This highly illustrated book provides an up-to-date description of the structure and function of the translation system including ribosomes, tRNAs, translation factors, antibiotics and aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases.Research on translation is undergoing rapid changes and is receiving significant attention as evidenced by the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2009. The structural research by crystallography and cryo-EM forms part of an interactive framework that involves biochemistry and molecular computation. The book provides a comprehensive overview of translation in light of the structural results. It is a valuable resource for scientists in this and related fields, as well as for students taking courses with a focus on translation.There is no other book in this field currently except the previous edition of this book. The authors have for a long time worked in the field of structure and function of the translation system.

Knud Nierhaus, who has studied the ribosome for more than 30 years, has assembled here the combined efforts of several scientific disciplines into a uniform picture of the largest enzyme complex found in living cells, finally resolving many decades-old questions in molecular biology. In so doing he considers virtually all aspects of ribosome structure and function -- from the molecular mechanism of different ribosomal ribozyme activities to their selective inhibition by antibiotics, from assembly of the core particle to the regulation of ribosome component synthesis. The result is a premier resource for anyone with an interest in ribosomal protein synthesis, whether in the context of molecular biology, biotechnology, pharmacology or molecular medicine.

For decades it has been known that structured conformations are important for the proper functioning of most cellular proteins. However, appreciation that protein folding to the functional conformations as well as the structural maintenance of protein molecules are very complex processes has only emerged during the last ten years. The intimate interplay uncovered by this scientific development led us to realize that perturbations of the protein folding process and disturbances of conformational maintenance are major disease mechanisms. This development has given rise to the concept of conformational diseases and the broader signature of protein folding diseases, comprising diseases in which mutations or environmental stresses may result in a partial misfolding that leads then to alternative conformations capable of disturbing cellular processes. This may happen by self-association (aggregation), as in prion and Alzheimer’s diseases, or by incorporation of alternatively folded subunits into structural entities, as in collagen diseases. Another possibility is that folding to the native structure is impaired or abolished, resulting in decreased stea- state levels of the correctly folded protein, as is observed in cystic fibrosis and 1-antitrypsin deficiency, as well as in many enzyme deficiencies. In addition, deficiencies of proteins that are engaged in assisting and supervising protein folding (protein quality control) may impair the folding of many other proteins, resulting in pathological phenotypes. Examples of this are the spastic paraplegia attributable to mutations in mitochondrial protease/chaperone complexes.

This volume contains the papers presented at the international symposium on "Molecular Mechanisms in Protein Synthesis" held on September 26-27, 1983 at the Beyaz Ko§k in Emirgan, Bosphorus, Istanbul. The symposium aimed to create a medium for information exchange and discussions regarding the current developments in the area of protein syn thesis. To ensure an informal yet scientifically stimulating and productive atmosphere providing opportunity for relaxed and speculative discussions, the number of presentations was limited to twenty and that of attendants to about sixty. The emphasis in the symposium was laid on structure-function relations in the prokaryotic protein synthesizing systems and on the control mechanisms of eukaryotic protein synthesis, in particular, during chain initia tion. Other issues like evolutionary aspects of protein synthesis, translational components genes and proofreading were covered as well. The manuscripts represent the extended accounts of the oral presenta tions, and it has been aimed with the concluding remarks at the end of the volume to give a summarizing view of the presentations and the discussions.

Sugar chains (glycans) are often attached to proteins and lipids and have multiple roles in the organization and function of all organisms. "Essentials of Glycobiology" describes their biogenesis and function and offers a useful gateway to the understanding of glycans.

The goal of this volume is to provide a comprehensive mechanistic and quantitative view of the processes that mediate or influence the quality control in translation. In addition to discussing processes with direct contribution to translation fidelity, such as aminoacylation of tRNAs and translation elongation itself, special attention is given to other processes with impact on quality control: detection and elimination of defective mRNAs, recycling and translation re-initiation, mRNA editing, and translational recoding through programmed frame-shifting. - Provides a comprehensive mechanistic and quantitative view of the processes that mediate or influence the quality control in translation - Special attention is given to other processes with impact on quality control: detection and elimination of defective mRNAs, recycling and translation re-initiation, mRNA editing, and translational recoding through programmed frame-shifting