This book includes the descriptions of all bacterial cytochromes so far purified and characterized. The bacterial cytochromes are classified on the basis of their functions and are listed in a large number of tables for the convenience of the reader. The author himself is the discoverer of the nitrite reductase of the cd1-type; therefore, the nitrite reductase is described in great detail.
Bacteria change the surface of the Earth. All kinds of bacteria reside in the biosphere, and although sometimes they may cause damage, they also help in cleaning the surface of the Earth and in the circulation of various substances. Chemolithoautotrophic bacteria in particular have a unique and intimate relationship with inorganic substances and human beings. This book covers in detail advances in the biochemistry and physiology of several chemolithoautotrophic bacteria as well as their relationship to certain environments. Included are recent findings regarding the oxidation mechanisms of ammonia, nitrite, sulfur compounds, and ferrous iron by special bacteria. The characteristics of many cytochromes are described to further advance the understanding of bacterial oxidation systems of inorganic compounds. Applications of bacteria, such as in sewage treatment and in biohydometallurgy, among others, are detailed, and bacteria considered closest to the origins of life are discussed in the final chapter.
Cytochrome P450: Structure, Mechanism, and Biochemistry, third edition is a revision of a review that summarizes the current state of research in the field of drug metabolism. The emphasis is on structure, mechanism, biochemistry, and regulation. Coverage is interdisciplinary, ranging from bioinorganic chemistry of cytochrome P450 to its relevance in human medicine. Each chapter provides an in-depth review of a given topic, but concentrates on advances of the last 10 years.
Major advances have been made in recent years in clarifying the molecular properties of the cytochrome P-450 system. These advances stem, in practical terms, from the generally recognized importance of cytochrome P-450 in the metabolism of drugs and in the bioactivation of xenobiotics to toxic products. The fascinating multiplicity and differential regulation of cytochrome P-450 isozymes, and their ability to catalyze extraordinarily difficult chemical transformations, have independently drawn many chemists and biochemists into the P-450 circle. Progress in the field, from a technical point of view, has been propelled by the de velopment of reliable procedures for the purification of membrane-bound enzymes, by the growing repertoire of molecular biological techniques, and by the development of chemical models that mimic the catalytic action of P-450. As a result, our understanding of the P-450 system is moving from the descriptive, pharmacological level into the tangible realm of atomic detail. The rapid progress and multidisciplinary character of the cytochrome P-450 field, which cuts across the lines that traditionally divide disciplines as diverse as inorganic chemistry and genetics, have created a need for an up-to-date evaluation of the advances that have been made. It is hoped that this book, with its molecular focus on the cytochrome P-450 system, will alleviate this need. The authors of the individual chapters have strived to emphasize recent results without sacrificing the background required to make their chapters comprehensible to informed nonspecialists.
Cytochromes c are haemoproteins which carry out electron transfer in a wide variety of biological systems, necessitating different kinds of cytochrome c to fulfill different biological roles. The evolutionary relationship between cytochromes c and their host organisms are described, as well as their structural, spectroscopic and redox properties, including both electron-transfer rates and redox potentials. The treatment is aimed at the non-specialist so that both the techniques described and their application to cytochromes c can be understood. All classes of cytochrome c are dealt with to provide a comprehensive account of the field. No other text provides such a broad survey. Similar to the earlier volume "Cytochromes c: Biological Aspects" which deals with the classification, biosynthesis and biological role of cytochromes c, the present book is aimed at research workers and advanced students.
Seeming sometimes more like science fiction than science, anaerobic bacteria have been at the center of a number of exciting new discoveries. This volume discusses and explains the diversity of metabolism, modes of protein transport, molecular biology and physiology of these unusual microbes. It has practical applications ranging from wastewater treatment to clinical diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions.
Recent determination of genome sequences for a wide range of bacteria has made in-depth knowledge of prokaryotic metabolic function essential in order to give biochemical, physiological, and ecological meaning to the genomic information. Clearly describing the important metabolic processes that occur in prokaryotes under different conditions and in different environments, this advanced text provides an overview of the key cellular processes that determine bacterial roles in the environment, biotechnology, and human health. Prokaryotic structure is described as well as the means by which nutrients are transported into cells across membranes. Glucose metabolism through glycolysis and the TCA cycle are discussed, as well as other trophic variations found in prokaryotes, including the use of organic compounds, anaerobic fermentation, anaerobic respiratory processes, and photosynthesis. The regulation of metabolism through control of gene expression and control of the activity of enzymes is also covered, as well as survival mechanisms used under starvation conditions.
An Introduction that describes the origin of cytochrome notation also connects to the history of the field, focusing on research in England in the pre-World War II era. The start of the modern era of studies on structure-function of cytochromes and energy-transducing membrane proteins was marked by the 1988 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, given to J. Deisenhofer, H. Michel, and R. Huber for determination of the crystal structure of the bacterial photosynthetic reaction center. An ab initio logic of presentation in the book discusses the evolution of cytochromes and hemes, followed by theoretical perspectives on electron transfer in proteins and specifically in cytochromes. There is an extensive description of the molecular structures of cytochromes and cytochrome complexes from eukaryotic and prokaryotic sources, bacterial, plant and animal. The presentation of atomic structure information has a major role in these discussions, and makes an important contribution to the broad field of membrane protein structure-function.
The book summarizes the achievements of the past decade in the biochemistry, bioenergetics, structural and molecular biology of respiratory processes in selected genera of the domain Bacteria along with an extensive coverage of the redox chains of extremophiles belonging to the Archaean domain. The volume is a unique piece of work since it contains a series of chapters dealing with metabolic features having important microbiological and ecological relevance such as the use of ammonium, iron, methane, sulfur and hydrogen as respiratory substrates or nitrous compounds in denitrification processes. Particular attention is also dedicated to peculiar groups of prokaryotes such as Gram positives, acetic acid bacteria, pathogens of the genera Helicobacter and Campylobacter, nitrogen fixing symbionts and free-living species, oxygenic phototrophs (Cyanobacteria) and anoxygenic (purple non-sulfur) phototrophs. The book is intended to be a long-term source of information for Ph.D. students, researchers and undergraduates from disciplines such as microbiology, biochemistry and ecology, studying basic and applied sciences, medicine and agriculture.
