A major direction in medical research leading to clinical applications targets the regulation of intracellular calcium and the various human diseases associated with an altered homeostasis of this global second messenger. These diseases include, for example: cardiomyopathy, inflammation, brain disorders, diabetes and cancer. In Calcium-Binding Proteins and RAGE: from Structural Basics to Clinical Applications,expert researchers in the field detail many of the methods which are now commonly used to study calcium binding proteins. These methods and techniques, such as calcium-measurements, screening methods, clinical chemistry, and therapy, are generally applicable to many other areas of basic and medical research as well as to diagnostics. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular BiologyTM series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and key tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical,Calcium-Binding Proteins and RAGE: from Structural Basics to Clinical Applications underlines the diagnostic and clinical importance of this family of proteins in human diseases and as drug targets.

Another objective for this thesis is to study the expression of RAGE and its alternatively spliced variants. PCR analysis has revealed several variants of RAGE that result from alternative splicing mechanisms. The variant proteins are soluble due to a lack of membrane localising sequence. PCR results confirmed the presence of transcripts encoding for spliced variants of RAGE in several tumour cell lines. Among these were transcripts that should encode a soluble form of sRAGE 2. Furthermore, it was shown that sRAGE 2 transcript can be present in forms that contain the ligand-binding V-domain of RAGE or that are N-truncated and lack the V-domain. This is the first report of a soluble, N-truncated sRAGE 2 variant.

Authors highlight several promising discoveries in the field of calcium signaling that provide new information about both genetic and acquired pathologies. Their discussions will give you new insights into the underlying causes of congenital and acquired diseases and point the way to new, even more promising research and therapies.

This volume contains a unique selection of chapters covering a wealth of contemporary topics in this ubiquitous and diverse system of cell signaling. It offers much more than the accessibility and authority of a primary text book, exploring topics ranging from the fundamental aspects of calcium signaling to its varied clinical implications. It presents comprehensive discussion of cutting-edge research alongside detailed analysis of critical issues, at the same time as setting out testable hypotheses that point the way to future scientific endeavors. The contributions feature material on theoretical and methodological topics as well as related subjects including mathematical modeling and simulations. They examine calcium signaling in a host of contexts, from mammalian cells to bacteria, fruit fly and zebrafish. With much of interest to newcomers to the field as well as seasoned experts, this new publication is both wide-ranging and authoritative. The chapter “Calcium Signaling: From Basic to Bedside” is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

Calcium-Binding Proteins—Advances in Research and Application: 2012 Edition is a ScholarlyEditions™ eBook that delivers timely, authoritative, and comprehensive information about Calcium-Binding Proteins. The editors have built Calcium-Binding Proteins—Advances in Research and Application: 2012 Edition on the vast information databases of ScholarlyNews.™ You can expect the information about Calcium-Binding Proteins in this eBook to be deeper than what you can access anywhere else, as well as consistently reliable, authoritative, informed, and relevant. The content of Calcium-Binding Proteins—Advances in Research and Application: 2012 Edition has been produced by the world’s leading scientists, engineers, analysts, research institutions, and companies. All of the content is from peer-reviewed sources, and all of it is written, assembled, and edited by the editors at ScholarlyEditions™ and available exclusively from us. You now have a source you can cite with authority, confidence, and credibility. More information is available at http://www.ScholarlyEditions.com/.

Calcium Binding Proteins explains the unique and highly diverse functions of calcium in biology, which are realized by calcium binding proteins. The structures and physical characteristics of these calcium binding proteins are described, as well as their functions and general patterns of their evolution. Techniques that underlie the description of proteins are discussed, including NMR, circular dichroism, optical rotatory dispersion spectroscopy, calorimetry,and crystallography. The book discusses the patterns of bochmical phenomena such as calcium homeostasis, mineralization, and cell signaling that involve specific proteins. It summarizes ongoing research and presents general hypotheses that help to focus future research, and also provides a conceptual framework and a description of the underlying techniques that permits someone entering the field to become conversant.

This detailed volume explores protocols for studying the many facets of Ca2+-imaging, Ca2+-signaling, and Ca2+-binding along with background information on the principles and application of these techniques. The content of the book delves into 48 chapters including subjects such as data analysis and modern technologies to study calcium-binding and signaling in cells, the superfamily of calcium-binding proteins characterized by the EF-hand structural motif, as well as their use as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in Laboratory Medicine and novel therapeutic drug targets. Written for the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and comprehensive, Calcium-Binding Proteins of the EF-Hand Superfamily: From Basics to Medical Applications presents state-of-the-art, lab-based methods and easy-to-follow protocols for daily use, making it interesting for basic and medical researchers, cell- and molecular biologists, clinicians, clinical chemists, and the diagnostic industry.

Calmodulin and Signal Transduction focuses on emerging themes in the molecular mechanisms of calcium signal transduction through calmodulin-regulated pathways. It provides the reader with selected examples and experimental precedents that underlie current models of cell regulation through calmodulin-regulated pathways and their linkage with other regulatory pathways. - Molecular mechanisms of calcium signal transduction through calmodulin-regulated enzymes - Selected case studies and precedents related to molecular mechanisms - Protein-protein recognition between calmodulin and the enzymes it regulates - Cross-talk and interdigitation with other signal transduction pathways