Antibodies are the instraments of immune defense and attack. They can bind small atomic arrays as well as large epitopes with high affinity. Antibody Engineering Protocols presents advanced protocols in the field of antibody engineering, reviews of basic principles and methodology, and a historical perspective on the development of cur rently held beliefs about antibody structure-function relationships. The topics cover analysis of antibody sequences, three-dimensional structure, delineation of antibody characteristics in polyclonal mixtures, phage display of natural and synthetic antibodies,...

The intent of this work is to bring together in a single volume the techniques that are most widely used in the study of protein stability and protein folding. Over the last decade our understanding of how p- teins fold and what makes the folded conformation stable has advanced rapidly. The development of recombinant DNA techniques has made possible the production of large quantities of virtually any protein, as well as the production of proteins with altered amino acid sequence. Improvements in instrumentation, and the development and refinement of new techniques for studying these...

This book is intended to be a working guide to the operation of capillary electrophoresis (CE) instrumentation. Since CE is still a rap idly maturing technique, detailed validated protocols are not widely established. Therefore, extensive experimental procedures are not pro vided for individual analyses. The intention is to provide general guide lines on the principles and practice of CE and to give an overview of the specific technologies and important application areas. Part I provides operating instructions for standard commercially available instruments. Guidelines are included for...

Species Diagnostics Protocols: PCR and Other Nucleic Acid Methods is premised on the rapid development in recent years of the use of nucleic acid-based technology for the identification of various organisms. The majority of applications have been in such medically related fields as the diagnosis of disease or the identification of dis- ease vectors, but this emphasis is changing as the potential and range of the techniques becomes more generally recognized. This has been especially true since the advent of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology. The use of nucleic acids for diagnostic...

Protein glycosylation is now acknowledged as a major posttranslational modification with significant effects on protein folding, conformation distri- bution, stability, and activity. The added oligosaccharide chains are large and diverse and have specific recognition motifs important in many aspects of cell interactions and regulation. As such, there is a growing need to communicate the analytical methods of the specialist carbohydrate chemist, biochemist, and physicochemist to protein experts and the pharmaceutical industry. Other areas that come under the influence of the glycosciences are...

The potential now exists in many experimental systems to transfer a cloned, modified gene back into the genome of the host organism. In the ideal situation, the cloned gene is returned to its homologous location in the genome and becomes inserted at the target locus. This process is a controlled means for the repair of DNA damage and ensures accurate chromosome disjunction during meiosis. The paradigm for thinking about the mechanism of this p- cess has emerged primarily from two sources: (1) The principles of reaction mechanics have come from detailed biochemical analyses of the RecA protein...

The aim of Plant Virology Protocols is to provide a source of infor- tion to guide the reader through the wide range of methods involved in gen- ating transgenic plants that are resistant to plant viruses. To this end, we have commissioned a wide-ranging list of chapters that will cover the methods required for: plant virus isolation; RNA extraction; cloning coat p- tein genes; introduction of the coat protein gene into the plant genome; and testing transgenic plants for resistance. The book then moves on to treatments of the mechanisms of resistance, the problems encountered with field...

During the course of evolution, an imbalance was created between the rate of vertebrate genetic adaptation and that of the lower forms of living organisms, such as bacteria and viruses. This imbalance has given the latter the advantage of generating, relatively quickly, molecules with unexpected structures and features that carry a threat to vertebrates. To compensate for their weakness, vertebrates have accelerated their own evolutionary processes, not at the level of whole organism, but in specialized cells containing the genes that code for antibody molecules or for T-cell receptors. That...

Neurotransmitter Methods is intended as a bench-side companion for researchers who seek to identify, locaHze, or measure neurotransmitters and/or to identify sites of neurotransmitter action. Each method is detailed in a user-friendly "recipe" format and the protocols are accompanied by extensive notes to high- light and explain crucial steps. Approaches utilizing an incredibly diverse array of modem techniques are presented: methods including HPLC, histochemistry, immunocytochemistry, in situ hybridization, mass spectrometry, microdialysis, and electrochemistry all make at least one...

The many thousands of human-made and other chemical compounds present in the environment offer a serious challenge to our btosphere. It is appropriate, therefore, that our response to these products of human kno- edge and ingenuity should draw on a body of mtenstve scientific endeavor that is no less impressive. Bioremediation offers the possibility of harnessing the diversity of the biosphere to degrade, remove, alter, or otherwise detoxify these various chemicals. It brings together scientists from a wide variety of disciplines and backgrounds, such as microbiology, molecular biology, a-...