The interdisciplinary field of molecular systems biology aims to understand the behavior and mechanisms of biological processes composed of individual molecular components. As we gain more qualitative and quantitative information of complex intracellular processes, biochemical modeling and simulation become indispensable not only to uncover the molecular mechanisms of the processes, but to perform useful predictions. To this end, the E Cell System, a multi algorithm, multi timescale object oriented simulation platform, can be used to construct predictive virtual biological systems. Gene...

The Role of Membrane Receptor Lateral Movement in Signal Transduction.

This book considers a recently discovered function of heat shock proteins (HSP): adaptation of mammalian cells to energy deficiency. It discusses the following main problems: 1) how do cells sense transient ATP decrease and why does it evoke heat shock response?; 2) how can HSPs protect cells from damage and death and what are their intracellular targets?; 3) what may be a clinical application of HSP-mediated adaptation to ischemia?

The Annexins is focused on a specific family of calcium and membrane-binding proteins, annexins, ubiquitously spread within living organisms, including animals, plants and fungi. The volume covers important areas of annexinology. The characterization of structural-functional relationship within the annexin family of proteins, together with emerging transgenic animal models, provides an up-to-date overview of potential physiological roles of annexins. Growing evidence of participation of annexins in human diseases, called annexinopathies, related to disturbances in signal...

Ceramide Generation 127 Ceramide Targets 129 Ceramide Function 129 Therapeutic Implications 130 Concluding Remarks 130 14. Ceramide Glycosylation and Chemotherapy Resistance 133 Myles C. Cabot 15. Ceramide in Serum Lipoproteins: Function and Regulation of Metabolism 141 Mariana N. Nikolova-Karakashian Abstract . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141 Int roduction 141 Ceramide is a Component ofSerum Lipoproteins 142 Secretion of Ceramide in the...

This volume provides an exhaustive review of the most current knowledge of the composition, architecture and dynamics of the nuclear envelope. In contrast to other comprehensive works on cellular membranes in general, this book is the first to specifically address the nuclear envelope. Experts in the field relate the different domains of the nuclear envelope, their biogenesis, their composition, their mode of targeting to chromosomes and how they dissociate from chromosomes upon cell division. A wealth of information from several experimental systems is provided, such as dividing somatic...

The book focuses on the latest discoveries on calreticulin, calnexin and other endoplasmic reticulum proteins. Calreticulin has been implicated to affect diverse cellular function and play a role in many pathologies including protein folding disorders, cardiac pathologies, cancer and autoimmunity. This book contains contributions from the world leaders in the area of endoplasmic reticulum function, protein folding, Calcium homeostasis and autoimmunity. It raises many intriguing questions about calreticulin, calnexin and the endoplasmic reticulum and gives a unique opportunity to realize the...

This book is about the arachidonic acid cascade, its biochemistry, its pharmacology, and its roles in signal transduction. Arachidonic acid may serve as an intracellular second messenger in many cell types, as well as precursor for biologically active molecules such as the eicosanoids (a family of oxygenated metabolites that may act as second messengers or as local mediators), and anandamide (an endogenous cannabinoid substance). Dysfunctions in the arachidonic acid cascade underlie a number of serious pathological conditions, making these biochemical pathways the target for drugs of clinical...

This book is about calreticulin, a multifunctional calcium binding protein first discovered over 20 years ago. The protein has been described in various locations: endoplasmic reticulum, nuclear envelope, cytoplasmic granules, nucleus, cell surface and even secreted into the blood stream. This volume outlines the newly discovered functions for calreticulin including its control of calcium homeostasis, modulation of steroid-sensitive gene expression, control of viral RNA replication, modulation of nuclear transport, role in T lymphocyte activation and cytotoxic killing, chaperone function,...

This book is about the role of calcium and calmodulin in the cell nucleus. Calcium, which is an important second messenger of signal transduction pathways, can also operate in the cell nucleus. Different calcium binding proteins, which are the targets of cellular calcium, have been identified in the nucleus of many different cell types. Prominent among these calcium binding proteins is calmodulin, which appears to be involved in the regulation of major nuclear functions such as gene expression and DNA replication.