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...

By the end of the 1980s only two microtubule-dependent motors, the plus end-directed kinesin and the minus end-directed cytoplasmic dynein, had been identified. At the time, these two motors seemed almost sufficient to explain directional motility events on polar microtubule tracks in the cell. No- theless, shortly after, the tip of the iceberg began to emerge with the identi- cation of proteins containing in their sequences a domain found in kinesin. This domain, called the motor domain, conferred on these proteins the essential property of moving on microtubules, using the energy derived...

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...

This volume of the Methods in Molecular Biology series is entirely devoted to the study of steroid receptor biology. Steroid hormone receptors represent a powerful system for the study of both the most fundamental molecular mec- nisms of gene regulation and control and the gross physiological responses of organisms to steroid hormones. Research in this field has brought forth advances in the treatment of cancer, endocrine disorders, and reproductive biology, and allowed elucidation of the fundamental biological mechanisms of gene expr- sion. In Steroid Receptor Methods: Protocols and Assays,...

Antigen processing and presentation, as a field, explores a broad range of protein interactions and functions, both intracellular (in the cytoplasm and in the endoplasmic reticulum) and at the cell surface (between T cells and MHC molecules). To investigate such a diverse array, it is necessary that biochemical, cell biology, and immunological techniques all be employed. The purpose of Antigen Processing and Presentation Protocols is therefore to detail the most up-to-date techniques being used in this burgeoning field. Such techniques include those used to question how MHC-binding peptides...

The chaperonin field has captured the attention of numerous scientists in recent years. A rapidly increasing number of reviews and articles have tried to elucidate the mechanisms by which these multimeric complexes drive the fo- ing of newly synthesized and denatured proteins. An obvious common theme of chaperonin research first arose from the study of their structural features. All members of this class consist of multiple subunits that form cylindrical structures, which encage proteins in a cave-like environment where folding of proteins takes place according to the current view. Since the...

Computers have become an essential component of modern biology. They help to manage the vast and increasing amount of biological data and continue to play an integral role in the discovery of new biological relationships. This in silico approach to biology has helped to reshape the modern biological sciences. With the biological revolution now among us, it is imperative that each scientist develop and hone today's bioinformatics skills, if only at a rudimentary level. Bioinformatics Methods and Protocols was conceived as part of the Methods in Molecular Biology series to meet this challenge...

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...

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...

The wealth of primary information provided by genome sequencing projects in various species is of enormous potential value in our efforts to understand biological funtions and molecular interactions not only in normal development and cellular physiology, but also in diseases. However, utili- tion of these resources can come only from the development and application of a fully integrated set of molecular, biochemical, biophysical, and genetic skill bases. As key components of many cell signalling pathways, protein kinases are implicated in a broad variety of diseases, including cancers and...