Download or read book Synaptic Function written by Neurosciences Institute (New York, N.Y.) and published by Wiley-Interscience. This book was released on 1987 with total page 808 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book consists of five sections. The first section details methods for analyzing both presynaptic and postsynaptic function and emphasizes the molecular aspects of synapses. It describes ongoing studies of neurotransmitter release, voltage- sensitive ion channels, and electronic transmission at gap junctions. The second section focuses on the growing menagerie of neurotransmitters: their catagorization into chemical families, their relation to ion channels, their modulation by second messenger systems and their role in pharmacologic action. The third section considers the important relationship of transmitter diversity and synaptic types to the behavior of actual cellular networks. All of the studies described in these sections point to the necessity of considering interactions between anatomy, chemistry, physiology and pharmacology if synaptic function is to be understood at any one of these levels of analysis.

Download or read book The ADAM Family of Proteases written by Nigel M. Hooper and published by Springer. This book was released on 2011-01-05 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The ADAM Family of Proteases provides the first comprehensive review of the roles of ADAMs and the related ADAMTS proteases in biology and disease. Although a few members of the ADAM (a disintegrin and metalloprotease) family have been known for some time, it is only in recent years through advances in genome sequencing that the large size of this family of zinc metalloproteases has become apparent. These proteins have multiple domains including a protease domain and a disintegrin domain. A branch of the family, called ADAMTS, also have thrombospondin-like motifs. The role of ADAMs and ADAMTS members in a diversity of biological processes is gradually coming to light. For example, some ADAMs have critical roles in the ectodomain shedding of membrane proteins including tumour necrosis factor-a, the cell signalling molecule Notch and the Alzheimer’s amyloid precursor protein. Other ADAM and ADAMTS family members have key roles to play in sperm function and fertility, collagen processing, development, cardiac hypertrophy and arthritis.