Download or read book DNA Repair Mechanisms written by ICN Pharmaceuticals, inc and published by . This book was released on 1978 with total page 840 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: DNA Repair Mechanisms is an account of the proceedings at a major international conference on DNA Repair Mechanisms held at Keystone, Colorado on February 1978. The conference discusses through plenary sessions the overall standpoint of DNA repair. The papers presented and other important documents, such as short summaries by the workshop session conveners, comprise this book. The compilation describes the opposing views, those that agree and dispute about certain topic areas. This book, divided into 15 parts, is arranged according to the proceedings in the conference. The plenary sessions are ...

Download or read book DNA Repair Protocols written by Pat Vaughan and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2008-02-02 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When setting out to decide on the content of DNA Repair Protocols: Prokaryotic Systems, I was conscious of the need to portray the vast array of pathways and enzymatic activities that are part of the discipline of DNA repair. In addition to the classical DNA repair activities, I wanted to convey the significant interest that has been generated in recent years in the use of the proteins and repair systems as research tools, much like the use of restriction enzymes over the last few decades. Therefore, in addition to chapters deta- ing protocols for investigating specific repair activities, I have included s- eral chapters in this book on the applied use of DNA repair proteins and systems. The many years of research on bacterial DNA repair systems have allowed us to really understand the majority of DNA repair pathways in bac- rial cells. Building on this knowledge, research has lead to major advances in understanding mammalian DNA repair and uncovered its links to human d- ease, such as DNA mismatch repair and colon cancer, nucleotide excision repair and xeroderma pigmentosum, DNA helicase function in Bloom’s s- drome, and so on. Such have been the advances that Science magazine iden- fied the collective DNA repair systems as its “Molecule of the Year” in 1994.

Download or read book DNA Recombination and Repair written by Paul James Smith and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 1999 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The processes of DNA recombination and repair are vital to cell integrity - an error can lead to disease such as cancer. It is therefore a large and exciting area of research and is also taught on postgraduate and undergraduate courses. This book is not a comprehensive view of the field, but a selection of the issues currently at the forefront of knowledge.

Download or read book Nuclease Methods and Protocols written by Catherine H. Schein and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2008-02-03 with total page 521 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nucleases, enzymes that restructure or degrade nucleic acid polymers, are vital to the control of every area of metabolism. They range from “housekeeping” enzymes with broad substrate ranges to extremely specific tools (1). Many types of nucleases are used in lab protocols, and their commercial and clinical uses are expanding. The purpose of Nuclease Methods and Protocols is to introduce the reader to some we- characterized protein nucleases, and the methods used to determine their activity, structure, interaction with other molecules, and physiological role. Each chapter begins with a mini-review on a specific nuclease or a nuclease-related theme. Although many chapters cover several topics, they were arbitrarily divided into five parts: Part I, “Characterizing Nuclease Activity,” includes protocols and assays to determine general (processive, distributive) or specific mechanisms. Methods to assay nuclease products, identify cloned nucleases, and determine their physiological role are also included here. Part II, “Inhibitors and Activators of Nucleases,” summarizes assays for measuring the effects of other proteins and small molecules. Many of these inhibitors have clinical relevance. Part III, “Relating Nuclease Structure and Function,” provides an overview of methods to determine or model the 3-D structure of nucleases and their complexes with substrates and inhibitors. A 3-D structure can greatly aid the rational design of nucleases and inhibitors for specific purposes. Part IV, “Nucleases in the Clinic,” summarizes assays and protocols suitable for use with t- sues and for nuclease based therapeutics.

Download or read book Connexin Methods and Protocols written by Roberto Bruzzone and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2008-02-05 with total page 495 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Direct cell–cell communication is a common property of multicellular organisms that is achieved through membrane channels which are organized in gap junctions. The protein subunits of these intercellular channels, the connexins, form a multigene family that has been investigated in great detail in recent years. It has now become clear that, in different tissues, connexins speak several languages that control specific cellular functions. This progress has been made possible by the availability of new molecular tools and the improvement of basic techniques for the study of membrane channels, as well as by the use of genetic approaches to study protein function in vivo. More important, connexins have gained visibility because mutations in some connexin genes have been found to be linked to human genetic disorders. Connexin Methods and Protocols presents in detail a collection of te- niques currently used to study the cellular and molecular biology of connexins and their physiological properties. The field of gap junctions and connexin research has always been characterized by a multidisciplinary approach c- bining morphology, biochemistry, biophysics, and cellular and molecular biology. This book provides a series of cutting-edge protocols and includes a large spectrum of practical methods that are available to investigate the fu- tion of connexin channels. Connexin Methods and Protocols is divided into three main parts.

Download or read book Immunotoxin Methods and Protocols written by Walter A. Hall and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2008-02-02 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Immunotoxins represent a new class of human therapeutics that have widespread applications and a potential that has not yet been fully recognized since they were first conceived of by Paul Ehrlich in 1906. The majority of advances in the development and implementation of immunotoxins has occurred over the last 20 years. The reasons for this use of immunotoxins in basic science and clinical research are the powerful concurrent advances in genetic engineering and receptor physiology. Recombinant technology has allowed investigators to produce sufficient quantities of a homogeneous c- pound that allows clinical trials to be performed. The identification of specific receptors on malignant cell types has enabled scientists to generate immunotoxins that have had positive results in clinical trials. As more cellular targets are identified in coming years, additional trials will be conducted in different disease states affecting still larger patient populations. Modulation of the immune system to decrease the humoral response to immunotoxins may improve their overall efficacy. As increasingly more effective compounds are generated, it will be necessary to decrease the local and systemic toxicity - sociated with these agents, and methods for doing so are presently being - veloped. The work presented in Immunotoxin Methods and Protocols focuses on three specific areas of immunotoxin investigation that are being conducted by experts throughout the world. The first section describes the construction and development of a variety of immunotoxins.

Download or read book Proteoglycan Protocols written by Renato V. Iozzo and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2008-02-02 with total page 547 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Proteoglycans are some of the most elaborate macromolecules of mammalian and lower organisms. The covalent attachment of at least five types of glycosami- glycan side chains to more than forty individual protein cores makes these molecules quite complex and endows them with a multitude of biological functions. Proteoglycan Protocols offers a comprehensive and up-to-date collection of prepa- tive and analytical methods for the in-depth analysis of proteoglycans. Featuring st- by-step detailed protocols, this book will enable both novice and experienced researchers to isolate intact proteoglycans from tissues and cultured cells, to establish the composition of their carbohydrate moieties, to generate strategies for prokaryotic and eukaryotic expression, to utilize methods for the suppression of specific proteoglycan gene expression and for the detection of mutant cells and degradation products, and to study specific interactions between proteoglycans and extracellular matrix proteins as well as growth factors and their receptors. The readers will find concise, yet comprehensive techniques carefully drafted by leading experts in the field. Each chapter commences with a general Introduction, followed by a detailed Materials section, and an easy-to-follow Methods section. An asset of each chapter is the extensive notation that includes troubleshooting tips and practical considerations that are often lacking in formal methodology papers. The reader will find this section most valuable because it is clearly provided by experienced scientists who have first-hand knowledge of the techniques they outline. In addition, most of the chapters are well illustrated with examples of typical data generated with each method.

Download or read book Glycoprotein Methods and Protocols written by Anthony P. Corfield and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2007-10-26 with total page 491 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The mucins (mucus glycoproteins) have long been a complex corner of glycoprotein biology. While dramatic advances in the separation, structural an- ysis, biosynthesis, and degradation have marked the progress in general glycop- tein understanding, the mucins have lagged behind. The reasons for this lack of progress have always been clear and are only now being resolved. The mucins are very large molecules; they are difficult to separate from other molecules present in mucosal secretions or membranes; they are often degraded owing to natural protective functions or to isolation methodology and their peptide and oligos- charide structures are varied and complex. Understanding these molecules has demanded progress in several major areas. Isolation techniques that protect the intact mucins and allow dissociation from other adsorbed but discrete molecules needed to be developed and accepted by all researchers in the field. Improved methods for the study of very large molecules with regard to their aggregation and polymerization were also needed. Structural analysis of the peptide domains and the multitude of oligosaccharide chains was required for smaller sample sizes, for multiple samples, and in shorter time. In view of these problems it is perhaps not surprising that the mucins have remained a dilemma, of obvious biological importance and interest, but very difficult to analyze.

Download or read book DNA Topoisomerase Protocols written by Neil Osheroff and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2008-02-05 with total page 331 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Beginning with the Escherichia coli ? protein, or bacterial DNA topoisomerase I, an ever-increasing number of enzymes have been identified that catalyze changes in the linkage of DNA strands. DNA topoisomerases are ubiquitous in nature and have been shown to play critical roles in most p- cesses involving DNA, including DNA replication, transcription, and rec- bination. These enzymes further constitute the cellular targets of a number of clinically important antibacterial and anticancer agents. Thus, further studies of DNA topology and DNA topoisomerases are critical to advance our und- standing of the basic biological processes required for cell cycle progression, cell division, genomic stability, and development. In addition, these studies will continue to provide critical insights into the cytotoxic action of drugs that target DNA topoisomerases. Such mechanistic studies have already played an important role in the development and clinical application of antimicrobial and chemotherapeutic agents. The two volumes of DNA Topoisomerase Protocols are designed to help new and established researchers investigate all aspects of DNA topology and the function of these enzymes. The chapters are written by prominent investigators in the field and provide detailed background information and st- by-step experimental protocols. The topics covered in Part I: DNA Topology and Enzymes, range from detailed methods to analyze various aspects of DNA structure, from linking number, knotting/unknotting, site-specific recombi- tion, and decatenation to the overexpression and purification of bacterial and eukaryotic DNA topoisomerases from a variety of cell systems and tissues.

Download or read book Biostatistical Methods written by Stephen W. Looney and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2008-02-03 with total page 221 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Leading biostatisticians and biomedical researchers describe many of the key techniques used to solve commonly occurring data analytic problems in molecular biology, and demonstrate how these methods can be used in the development of new markers for exposure to a risk factor or for disease outcomes. Major areas of application include microarray analysis, proteomic studies, image quantitation, genetic susceptibility and association, evaluation of new biomarkers, and power analysis and sample size.

Download or read book Genomics Protocols written by Michael P. Starkey and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2008-02-03 with total page 537 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We must unashamedly admit that a large part of the motivation for editing Genomics Protocols was selfish. The possibility of assembling in a single volume a unique and comprehensive collection of complete protocols, relevant to our work and the work of our colleagues, was too good an opportunity to miss. We are pleased to report, however, that the outcome is something of use not only to those who are experienced practitioners in the genomics field, but is also valuable to the larger community of researchers who have recognized the potential of genomics research and may themselves be beginning to explore the technologies involved. Some of the techniques described in Genomics Protocols are clearly not restricted to the genomics field; indeed, a prerequisite for many procedures in this discipline is that they require an extremely high throughput, beyond the scope of the average investigator. However, what we have endeavored here to achieve is both to compile a collection of procedures concerned with geno- scale investigations and to incorporate the key components of “bottom-up” and “top-down” approaches to gene finding. The technologies described extend from those traditionally recognized as coming under the genomics umbrella, touch on proteomics (the study of the expressed protein complement of the genome), through to early therapeutic approaches utilizing the potential of genome programs via gene therapy (Chapters 27–30).

Download or read book Cytoskeleton Methods and Protocols written by Ray H. Gavin and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2008-02-03 with total page 286 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the past two decades experimental studies have solidified the int- pretation of the cytoskeleton as a highly dynamic network of microtubules, actin microfilaments, intermediate filaments, and myosin filaments. Rather than a network of disparate fibers, these polymers are often interconnected and display synergy, which is the combined action of two or more cytoskeletal polymers to achieve a specific cellular structure or function. Cross-commu- cation among cytoskeletal polymers is thought to be achieved through cytoskeletal polymer accessory proteins and molecular motors that bind two or more cytoskeletal polymers. Development of the modern concept of the cytoskeleton is a direct o- growth of advances in experimental tools and reagents that are available to cell and molecular biologists. Technological advances and refinements in cell imaging have made it possible to selectively image a single cytoskeletal po- mer and monitor its dynamics through the use of fluorescence probes in vitro and in vivo. Two decades ago, cytoskeletal research was limited to a few perturbation reagents that included colchicine and cytochalasin. Today, the perturbation arsenal has expanded to a highly selective group of reagents that includes Taxol, nocodazole, benomyl, latrunculin, jasplakinolide, and such endogenous proteins as gelsolin. These reagents enable the investigator to selectively perturb or destroy a cytoskeletal polymer while leaving other cytoskeletal polymers intact. Site-specific monoclonal antibodies that target a specific cytoskeletal polymer have proven to be highly selective affinity tools for cytoskeletal research.

Download or read book PCR Cloning Protocols written by Bing-Yuan Chen and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2008-02-05 with total page 429 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: PCR Cloning Protocols, Second Edition, updates and expands Bruce White's best-selling PCR Cloning Protocols (1997) with the newest procedures for DNA cloning and mutagenesis. Here the researcher will find readily reproducible methods for all the major aspects of PCR use, including PCR optimization, computer programs for PCR primer design and analysis, and novel variations for cloning genes of special characteristics or origin, with emphasis on long distance PCR and GC-rich template amplification. Also included are both conventional and novel enzyme-free and restriction site-free procedures to clone PCR products into a range of vectors, as well as state-of-the-art protocols to facilitate DNA mutagenesis and recombination, and to clone the challenging uncharacterized DNA flanking a known DNA fragment.

Download or read book Matrix Metalloproteinase Protocols written by Ian M. Clark and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2008-02-05 with total page 547 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Research in the matrix metalloproteinase field began with the demonstration by Gross and Lapière, in 1962, that resorbing tadpole tail expressed an enzyme that could degrade collagen gels. These humble beginnings have led us to the elucidation of around twenty distinct vertebrate MMPs, along with a variety of homologs from such diverse organisms as sea urchin, plants, nematode worm, and bacteria. This, coupled with four known specific inhibitors of MMPs, the TIMPs, gives a complex picture. Part I of Matrix Metalloproteinase Protocols provides the reader with a selective overview of the MMP arena, and a chance to come to grips with where the field has been, where it is, and where it is going. I hope that this complements all of the methodology that comes later. Part II presents the reader with a diverse set of methods for the expression and purification of MMPs and TIMPs, bringing together the long and often hard-earned experience of a number of researchers. Part III allows the reader to detect MMPs and TIMPs at both the protein and mRNA level, whereas Part IV gives the ability to assay MMP and TIMP activities in a wide variety of circumstances.

Download or read book Extracellular Matrix Protocols written by Charles Streuli and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2008-02-05 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It is now widely accepted that much of the dynamic function of cells and tissues is regulated from outside the cell by the extracellular matrix. In ad- tion to its conventional role in providing a scaffold for building tissues, the extracellular matrix acts as a directional highway for cellular movement and provides instructional information for promoting survival, proliferation, and differentiation. Indeed, the extracellular matrix is beginning to take a starring role in the choreography of cell and tissue function. The diverse roles of the extracellular matrix are reflected in its highly complicated structure, consisting of an ever increasing number of components. Yet the mechanisms of extracellular matrix assembly and how they influences cell behavior are only just beginning to be understood. In order to solve these problems new methodologies are, of necessity, being developed. Many of these technologies are highly sophisticated and are currently available only in a ha- ful of laboratories. However, we believe that they can readily be transported and established by other researchers. Thus, the purpose of Extracellular Matrix Protocols is to present some of these complicated techniques in a style that is relatively easy to reproduce.

Download or read book Chemokine Protocols written by Amanda E.I. Proudfoot and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2008-02-05 with total page 349 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The chemokines family of small proteins are involved in numerous b- logical processes ranging from hematopoiesis, angiogenesis, and basal l- kocyte trafficking to the extravasation and tissue infiltration of leukocytes in response to inflammatory agents, tissue damage, and bacterial or viral infection. Chemokines exert their effects through a family of seven G-protein coupled transmembrane receptors. Worldwide interest in the chemokine field surged dramatically early in 1996, with the finding that certain chemokine receptors were the elusive coreceptors, required along with CD4, for HIV infection. Today, though over 40 human chemokines have been described, the n- ber of chemokine receptors lags behind—only 17 human chemokine receptors have been identified so far. What has emerged over the years is that most chemokine receptors bind several distinct ligands, and indeed the majority of chemokines are able to bind to multiple chemokine receptors, explaining to some extent the apparent disparity in the numbers of chemokines and rec- tors. Yet in spite of the apparent redundancy in chemokine/chemokine rec- tor interactions, it is clear that in vivo, spatial, temporal, and indeed cell- and tissue-specific expression of both chemokines and their receptors are imp- tant factors in determining the precise nature of cellular infiltrates in phy- ological and pathological processes.

Download or read book Transforming Growth Factor Beta Protocols written by Philip H. Howe and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2008-02-05 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Philip H. Howe and a group of well-versed experimentalists present the first major volume a collection of indispensable classic and cutting-edge TGFß assays. Described in great detail to ensure robust and successful results, these readily reproducible techniques range from the growth inhibition assay for TGFß to methods for monitoring its interactions with the mediating proteins. Extensive notes discuss potential pitfalls and provide tips on how to avoid failures, and throughout, emphasis is given to detailing those technical steps critical for experimental success that are often omitted in the primary literature. Concise and highly practical, Transforming Growth Factor-Beta Protocols provides today's molecular and cell biologists-both expert and novice-with time-tested methods for the identification and analysis of the signal transduction pathways by which TGFß induces and modulates physiological behavior.