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Symposium on Structure of Enzymes and Proteins
BOOK
REVIEWS
243
Much of the evidence reviewed indicates that these same changes in sap and protoplasm enable cells to withstand a little greater water deficit and a little higher heat-killing temperature than unhardened cells can withstand. Death of hardened tissue by freezing and sudden death by too great water deficits may both be due to mechanical injury to the protoplast by extreme plasmolysis or too rapid deplasmolysis. Teachers and students of plant science should be grateful for this book as the best possible source of information concerning these forms of hardiness and possibly the best approach toward understanding other environmental adaptations. W. H. CHANDLER, Los Angeles, California
Symposium on Structure of Enzymes and Proteins. Sponsored by the Biology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, April 4-6, 1955. Reprinted from the Journal of Cellular and Comparative Physiology 47, Supplement 1, May 1956.294 pp. This book is a compilation of papers and discussions presented at the eighth Annual Research Conference for Biology and Medicine of the Atomic Energy Commission, sponsored by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and held at Gatlinburg, Tennessee, on April 4-6, 1955. As stated in the Introduction, written by the symposium chairman, A. Hollaender, the subject selected was “Enzyme and Protein Structure” since “the interrelations of enzymes and protein structure are of fundamental importance to an understanding of the functions of living cells and basic to the study of the effects of radiation on living organisms and modification of their radiation response.” The titles of the individual papers are: “The Nature of the Protein Molecule: Problems of Protein Structure,” by F. Haurowit,z; “The Biosynthesis of Peptides and Proteins,” by H. Borsook; “Mechanism of Incorporation of Labeled Amino Acids into Protein,” by P. C. Zamecnik, E. B. Keller, J. W. Littlefield, M. B. Hoagland, and R. B. Loftfield; “Structural Factors in Protein Denaturation,” by W. Kauzmann; “Chemical Studies on Enzymes and Ot,her Proteins,” by H. Fraenkel-Conrat; “The Effect of Optical Configuration of Amino Acid Residues on the Physical Properties of Peptides,” by E. Ellenbogen, “Configurations of Polypeptide Chains and Protein Molecules,” by J. T. EdsaIl; “Steric Specificity of Hydrogen Transfer in Pyridine Nucleotide Dehydrogenase Reactions,” by B. Vennesland; “Molecular Geometry in Enzyme Action,” by D. E. Koshland, Jr.; “Kinetic Effects of the Ionization of Groups in the Enzyme Molecule,” by R. A. Alberty, and a Sumnary by H. Borsook. There are also invited discussions by F. W. Putnam and S. Spiegelman on the heterogeneity of proteins, and by A. L. Dounce and R. M. Herriott on the structural aspects of enzymic action, as well as a round-table discussion on nucleoproteins. The great variety of topics discussed at the symposium and covered in this book points once again to the scope of the fields of protein and enzyme chemistry; the approaches emphasized by the various contributors span from organic chemistry to physical chemistry to classical biochemistry. It is these features which
244
BOOK
REVIEWS
make an attempt at a detailed review impractical. This reviewer was most, impressed, however, by the section devoted to the structural features of enzymic activity which shows how rapidly knowledge in that area is expanding, making a review of the field already incomplete by the time that it comes out in published form. One of the greatest assets of a publication of this type is the recording of the discussions which follow each paper. There one can find arguments from completely different disciplines of thought applied to the same problem, so that an attempt is made to arrive at a whole picture from individual observations or ideas. For example, one could cite the very stimulat,ing discussion on protein heterogeneity which followed the first paper; in this discussion concepts such as information theory, x-ray structural studies, enzymic specificity and amino acid sequence were invoked by various participants. In general, the information contained in this book strikes a happy balance between generally accepted facts, presentation of new data, and suggestions for fut,ure pathways in protein research. This symposium makes for some very interesting reading and should be a valuable addition to the rapidly growing library of publications on proteins. SERGE N. TIMASHEFF, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania
Recent Progress in Hormone Research: The Proceedings of the Laurentian Hormone Conference. Vol. XII. Edited by GREGORYPINCUS. Academic Press Inc., New York, N. Y., 1956.453 pp. Price $10.00. Regular readers of Recent Progress in Hormone Research will find Vol. XII outstanding. It is pure science written in the language of the expert. Dominant among the attractions of subject material are several papers on the biosynthesis and conjugation of adrenal and testicular steroid hormones. The paper by Heard et al., an example of sheer mastery of a difficult field, barely outgleams the impressive experimentation reported by Hayano et ~2. and by Isselbather and Tomkins. It was an inevitability t#hat the discussion of these complex matters would at times soar to esoteric considerations. Pathways for possible biosynthesis of adrenal medullary hormones are explored by Hagen and Welch. However, the long elusive conversion of tyrosine to epinephrine remains beyond the ken of knowledge. Leutscher provides a timely discourse on the excretion of aldosterone by man, concluding that output reflects effective blood hormone level and that the latter is independent of pituitary mediation. Roche and Michel engage in a lively review of the nature and metabolism of thyroid hormone and pose the important likelihood that thyroid hormone(s) action peripherally may be connected with the metabolism of the hormone or hormones. In a difficult, much needed study of the effects of steroids on cerebral metabolism, Gordan raises more is nonetheless a beginning. Krahl’s important in problems than he solves-it vitro approach to the endocrine control of metabolic processes appears sandwiched in here. Under the title “Human Urinary Gonadotropin,” Albert, foremost of workers in this field, writes from nine years of intensive experiences with the assay of this material. The method and its interpretational strength are detailed in
REVIEWS
243
Much of the evidence reviewed indicates that these same changes in sap and protoplasm enable cells to withstand a little greater water deficit and a little higher heat-killing temperature than unhardened cells can withstand. Death of hardened tissue by freezing and sudden death by too great water deficits may both be due to mechanical injury to the protoplast by extreme plasmolysis or too rapid deplasmolysis. Teachers and students of plant science should be grateful for this book as the best possible source of information concerning these forms of hardiness and possibly the best approach toward understanding other environmental adaptations. W. H. CHANDLER, Los Angeles, California
Symposium on Structure of Enzymes and Proteins. Sponsored by the Biology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, April 4-6, 1955. Reprinted from the Journal of Cellular and Comparative Physiology 47, Supplement 1, May 1956.294 pp. This book is a compilation of papers and discussions presented at the eighth Annual Research Conference for Biology and Medicine of the Atomic Energy Commission, sponsored by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and held at Gatlinburg, Tennessee, on April 4-6, 1955. As stated in the Introduction, written by the symposium chairman, A. Hollaender, the subject selected was “Enzyme and Protein Structure” since “the interrelations of enzymes and protein structure are of fundamental importance to an understanding of the functions of living cells and basic to the study of the effects of radiation on living organisms and modification of their radiation response.” The titles of the individual papers are: “The Nature of the Protein Molecule: Problems of Protein Structure,” by F. Haurowit,z; “The Biosynthesis of Peptides and Proteins,” by H. Borsook; “Mechanism of Incorporation of Labeled Amino Acids into Protein,” by P. C. Zamecnik, E. B. Keller, J. W. Littlefield, M. B. Hoagland, and R. B. Loftfield; “Structural Factors in Protein Denaturation,” by W. Kauzmann; “Chemical Studies on Enzymes and Ot,her Proteins,” by H. Fraenkel-Conrat; “The Effect of Optical Configuration of Amino Acid Residues on the Physical Properties of Peptides,” by E. Ellenbogen, “Configurations of Polypeptide Chains and Protein Molecules,” by J. T. EdsaIl; “Steric Specificity of Hydrogen Transfer in Pyridine Nucleotide Dehydrogenase Reactions,” by B. Vennesland; “Molecular Geometry in Enzyme Action,” by D. E. Koshland, Jr.; “Kinetic Effects of the Ionization of Groups in the Enzyme Molecule,” by R. A. Alberty, and a Sumnary by H. Borsook. There are also invited discussions by F. W. Putnam and S. Spiegelman on the heterogeneity of proteins, and by A. L. Dounce and R. M. Herriott on the structural aspects of enzymic action, as well as a round-table discussion on nucleoproteins. The great variety of topics discussed at the symposium and covered in this book points once again to the scope of the fields of protein and enzyme chemistry; the approaches emphasized by the various contributors span from organic chemistry to physical chemistry to classical biochemistry. It is these features which
244
BOOK
REVIEWS
make an attempt at a detailed review impractical. This reviewer was most, impressed, however, by the section devoted to the structural features of enzymic activity which shows how rapidly knowledge in that area is expanding, making a review of the field already incomplete by the time that it comes out in published form. One of the greatest assets of a publication of this type is the recording of the discussions which follow each paper. There one can find arguments from completely different disciplines of thought applied to the same problem, so that an attempt is made to arrive at a whole picture from individual observations or ideas. For example, one could cite the very stimulat,ing discussion on protein heterogeneity which followed the first paper; in this discussion concepts such as information theory, x-ray structural studies, enzymic specificity and amino acid sequence were invoked by various participants. In general, the information contained in this book strikes a happy balance between generally accepted facts, presentation of new data, and suggestions for fut,ure pathways in protein research. This symposium makes for some very interesting reading and should be a valuable addition to the rapidly growing library of publications on proteins. SERGE N. TIMASHEFF, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania
Recent Progress in Hormone Research: The Proceedings of the Laurentian Hormone Conference. Vol. XII. Edited by GREGORYPINCUS. Academic Press Inc., New York, N. Y., 1956.453 pp. Price $10.00. Regular readers of Recent Progress in Hormone Research will find Vol. XII outstanding. It is pure science written in the language of the expert. Dominant among the attractions of subject material are several papers on the biosynthesis and conjugation of adrenal and testicular steroid hormones. The paper by Heard et al., an example of sheer mastery of a difficult field, barely outgleams the impressive experimentation reported by Hayano et ~2. and by Isselbather and Tomkins. It was an inevitability t#hat the discussion of these complex matters would at times soar to esoteric considerations. Pathways for possible biosynthesis of adrenal medullary hormones are explored by Hagen and Welch. However, the long elusive conversion of tyrosine to epinephrine remains beyond the ken of knowledge. Leutscher provides a timely discourse on the excretion of aldosterone by man, concluding that output reflects effective blood hormone level and that the latter is independent of pituitary mediation. Roche and Michel engage in a lively review of the nature and metabolism of thyroid hormone and pose the important likelihood that thyroid hormone(s) action peripherally may be connected with the metabolism of the hormone or hormones. In a difficult, much needed study of the effects of steroids on cerebral metabolism, Gordan raises more is nonetheless a beginning. Krahl’s important in problems than he solves-it vitro approach to the endocrine control of metabolic processes appears sandwiched in here. Under the title “Human Urinary Gonadotropin,” Albert, foremost of workers in this field, writes from nine years of intensive experiences with the assay of this material. The method and its interpretational strength are detailed in