel Dekker, 199l) it does reflect the dearth of books covering this topic, especially those that attempt to cover the utilization of new genetic techniques in the improvement of fungal processes. The editors are well qualified to fill this gap, and to aid them they have assembled a multinational team of authors from the USA, Japan and Europe. The diversity of the authors is reflected in the contents of the book, with subjects ranging from biological control to mushrooms, via heterologous protein production. This serves to emphasize both the importance, and the widespread application of molecular genetic techniques to the filamentous fungi. The book starts, sensibly enough, at the beginning of the story. Chapter 1 concentrates on developments in Aspergillus nidulans, emphasizing its role as a model system and discussing its relevance to other, more industrially significant fungi. Chapter 2 gives a brief review ofgene organization in
the economically important fungi and makes the particularly valuable point that today's laboratory curiosity might turn out to be either the ideal host for foreign gene expression, or a useful source o f genes for insertion elsewhere. Clearly, our ability to transfer genes between species may force us to reconsider which species we label as 'valuable' or otherwise. Chapter 3 discusses fungal enzymes in oriental food and beverages and Chapter 4 covers the enzymes involved in tignocellutose degradation. In each case the genetics are discussed succinctly. Chapter 5 is especially useful, in that as well as emphasizing the potential for expressing heterologous proteins in moulds, it also discusses the hurdles to be overcome before successful expression is achieved. Chapter 6 reviews the stability of recombinant strains in fermentation systems, and
might serve as a good introduction for the non-specialist. Chapters 7-9 focus on lesscommonly encountered applications of molecular biology to the fungi, biological control, and the improvement of Agaricus and oriental mushroom production, respectively. A useful overview of the molecular genetics of fungal secondary metabolite formation is given in Chapter 10. The editors have the last word with a very short chapter entitled 'Future prospects', which could have been greatly expanded. This also applies to the index. The editors have achieved much in bringing together a wide range of material in such an accessible form. They have achieved their stated aims o f giving not only a good introduction to recent developments in the molecular genetics of the filamentous fungi, but also of discussing the impact upon fungal processes. The latter is all the more valuable because it is so infrequently encountered. The book would be of use to postgraduate researchers working with fungi, and to some senior undergraduates. All in all a timely work, with a good balance to it, but why no paperback edition?
Brian McNeil Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK G1 1XW.
Plant proteins - an engineer's perspective Plant Protein Engineering
edited by Peter R. Shewry and Steven Gutteridge, Cambridge University Press, 1992. US$55.00 (hbk) (ix + 346pages) I S B N 0 521 41761 9
This is the first book in a new senes entitled Plant and Microbial Biotechnology which aims to produce volumes covering aspects of plant and microbial biotechnology that have not previously been addressed in the literature. The series editor, J. M. Lynch, has chosen both the topic and the editors of this introduction to the series extremely
wisely; between them, Peter Shewry and Steven Gutteridge have assembled an international collection of contributors and an outstanding volume on plant protein engineering. The first section gives an introduction to protein expression and structure. All three chapters are very clearly written and provide a TIBTECHFEBRUARY1993(VOL11)
7O
book reviews thorough background to the rest of the book. I would recommend that anyone intending to start any form of engineering, or heterologous expression o f proteins should read the introductory chapters, as they provide an excellent review of this area. The only approach not covered in detail is the baculovirus expression system - a small omission. (The topic is adequately covered elsewhere, e.g. The Baculovirus Expression System - A Laboratory Guide, reviewed in T I B T E C H 10, 409-410.) The analysis of plant metabolism in Part 2, contains chapters on the mutagenesis of ribulose bisphosphate oxygenase/ carhoxylase (Rubisco) and Photosystem II, and organellar targeting in plants. Fred Hartman's discussion of the history of the mutagenesis o f Rubisco before an X-ray crystal structure became available and the interpretation of both old and new data in the hght of the three-dimensional structural information, is a detailed account of the problems associated with 'blind' mutagenesis. Although heavy going for those not interested in P, ubisco per se, this chapter paints a clear
picture of the problems of using 'educated guesses' to devise mutagenesis programs, and the difficulty of interpreting results without crystal information and a sophisticated knowledge of the intermediate stages in a reaction. Rubisco is one of the most intensively studied plant proteins at all levels, however, the vast amount of information available on this protein has still left many questions on the structure-function relationships unanswered. The largest section, Part 3 contains six chapters on the engineering of plant proteins for the food industry. Four chapters concentrate on seed storage proteins, the others cover sweet proteins and a discussion on predicting three-dimensional structure in relation to cysteine proteases and amylases, which is of relevance to all proteins. As in the other sections, each chapter introduces the reader to the problems associated with the manipulation of the particular protein in question, which in the case o f seed storage proteins is a story of improving quality without sacrificing packing density.
Some like it hot The Archaebacteria: Biochemistry and Biotechnology edited by M.J. Danson, D. HI. Hough and G. G. Lunt, Portland Press, 1992. U K £ 4 5 . 0 0 (x + 212pages) I S B N 1 855 78010 0
The archaebacteria (archaea) were placed by Carl Woese 1 as a separate taxonomic order; breaking the eukaryote/prokaryote mould to give three lines of evolutionary descent - the eubacteria, the eukaryotes and the archaea. The archaea are primitive organisms, adapted to grow in conditions that existed on the primitive earth - hot sediments that are poor in oxygen, but rich in hydrogen, or in simple hydrocarbon-based compounds such as methanol and acetate. The present-day archaea include the methanogens that can reduce C O 2 or C 1 compounds to methane; the thermophiles that grow in natural locations of thermal TIBTECHFEBRUARY1993(VOL11)
activity up to 110°C; and the halophiles that grow in saturated sodium chloride solutions. Interest in the archaea has been increasing for some time, most notably because of the potential of such robust organisms and their proteins for industrial bioproducts and bioprocesses. Actual and potential uses of the archaea in biotechnology and biochemistry are described in 16 chapters of this Biochemical Society Symposium book. This work should serve as an introduction to the archaea as well as being a stateof-the-art description of the structures, functions and biosynthesis of some o f their unique
Part 4 covers protein interactions with chymotrypsin inhibitor 2 and ricin as examples. The final sections cover the topics of crop protection and novel plant proteins, both areas of strong industrial interest. In fact, many of the contributors to this volume are from the industrial sector, which highlights the importance placed on the engineering of plant proteins. My overall impression o f this book is that it is written very clearly. All chapters are easy to understand by a reader with only a minimal background in the area. For those interested specifically in any of the proteins covered, each chapter stands alone as an excellent review article, and for those seeking to gain useful pointers on protein engineering, thc book is well worth reading. I hope that the subsequent books in the series prove to be as easy to read and of equal quality the first volume has set a high standard. Andrea Prescott Department of Applied Genetics, John Innes institute, John InnesCentre for Plant Science Research, Norwich, UK NR4 7UH.
components. A good example of the latter is the chapter by M. Kates on the membrane lipids, which are diphytanylglycerol ethers or dibiphytanyldoglyceroltetraether derivatives. These unusual lipids impart stability to oxidative breakdown and control membrane fluidity. The archaeal metabolic enzyme pathways are compared with those of the eubacteria by M. Danson and D. Hough. Together with the chapters by 1K. Hensel and D. Cowan, the stability and stabilization ofarchaeal enzymes and their potential for industrial biotransformation is reviewed. The structure, function and evolution of the archaeal ribosome is considered by A. Matheson. Recombinant R N A has played an important part in grouping organisms in evolutionary time, since the ribosome is ubiquitous. The genetics of the archaea are surveyed in chapters by W. Ford Doolittle, W. Zillig and P. Forterre. Study of the genetics of the archaea is crucial, not only to allow genetic manipulation of the