The critically acclaimed laboratory standard for more than 40 years, Methods in Enzymology is one of the most highly respected publications in the field of biochemistry. Since 1955, each volume has been eagerly awaited, frequently consulted, and praised by researchers and reviewers alike. Now with over 400 volumes (all of them still in print), the series contains much material still relevant today-truly an essential publication for researchers in all fields of life sciences. Methods in Enzymology is now available online at ScienceDirect - full-text online of volume 1 onward.

The critically acclaimed laboratory standard for more than forty years, Methods in Enzymology is one of the most highly respected publications in the field of biochemistry. Since 1955, each volume has been eagerly awaited, frequently consulted, and praised by researchers and reviewers alike. Now with over 400 volumes (all of them still in print), the series contains much material still relevant today—truly an essential publication for researchers in all fields of life sciences. Methods in Enzymology is now available online at ScienceDirect — full-text online of volumes 1 onwards. For more information about the Elsevier Book Series on ScienceDirect Program, please visit: http://www.info.sciencedirect.com/bookseries/ This volume is the first of two planned volumes on the topic of small GTPases and their role in disease.

The critically acclaimed laboratory standard for more than 40 years, Methods in Enzymology is one of the most highly respected publications in the field of biochemistry. Since 1955, each volume has been eagerly awaited, frequently consulted, and praised by researchers and reviewers alike. Now with over 400 volumes (all of them still in print), the series contains much material still relevant today—truly an essential publication for researchers in all fields of life sciences. Methods in Enzymology is now available online at ScienceDirect — full-text online of volume 1 onward.

This first of two volumes provides a general overview of the genetics, structure, mechanism and regulation of the Ras superfamily proteins and describes in detail the signaling pathways and processes regulated by specific members of this family. The focus of this first volume is on the Rho and Ras subfamily of small G proteins. Renowned scientists provide insights into the biochemistry of the classical and non-classical small G-protein family members, their spatio-temporal regulation, their effectors and their roles in health and disease. Together with Volume 2, this book provides a comprehensive and state-of-the-art work on small G-proteins (GTPases). It is intended for graduates and professors in biochemistry and cell biology already working on small G-proteins (small GTPases), but also offers an extremely valuable resource for those readers who are new to the field.

In recent years remarkable progress has been accomplished with respect to our knowledge about bacterial protein toxins. This refers especially to structural aspects of protein toxins but also holds true for genetics, molecular biology and biochemical mechanisms underlying the action of toxins. This volume covers the very current and exciting aspects of up-to-date bacterial toxicology and comprehensively reviews the most important bacterial protein toxins such as the intracellular acting toxins which exhibit enzyme activity, as well as those toxins that interact with cell plasma membranes by damaging the membranes (pore formation) or stimulating cell receptors (superantigens). This is the most current reference work on these important bacterial protein toxins, which are presented from the point of view of different disciplines such as pharmacology, microbiology, cell biology and protein chemistry.

For the first time experts in the area of signalling research with a focus on the ARF family have contributed to the production of a title devoted to ARF biology. A comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of the ARF family, tables of the ARF GEFs and ARF GAPs, and more than a dozen chapters describing them in detail are provided. The impact of the ARF proteins on widely diverse aspects of cell biology and cell signalling can be clearly seen from the activities described; including membrane traffic, lipid metabolism, receptor desensitization, mouse development, microtubule dynamics, and bacterial pathogenesis. Anyone interested in understanding the complexities of cell signalling and the integration of signalling networks will benefit from this volume.

This book covers the past, present and future of the intra-cellular trafficking field, which has made a quantum leap in the last few decades. It details how the field has developed and evolved as well as examines future directions.

In the last 10 years researchers have firmly established key roles for R- related GTPases in almost every aspect of cell biology. In the 1980s the pro- oncogene Ras itself was the focus of interest, though in the 1990s this shifted to the increasing variety of Ras-related proteins. In this new decade much yet needs to be done to establish the role for all the small GTPases now uncovered by the human genome project. In particular, these GTPases need to be und- stood in the appropriate biochemical and cellular contexts. In the process of trying to uncover the role of these versatile proteins, a variety of novel te- niques and methodologies has been developed. These now enable investi- tors to move easily within a diversity of fields ranging from structural studies to real-time in vivo analysis of a GTPase. In recognition of the need for access to key background methodologies, GTPase Protocols: The Ras Superfamily is devoted to techniques that are pr- ently widely used and that will continue to be the standard for researchers worldwide. Each chapter is aimed at supplying detailed methodologies to allow reproduction in any laboratory, while also providing the general pr- ciples on which the methods are based. Some of the techniques grouped in the first section apply broadly to small GTPases, whereas others in Part II are more applicable within each GTPase subfamily.

The peroxisome is an organelle with essential roles in lipid metabolism, maintenance of reactive oxygen species homeostasis, and anaplerotic replenishment of tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates destined for mitochondria. Peroxisomes constitute a dynamic endomembrane system. The homeostatic state of this system is upheld via two pathways for assembling and maintaining the diverse peroxisomal compartments constituting it; the relative contribution of each pathway to preserving such system may vary in different organisms and under various physiological conditions. One pathway begins with the targeting of certain peroxisomal membrane proteins to an endoplasmic reticulum template and their exit from the template via pre-peroxisomal carriers; these carriers mature into metabolically active peroxisomes containing the entire complement of membrane and matrix proteins. Another pathway operates via growth and maturation of pre-existing peroxisomal precursors that do not originate from the endoplasmic reticulum; mature peroxisomes proliferate by undergoing fission. Recent studies have uncovered new roles for the peroxisomal endomembrane system in orchestrating important developmental decisions and defining organismal longevity. This Frontiers Special Topic Issue is focused on the advances in our understanding of how evolutionarily distant organisms coordinate the formation, maturation, proliferation, maintenance, inheritance and quality control of the peroxisomal endomembrane system and how peroxisomal endomembranes communicate with other cellular compartments to orchestrate complex biological processes and various developmental programs from inside the cell.

Handbook of Cell Signaling, Three-Volume Set, 2e, is a comprehensive work covering all aspects of intracellular signal processing, including extra/intracellular membrane receptors, signal transduction, gene expression/translation, and cellular/organotypic signal responses. The second edition is an up-to-date, expanded reference with each section edited by a recognized expert in the field. Tabular and well illustrated, the Handbook will serve as an in-depth reference for this complex and evolving field. Handbook of Cell Signaling, 2/e will appeal to a broad, cross-disciplinary audience interested in the structure, biochemistry, molecular biology and pathology of cellular effectors. - Contains over 350 chapters of comprehensive coverage on cell signaling - Includes discussion on topics from ligand/receptor interactions to organ/organism responses - Provides user-friendly, well-illustrated, reputable content by experts in the field