This book surveys the current knowledge concerning the expression and function of stress proteins in different organisms, ranging from prokaryotes to humans. It provides an overview of the diversity and complex evolutionary history of cell stress proteins and describes their function and expression in different eukaryote models. The book will appeal to researchers and scientists in biochemistry, cell biology, microbiology, immunology, and genetics.

Heat shock proteins are emerging as important molecules in the development of cancer and as key targets in cancer therapy. These proteins enhance the growth of cancer cells and protect tumors from treatments such as drugs or surgery. However, new drugs have recently been developed particularly those targeting heat shock protein 90. As heat shock protein 90 functions to stabilize many of the oncogenes and growth promoting proteins in cancer cells, such drugs have broad specificity in many types of cancer cell and offer the possibility of evading the development of resistance through point mutation or use of compensatory pathways. Heat shock proteins have a further property that makes them tempting targets in cancer immunotherapy. These proteins have the ability to induce an inflammatory response when released in tumors and to carry tumor antigens to antigen presenting cells. They have thus become important components of anticancer vaccines. Overall, heat shock proteins are important new targets in molecular cancer therapy and can be approached in a number of contrasting approaches to therapy.

Presents current information on the molecular mechanisms of drug action. Provides 159 essays describing groups of drugs and drug targets. Several essays deal with general principles of pharmacology, such as drug tolerance, drug addiction, or drug metabolism.

This book will deal with heat shock proteins and more generally with stress-related inducible gene expression as a pleiotropic adaptive response to stress. It presents a textbook-like overview of the field not only to heat shock experts, but to physiologists, pharmacologists, physicians, neuropsychologists and others as well. It is intended to be a state-of-the-art and perspective book rather than an up-to-date presentation of recent data. It should provide a basis for new experimental approaches to fields at the edge of the classical heat shock field. Drugs, UV irradiation and environmental toxics will considered as important modulators of the stress response. Radical scavengers such as superoxide dismutases and inducible regulatory proteins of metallic ion status such as ferritin as well as immunophilins and protein disulfide isomerases will be considered within the frame of stress proteins. The potential practical applications of heat shock proteins in toxicology and medicine for the diagnosis, prognosis and eventually therapy of clinical conditions associated with an increased oxidative burden will be outlined. The role of heat shock proteins in the modulation of immune responses will also be included. The book considers heat shock from a broad perspective including fields for which heat-shock may become of importance in the very near future such as cellular responses to environmental stresses and complex stress responses under specific conditions. It was also felt timely to incorporate a whole section on medical and technological applications of stress proteins.

This book makes a novel synthesis of the molecular aspects of the stress response and long term adaptation processes with the system biology approach of biological networks. Authored by an exciting mixture of top experts and young rising stars, it provides a comprehensive summary of the field and identifies future trends.

Demystifies the genetic, biochemical, physiological, and molecular mechanisms underlying heat stress tolerance in plants Heat stress—when high temperatures cause irreversible damage to plant function or development—severely impairs the growth and yield of agriculturally important crops. As the global population mounts and temperatures continue to rise, it is crucial to understand the biochemical, physiological, and molecular mechanisms of thermotolerance to develop ‘climate-smart’ crops. Heat Stress Tolerance in Plants provides a holistic, cross-disciplinary survey of the latest science in this important field. Presenting contributions from an international team of plant scientists and researchers, this text examines heat stress, its impact on crop plants, and various mechanisms to modulate tolerance levels. Topics include recent advances in molecular genetic approaches to increasing heat tolerance, the potential role of biochemical and molecular markers in screening germplasm for thermotolerance, and the use of next-generation sequencing to unravel the novel genes associated with defense and metabolite pathways. This insightful book: Places contemporary research on heat stress in plants within the context of global climate change and population growth Includes diverse analyses from physiological, biochemical, molecular, and genetic perspectives Explores various approaches to increasing heat tolerance in crops of high commercial value, such as cotton Discusses the applications of plant genomics in the development of thermotolerant ‘designer crops’ An important contribution to the field, Heat Stress Tolerance in Plants is an invaluable resource for scientists, academics, students, and researchers working in fields of pulse crop biochemistry, physiology, genetics, breeding, and biotechnology.

Heat Shock Proteins and Plants provides the most up-to-date and concise reviews and progress on the role of heat shock proteins in plant biology, structure and function and is subdivided into chapters focused on Small Plant HSPs (Part I), Larger Plant HSPs (Part II) and HSPs for Therapeutic Gain (Part III). This book is written by eminent leaders and experts from around the world and is an important reference book and a must-read for undergraduate, postgraduate students and researchers in the fields of Agriculture, Botany, Crop Research, Plant Genetics and Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Drug Development and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

This edited volume offers an insightful overview of contemporary research on signaling pathways. These signaling processes are the comprehensive mechanisms by which all cellular organisms communicate internally and externally with their microenvironment. The volume is focused on heat shock proteins (HSP), which are uniquely involved in a number of critical signaling pathways. Errors in signaling pathways and in the processing of cellular information are known to be responsible for the majority of diseases including cancer, inflammatory and neurological disorders. The knowledge gained from better understanding these mechanisms can help in elucidating disease processes and will assist in development and design of novel targeted treatment therapies to combat human diseases and disorders. Key basic and clinical research laboratories from major universities, academic medical hospitals, biotechnology and pharmaceutical laboratories around the world have contributed chapters that review present research activity and importantly project the field into the future. The book is a must read for graduate students. medical students, basic science researchers and postdoctoral scholars in the fields of Translational Medicine, Clinical Research, Human Physiology, Biotechnology, Cell & Molecular Medicine, Pharmaceutical Scientists and Researchers involved in Drug Discovery.

Provides a thorough overview of current knowledge of stress proteins in both normal and disease physiology and evaluates the potential for developing novel diagnostic, prophylactic, and therapeutic approaches to control human disease based on the latest stress-protein research.

This book sheds new light on ferroptosis, as an only recently recognised form of regulated cell death. Its respective chapters address the numerous implications that ferroptosis can have for virtually all aspects of metabolism. They also share insights on the morphological characterisation of ferroptosis and highlight the different pathways of induction. Accordingly, the book offers a unique perspective on a mechanism that is involved in a multitude of pathologies, including cancer cell death, neurotoxicity, neurodegenerative diseases, acute renal failure, drug-induced hepatotoxicity, tissue ischemia/reperfusion injury, and T cell immunity. Readers will learn in which cell types this form of regulated cell death is likely to occur, and how it can be pharmacologically influenced, making the book a fascinating and informative read not only for scientists working in cell biology, but also for clinicians in the field of cancer research.