Developmental biology is one of the most exciting and fast-growing fields today. In part, this is so because the subject matter deals with the innately fascinating biological events changes in form, structure, and function of the organism. The other reason for much of the excitement in developmental biology is that the field has truly become the unifying melting pot of biology, and provides a framework that integrates anatomy, physiology, genetics, biochemistry, and cellular and molecular biology, as well as evolutionary biology. No longer is the study of embryonic development merely...

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.

Determination of the protein sequence is as important today as it was a half century ago, even though the techniques and purposes have changed over time. Mass spectrometry has continued its recent rapid development to find notable application in the characterization of small amounts of protein, for example, in the field of proteomics. The traditional chemical N-terminal sequencing is still of great value in quality assurance of the increasing number of biopharmaceuticals that are to be found in the clinic, checking processing events of recombinant proteins, and so on. It is joined in the...

Throughout the more than 20 years that have followed the beginnings of capillary electrophoresis (CE), its application to the analysis of proteins and peptides has continued to be reliable, versatile, and productive. Over time, CE has matured to become a superb complement to HLPC, and in many cases has also evolved as an automated and quantitative replacement for conventional slab gel electrophoresis methods such as SDS-PAGE and isoelectric focusing. Within Capillary Electrophoresis of Proteins and Peptides, we have assembled contributions from researchers who are applying state-of-the-art CE...

Parasitic diseases remain a major health problem throughout the world, for both humans and animals. For many of us, our technologically advanced lifestyle has decreased the prevalence and transmission of parasitic diseases, but for the majority of the world s population, they are ever present in homes, domestic animals, food, or the environment. The study of parasites and parasitic disease has a long and distinguished history. In some cases, it has been driven by the great importance of the presence of the parasite to the community, for example, those that affect our livestock. In other...

Since the discovery that protein kinase C (PKC) transduces the ab- dance of signals that result in phospholipid hydrolysis, this enzyme has been at the forefront of research in signal transduction. Protein Kinase C Protocols covers fundamental methods for studying the structure, function, regulation, subcellular localization, and macromolecular interactions of PKC. Protein Kinase C Protocols is divided into 11 sections representing the major aspects of PKC regulation and function. Part I contains an introduction and a historical perspective on the discovery of PKC by Drs. Yasutomi Nishizuka...

The field of cell cycle regulation is based on the observation that the life cycle of a cell progresses through several distinct phases, G1, M, S, and G2, occurring in a well-defined temporal order. Details of the mechanisms involved are rapidly emerging and appear extraordinarily complex. Furthermore, not only is the order of the phases important, but in normal eukaryotic cells one phase will not begin unless the prior phase is completed successfully. Che- point control mechanisms are essentially surveillance systems that monitor the events in each phase, and assure that the cell does not...

All sexually reproducing organisms produce primordial germ cells, a small population of cells that differentiate into gametes of either sex and carry to- potency, an ability to develop into an entire new organism. The study of germ cells has undergone enormous advances in recent years and has entered into an explosive phase of new discoveries with the introduction of transgenic te- nologies and nuclear cloning. Basic knowledge and techniques developed for lower vertebrate and invertebrate systems have facilitated the study of higher vertebrates, including humans. Many experiments that have...

Many compounds of biological and pharmacological interest are as- metric and show optical activity. Approximately 40% of the drugs in use are known to be chiral and only about 25% are administered as pure enantiomers. It is well established that the pharmacological activity is mostly restricted to one of the enantiomers (eutomer). In several cases, unwanted side effects or even toxic effects may occur with the inactive enantiomer (distomer). Even if the side effects are not that drastic, the inactive enantiomer has to be meta- lized, which represents an unnecessary burden for the organism....

Intracellular checkpoint controls constitute a network of signal transd- tion pathways that protect cells from external stresses and internal errors. Ext- nal stresses can be generated by the continuous assault of DNA-damaging agents, such as environmental mutagens, ultraviolet (UV) light, ionizing radiation, or the reactive oxygen species that can arise during normal cellular metabolism. In response to any of these assaults on the integrity of the genome, the activation of the network of checkpoint control pathways can lead to diverse cellular responses, such as cell cycle arrest, DNA...