Since the first TRP ion channel was discovered in Drosophila melanogaster in 1989, the progress made in this area of signaling research has yielded findings that offer the potential to dramatically impact human health and wellness. Involved in gateway activity for all five of our senses, TRP channels have been shown to respond to a wide range of st
For researchers using animals to investigate human asthma, explains physiological and pharmacological process in the lung , and reviews the animal models available for studying the bronchospasm and inflammation associated with human asthma. Also discusses such methodological aspects as administering drugs to animal airways and the mechanics of assessing lung function. Also considers the use of genetically altered animals as research models. The sixth volume in the sub- series. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.
The International Textbook of Diabetes Mellitus has been a successful, well-respected medical textbook for almost 20 years, over 3 editions. Encyclopaedic and international in scope, the textbook covers all aspects of diabetes ensuring a truly multidisciplinary and global approach. Sections covered include epidemiology, diagnosis, pathogenesis, management and complications of diabetes and public health issues worldwide. It incorporates a vast amount of new data regarding the scientific understanding and clinical management of this disease, with each new edition always reflecting the substantial advances in the field. Whereas other diabetes textbooks are primarily clinical with less focus on the basic science behind diabetes, ITDM's primary philosophy has always been to comprehensively cover the basic science of metabolism, linking this closely to the pathophysiology and clinical aspects of the disease. Edited by four world-famous diabetes specialists, the book is divided into 13 sections, each section edited by a section editor of major international prominence. As well as covering all aspects of diabetes, from epidemiology and pathophysiology to the management of the condition and the complications that arise, this fourth edition also includes two new sections on NAFLD, NASH and non-traditional associations with diabetes, and clinical trial evidence in diabetes. This fourth edition of an internationally recognised textbook will once again provide all those involved in diabetes research and development, as well as diabetes specialists with the most comprehensive scientific reference book on diabetes available.
Protein Kinase C is a pivotal component of the mechanism that allows a cell to respond to its changing environment. In this book, the most significant advances in recent basic research on Protein Kinase C are explained by active researchers in the field. The first seven chapters provide a comprehensive account of the fundamental structural and biochemical properties of Protein Kinase C. The remaining chapters contain overviews of the function of Protein Kinase C, both in lower organisms and in mammalian cells, the latter with a focus on immune cells and nerve cells. This book is the only recent publication devoted entirely to Protein Kinase C and forms a major point of reference for those active in the field. In addition it will appeal to those with a general interest in biochemistry, cell biology, immunology and neurobiology.
More than 18 million people in the United States have diabetes mellitus, and about 90% of these have the type 2 form of the disease. This book attempts to dissect the complexity of the molecular mechanisms of insulin action with a special emphasis on those features of the system that are subject to alteration in type 2 diabetes and other insulin resistant states. It explores insulin action at the most basic levels, through complex systems.
The volume assembles current information on the role of ceramide as a signalling molecule in 16 chapters written by leading workers in this area. Specific attention is given to mechanisms of analysis of ceramide and its biophysical properties, on enzymes of ceramide metabolism and down-stream targets of ceramide, on the cross-talk of ceramide signalling with other signalling pathways, and on the role of ceramide in neuronal signalling. Finally, the book closes with a section on the therapeutic implications of ceramide action, in the areas of cannabinoid action, chemotherapy, and atherosclerosis, and illustrates the potential medical significance of delineating the roles of ceramide in cell signalling. This is the first volume specifically devoted to ceramide signalling, and will act as an invaluable resource for basic and medical researchers and graduate students wishing to get a state of the art overview of this rapidly moving field.
Members of the protein kinase C (PKC) family of Ser/Thr kinases are encoded by nine distinct but closely related genes, which give rise to more than 12 different protein isoforms via a mechanism of alternative RNA splicing. Most PKC proteins are ubiquitously expressed and participate in a plethora of functions in most cell types. A majority of PKC isoforms is also expressed in cells of the immune system in which they are involved in signal transduction downstream of a range of surface receptors, including the antigen receptors on T and B lymphocytes. PKC proteins are central to signal initiation and propagation, and to the regulation of processes leading to immune cell proliferation, differentiation, homing and survival. As a result, PKC proteins directly impact on the quality and quantity of immune responses and indirectly on the host resistance to pathogens and tendency to develop immune deficiencies and autoimmune diseases. A significant progress was made in recent years in understanding the regulation of PKC enzymes, their mechanism of action and their role in determining immunocyte behavior This volume reviews the most significant contributions made in the field of immune cell regulation by PKC enzymes. Several manuscripts are devoted to the role of distinct PKC isoforms in the regulation of selected immunocyte responses. Additional manuscripts review more general mechanisms of regulation of PKC enzymes, either by post-translational modifications, such as phosphorylation or controlled proteolysis, or by interaction with different binding proteins that may alter the conformation, activity and subcellular location of PKC. Both types of mechanisms can introduce conformational changes in the molecule, which may affect its ability to interact with cofactors, ATP, or substrates. This topic will be followed by a discussion on the positive and negative impact of individual PKC isoforms on cell cycle regulation. A second section of this volume concentrates on selected topics relevant to role of the novel PKC isoform, PKC-theta, in T lymphocyte function. PKC-theta plays important and some non-redundant roles in T cell activation and is a key isoform that recruits to the immunological synapse - the surface membrane area in T cells that comes in direct contact with antigen presenting cells. The immunological synapse is formed in T cells within seconds following the engagement of the TCR by a peptide-bound MHC molecule on the surface of antigen-presenting cells. It serves as a platform for receptors, adaptor proteins, and effector molecules, which assemble into multimolecular activation complexes required for signal transduction. The unique ability of PKC-theta to activate the NF-kB, AP-1 and NF-AT transcription factors is well established, and recent studies contributed essential information on the mechanisms involved in the recruitment of PKC-theta to the center of the immunological synapse and the nature of its substrates and the role of their phosphorylated forms in signal transduction. Additional review manuscripts will describe the unique behavior of PKC-theta in regulatory T cells and its role in the regulation of other cell populations, including those of the innate immune response. This volume brings together leading experts from different disciplines that review the most recent discoveries and offer new perspectives on the contributions of PKC isoforms to biochemical processes and signaling events in different immune cell populations and their impact on the overall host immune response.
Lipid Second Messengers provides detailed methodology for analysis of various lipid signaling pathways. Authoritative contributors explain the factors that regulate lipid second messenger production by agonist-activated enzymes and examine their products. Topics discussed include procedures used to measure lipid-derived mediators such as lysophospholipids, arachidonic acid, eicosanoids, anandamide, and ceramides, and the enzymes responsible for generating these messengers, such as phospholipases, prostaglandin endoperoxide synthases, and sphingomyelinase.
Regulatory Mechanisms in Gastrointestinal Function includes a collection of contemporary topics in gastrointestinal research. The control of gastroduodenal electrolyte transport and the influence of drugs on bicarbonate secretion are reviewed in detail. The importance of the interactions between calcium and cyclic-AMP in intestinal secretion is emphasized in a comprehensive chapter that systematically addresses each link in the mechanisms that regulate chloride secretion. Other important topics included in the book are neural reflex modulation of intestinal epithelial transport, the influence of the microcirculation on intestinal secretion, and nitric oxide as a mediator of physiologic and pathophysiologic secretion. The expertise of the authors has resulted in a breadth of important contemporary topics covered in depth.
