This volume describes the current status of the biology of inositols and phosphoinositides with an emphasis on the development in the area since the publication of volume 26 in 1996 in this series. The progress made in dissecting the genetics, structure and evolution of the seminal enzyme for synthesis of inositol in the biological system has driven the understanding of the enzyme forward. With the current genomic and proteomic tools in place the new role of inositols, inositol phosphates and phosphoinositides in cell signaling or stress response has been explored. These advances are described in this volume and are expected to give new insights into the functional implications of inositol compounds across evolutionary diverse species.

This valuable resource provides a systematic account of the biochemistry of smooth muscle contraction. As a comprehensive guide to this rapidly growing area of research, it covers the structure and characteristic properties of contractile and regulatory proteins, with special emphasis on their predicted function in the live muscle. Also included in this book are intermediate filament proteins, and desmin and vimentin, whose function in smooth muscle is unknown; and several enzymes involved in the phosphorylation-dephosphorylation of contractile and other proteins.

An understanding of the mechanisms by which plants perceive environmental cues, both physical and chemical, and transduce the signals that influence specific expression of genes, is an area of intensive scientific research. With the completion of the genome sequence of Arabidopsis it is understood now that a larger number of genes encode for proteins involved in signalling cascades and transcription factors. In this volume, different chapters deal with plant receptors, second messengers like calcium ions, phosphoinositides, salicylic acid and nitrous oxide, calcium binding proteins and kinases. In addition to dealing with the response of plants to light, hormones, pathogens, heat, etc. on cellular activity, work currently going on in apoptosis, cell division, and plastid gene expression is also covered in this book.

Chemical Tools for Imaging, Manipulating, and Tracking Biological Systems: Diverse Methods for Optical Imaging and Conjugation, Volume 639, the latest release in the Methods in Enzymology series, continues the legacy of this premier serial with quality chapters authored by leaders in the field. Chapters in this new release include Fluorogenic detection of protein aggregates in live cells using the AggTag method, Synthesis and Application of Ratiometric Probes for Hydrogen Peroxide Detection, Chemical Tools for Multicolor Protein FRET with Tryptophan, Fluorescing Isofunctional Ribonucleosides for Adenosine Deaminase Activity and Inhibition, Temporal profiling establishes a dynamic S-palmitoylation cycle, Solvation-guided design of fluorescent probes for discrimination of amyloids, and much more. Provides the authority and expertise of leading contributors from an international board of authors Presents the latest release in the Methods in Enzymology series Includes the latest information on retinoid signaling pathways

Phosphoinositides play a major role in cellular signaling and membrane organization. During the last three decades we have learned that enzymes turning over phosphoinositides control vital physiological processes and are involved in the initiation and progression of cancer, inflammation, neurodegenerative, cardiovascular, metabolic disease and more. In two volumes, this book elucidates the crucial mechanisms that control the dynamics of phosphoinositide conversion. Starting out from phosphatidylinositol, a chain of lipid kinases collaborates to generate the oncogenic lipid phosphatidylinositol(3,4,5)-trisphosphate. For every phosphate group added, there are specific lipid kinases – and phosphatases to remove it. Additionally, phospholipases can cleave off the inositol head group and generate poly-phosphoinositols, which act as soluble signals in the cytosol. Volume II extends into the role of phosphoinositides in membrane organization and vesicular traffic. Endocytosis and exocytosis are modulated by phosphoinositides, which determine the fate and activity of integral membrane proteins. Phosphatidylinositol(4,5)-bisphosphate is a prominent flag in the plasma membrane, while phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate decorates early endosomes. The Golgi apparatus is rich in phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate, stressed cells increase phosphatidylinositol(3,5)-bisphosphate, and the nucleus has a phosphoinositide metabolism of its own. Phosphoinositide-dependent signaling cascades and the spatial organization of distinct phosphoinositide species are required in organelle function, fission and fusion, membrane channel regulation, cytoskeletal rearrangements, adhesion processes, and thus orchestrate complex cellular responses including growth, proliferation, differentiation, cell motility, and cell polarization.

Many of the phospholipases and even the receptor for inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate have recently been cloned and sequenced and play an important role in neurotransmission. Methods developed in recent years for the study of the enzymes and intermediates involved in the regulation of neuronal signal transduction involving phospholipid turnover are presented in this volume. Major topics covered include: * Techniques for examining the role of phosphoinositides in signal transduction * Techniques related to protein kinase C * Analysis of inositol phosphates * Techniques to analyze phospholipid turnover in the brain

This volume in the well-established Methods in Enzymology series features methods for the study of lipids using mass spectrometry techniques. Articles in this volume cover topics such as Phospholipase A1 assays using a radio-labeled substrate and mass spectrometry; Real-time Cell Assays of Phospholipases A2 Using Fluorogenic Phospholipids; Analysis and Pharmacological Targeting of Phospholipase C â interactions with G proteins; Biochemical Analysis of Phospholipase D.; Measurement of Autotaxin/Lysophospholipase D Activity; Platelet-Activating Factor; Quantitative measurement of PtdIns(3,4,5)P3; Measuring Phosphorylated Akt And Other Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase-Regulated Phosphoproteins In Primary Lymphocytes; Regulation of Phosphatidylinositol 4-Phosphate 5-Kinase activity by partner proteins; Biochemical Analysis of Inositol Phosphate Kinases; Analysis of the phosphoinositides and their aqueous metabolites; Combination of C17-sphingoid base homologues and mass spectrometry analysis as a new approach to study sphingolipid metabolism; Measurement of mammalian sphingosine-1-phosphate phosphohydrolase activity in vitro and in vivo; A rapid and sensitive method to measure secretion of sphingosine-1-phosphate; Ceramide Kinase and Ceramide-1-Phosphate; Measurement of Mammalian Diacylglycerol Kinase Activity in vitro and in Cells; Lipid Phosphate Phosphatases from Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

This second edition of Medical Biochemistry is supported by more than 45 years of teaching experience, providing coverage of basic biochemical topics, including the structural, physical, and chemical properties of water, carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. In addition, the general aspects of thermodynamics, enzymes, bioenergetics, and metabolism are presented in straightforward and easy-to-comprehend language. This book ties these concepts into more complex aspects of biochemistry using a systems approach, dedicating chapters to the integral study of biological phenomena, including cell membrane structure and function, gene expression and regulation, protein synthesis and post-translational modifications, metabolism in specific organs and tissues, autophagy, cell receptors, signal transduction pathways, biochemical bases of endocrinology, immunity, vitamins and minerals, and hemostasis. The field of biochemistry is continuing to grow at a fast pace. This edition has been revised and expanded with all-new sections on the cell plasma membrane, the human microbiome, autophagy, noncoding, small and long RNAs, epigenetics, genetic diseases, virology and vaccines, cell signaling, and different modes of programmed cell death. The book has also been updated with full-color figures, new tables, chapter summaries, and further medical examples to improve learning and better illustrate the concepts described and their clinical significance. - Integrates basic biochemistry principles with molecular biology and molecular physiology - Illustrates basic biochemical concepts through medical and physiological examples - Utilizes a systems approach to understanding biological phenomena - Fully updated for recent studies and expanded to include clinically relevant examples and succinct chapter summaries

Phosphoinositides (PIs) are minor components of cellular membranes that play critical regulatory roles in several intracellular functions. This book describes the main enzymes regulating the turnover of each of the seven PIs in mammalian cells, some of their intracellular functions and some evidence of their involvement in human diseases. Due to the complex inter-relation between the distinct PIs and the plethora of functions that they can regulate inside a cell, this book is not meant to be a comprehensive coverage of all aspects of PIs signalling but rather an overview on the current state of the field and where it could go from here. Phosphoinositide and inositol phosphates interact with and modulate the recruitment and activation of key regulatory proteins and in doing so control diverse functions including cell growth and proliferation, apoptosis, cytoskeletal dynamics, insulin action, vesicle trafficking and nuclear function. Initially, inositide signaling was limited to the PLC pathway; however, it is now clear that all the seven phosphoinositides and more than 30 different inositol phosphates likely have specific signaling functions. Moreover there is a growing list of proteins that are regulated by inositol signaling. This has raised the question as to how inositol signaling can control diverse processes and yet maintain signaling specificity. Controlling the levels of inositol signaling molecules and their subcellular compartmentalisation is likely to be critical. This meeting will bring together scientists from different backgrounds to discuss how understanding inositol signaling may be used to target complex human diseases that manifest themselves when inositol signaling is deregulated.

This volume explores analytical methods to study complex lipid mixtures from plants and algae. The chapters in this book are organized into five parts and cover topics such as basic methods of lipid isolation and analysis; mass spectrometry and NMR analysis; lipid isolation and analysis from plant tissues, cell compartments and organelles; lipid signaling, lipid-protein interactions, and imaging; and lipid databases. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, 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. Cutting-edge and comprehensive, Plant Lipids: Methods and Protocols is a valuable guide for experienced researchers and undergraduate, graduate, and Ph.D. students. This book is also an excellent resource for novice scientists with little to no experience in lipid experiments who are interested in approaching this field experimentally.