Drug-Nucleic Acid Interactions


Book Description

This volume consolidates the key methods for studying ligand-nucleic acid interactions into a convenient source. Techniques that are examined range from biophysical and chemical approaches to methods rooted in molecular and cell biology.




Drug'DNA Interaction Protocols


Book Description

A collection of useful molecular techniques to illuminate and explore the interaction of drugs and ligands with DNA. These easily reproducible methods involve sequence recognition properties, as well as the physical approaches for measuring both the strength of interaction and the mode of drug binding to DNA. The interactions are also examined from a cellular perspective and for their usefulness in the design of new therapeutic agents. The powerful techniques detailed here will be particularly useful in elucidating the action of existing therapeutic agents, as well as in the design of new anti-cancer drugs with improved action and reduced toxicity.




Drug Design and Discovery


Book Description

Research in the pharmaceutical sciences and medicinal chemistry has taken an important new direction in the past two decades with a focus on large molecules, especially peptides and proteins, as well as DNA therapeutics. In Drug Design and Discovery: Methods and Protocols, leading experts provide an in-depth view of key protocols that are commonly used in drug discovery laboratories. Covering both classic and cutting-edge techniques, this volume explores computational docking, quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR), peptide synthesis, labeling of peptides and proteins with fluorescent labels, DNA-microarray, zebrafish model for drug screening, and other analytical screening and biological assays that are routinely used during the drug discovery process. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular BiologyTM series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Thorough and accessible, Drug Design and Discovery: Methods and Protocols serve as a vital laboratory reference for pharmaceutical chemists, medicinal chemists, and pharmacologists as well as for molecular biologists.




Chaperonin Protocols


Book Description




Calpain Methods and Protocols


Book Description

The purpose of Calpain Methods and Protocols is quite straightf- ward: it is to present the actual experimental methods used in many different laboratories for the study of calpain. It will provide the vital experimental detail, and the discussion of possible pitfalls, for which the standard journals no longer provide space. This will make it as easy as possible for investi- tors interested in calpain to adopt established methods without repeating old mistakes, and to adapt and apply these methods in novel approaches to the many outstanding calpain questions. These questions range from purely biochemical problems of protein structure and enzyme regulation at the molecular level, through large areas of cell biology, to applied and clinical aspects of calpain function in human d- ease. Within this panoply of topics, a wide range of investigators will find many fascinating and as yet unanswered questions about calpain. Calpain Methods and Protocols will provide instant access to many essential te- niques, while saving them the time and effort involved in developing a new method. In addition to questions relating to the normal physiological roles of the calpains, there is considerable evidence that inappropriate calpain activity may have pathological effects in many tissues, for example, following ischemia. This provides a major stimulus for the development of specific calpain inhi- tors for therapeutic purposes, and for the development of methods to evaluate such inhibitors.




Bioinformatics Methods and Protocols


Book Description

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 and to provide the experienced user with useful tips and an up-to-date overview of current developments. It builds upon the foundation that was provided in the two-volume set published in 1994 entitled Computer Analysis of Sequence Data. We divided Bioinformatics Methods and Protocols into five parts, including a thorough survey of the basic sequence analysis software packages that are available at most institutions, as well as the design and implemen- tion of an essential introductory Bioinformatics course. In addition, we included sections describing specialized noncommercial software, databases, and other resources available as part of the World Wide Web and a stimul- ing discussion of some of the computational challenges biologists now face and likely future solutions.




Polyamine Protocols


Book Description

A unique collection of hands-on enzyme assay techniques to study polyamines and their function. The techniques range from assay methods for enzymes of polyamine biosynthesis and catabolism to measurements of polyamines, polyamine transport, and polyamine effects on cell growth. The methods are presented by leading researchers who have perfected them to a high art, and include clear, step-by-step instructions with numerous hints and tips to ensure readily reproducible results.




Flavoprotein Protocols


Book Description

As a scientist with an interest in proteins you will, at some time in your career, isolate an enzyme that turns out to be yellow—or perhaps you already have. Alternatively, you may identify a polypeptide sequence that is related to known flavin-containing proteins. This may, or may not, be your first encounter with flavoproteins. However, even if you are an old hand in the field, you may not have exploited the full range of experimental approaches applicable to the study of flavoproteins. We hope that Flavoprotein Protocols will encourage you to do so. In this volume we have sought to bring together a range of experimental methods of value to researchers with an interest in flavoproteins, whether or not these researchers have experience in this area. A broad range of techniques, from the everyday to the more specialized, is described by scientists who are experts in their fields and who have ext- sive practical experience with flavoproteins. The wide range of approaches, from wet chemistry to dry computation, has, as a consequence, demanded a range of formats. Where appropriate (particularly for analytical methods) the protocol described is laid out in easy-to-follow steps. In other cases (e. g. , the more advanced spectroscopies and computational methods) it is far more apt to describe the general approach and relevance of the methods. We hope this wide-ranging approach will sow the seeds of many future collaborations - tween laboratories and further our knowledge and understanding of how f- voproteins work.




DNA'Protein Interactions


Book Description

Dr. Tom Moss assembles the new standard collection of cutting-edge techniques to identify key protein-DNA interactions and define their components, their manner of interaction, and their manner of function, both in the cell and in the test tube. The techniques span a wide range, from factor identification to atomic detail, and include multiple DNA footprinting analyses, including in vivo strategies, gel shift (EMSA) optimization, SELEX, surface plasmon resonance, site-specific DNA-protein crosslinking, and UV laser crosslinking. Comprehensive and broad ranging, DNA-Protein Interactions: Principles and Protocols, 2nd Edition, offers a stellar array of over 100 up-to-date and readily reproducible techniques that biochemists and molecular, cellular, and developmental biologists can use successfully today to understand DNA-protein interactions.




Complement Methods and Protocols


Book Description

The complement system, first described more than a century ago, was for many years the ugly duckling of the immunology world, but no more. Complement in recent years has blossomed into a fascinating and fast moving field of immediate relevance to clinical scientists in fields as diverse as transplantation biology, virology, and inflammation. Despite its emergence from the shadows, complement retains an unwarranted reputation for being “difficult.” This impression derives in large part from the superficially complicated nomenclature, a relic of the long and tortuous process of unraveling the system, of naming components in order of discovery rather than in a syst- atic manner. Once the barrier of nomenclature has been surmounted, then the true simplicity of the system becomes apparent. Complement comprises an activation system and a cytolytic system. The former has diverged to focus on complement to distinct targets—bacteria, - mune complexes, and others—so that texts now describe three activation pa- ways, closely related to one another, but each with some unique features. The cytolytic pathway is the same regardless of the activation process and kills cells by creating pores in the membrane. Complement plays an important role in killing bacteria and is essential for the proper handling of immune complexes. Problems occur when complement is activated in an inappropriate manner—the potent inflammation-inducing products of the cascade then cause unwanted tissue damage and destruction.