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The immune system is a complex network in which different cell types and soluble factors interact to efficiently eliminate various kinds of microorganisms as well as aberrant cell clones. The roots of immunologic investigations reach far into the past. In 430 BC, Thucydides reported that survivors of the plague did not present a second time with similar symptoms. The first report of a successful immu- therapy was made by Edward Jenner in 1798 who found a protective effect of cowpox vaccination against human pox. Since then, much knowledge has been accumulated; today, investigations of the molecular mechanisms of immune regulation are of central research interest. The novel insights into gene polymorphisms and gene regulation gathered from this work has improved our knowledge of individual immune reactions and risk factors in overcoming infections. Strategies to use the immune system for cancer treatment have been propelled by the discovery of divergent immunoregulatory cytokines and the introduction of new gene therapy strategies to modify immune responses. Recently, the discovery of various dendritic cells has focused attention on these cell types as central elements of the immune response and to the possibility of dendritic cell expansion, maturation, and consecutive stimulation with immuno- active tumor-specific peptides. Similarly, methods for ex vivo expansion of various stem cell-derived cell types have led to an improved therapeutic management of various benign and malignant diseases.
This Methods in Molecular Biology book offers methods for studying inflammasome function, including generation of inflammasome stimuli, monitoring of caspase-1 activity and processing, activation of IL-1β cytokines, plus lab protocols, material lists and tips.
A collection of cutting-edge techniques for using capillary electrophoresis (CE) to analyze complex carbohydrates. These readily reproducible protocols provide methods for sample preparation, analysis of mono- and oligosaccharides, glycoproteins, and glycoconjugates. A useful appendix describes the structures of the most commonly encountered carbohydrate residues and olgosaccharides from mammalian and bacterial origins. Each protocol contains detailed information on reagents, apparatus, notes, comments, and tips on procedures.
Studies of membrane transporters have had great impact on our und- standing human diseases and the design of effective drugs. About 30% of current clinically marketed drugs are targeting membrane transporters or channels. Membrane Transporters: Methods and Protocols provides various practical methodologies for the ongoing research on membrane transporters. To provide readers the most up-to-date information, several emerging fields and methodologies are embraced in this book, including pharmacogenomics, bioin-formatics, and microarray technology. Pharmacogenomics studies of membrane transporters are useful in drug discovery and in predicting drug responses in the clinic. In this volume, the current status of pharma- genomics studies of transporters is reviewed and research methodologies in this field are described. Transporter classification is important in studying the structure and function of membrane transporters and has thus triggered intensive interest in recent years. Membrane Transporters: Methods and Protocols provides a systematic classification of all transmembrane transport proteins found in living org- isms on Earth. This classification system will be helpful for further studies on various aspects of membrane transporters, especially for such large-scale gene expression studies as those employing microarray technologies. Bioinformatics is frequently used in transporter studies and has become indispensable for all kinds of research methods. Commonly used bio- formatics methods, such as databases and tools for sequence analysis and - tif studies, are explained in order to facilitate membrane transporters research. Because of heterogeneous sources and tremendous amounts of data, data in- gration has become one of the most important issues in transporter studies.
Cell gene engineering is emerging as a field with outstanding impact, not only in medicine/biology, but also, and perhaps most importantly, in agriculture and in all those food sciences involved in the fight against world hunger. Lentivirus vector-based technologies represent the last frontier in the development of powerful and reliable methods for both in vitro and in vivo gene transfer in eukaryotic animal cells. Although the design of lentivirus vectors is closely reminiscent of those already successfully applied to the construction of oncoretroviral vectors, some unique features, e.g., the ef- ciency in transducing both postmitotic and stem cells, render the use of lentivirus vectors invaluable. It has been a great pleasure to edit Lentivirus Gene Engineering Pro- cols, owing in part to the high level of enthusiasm that the authors dem- strated in contributing to this book. The fact that so many outstanding scientists engaged in lentivirus vector research have provided articles renders it so- thing more than a technical handbook. In addition to detailed descriptions of the most innovative methodologies, the reader may find very informative ov- views concerning both theoretical and practical aspects of the origin and the development of diverse lentivirus vector types. This, in my opinion, rep- sents a unique added value of this volume, which should help our work resist the passage of time, to which books such as this are particularly sensitive.
This collection of robust, readily reproducible methods for microarray-based studies includes expert guidance in the optimal data analysis and informatics. On the methods side are proven techniques for monitoring subcellular RNA localization en masse, for mapping chromosomes at the resolution of a single gene, and for surveying the steady-state genome-wide distribution of DNA binding proteins in vivo. For those workers dealing with massive data sets, the book discusses the methodological aspects of data analysis and informatics in the design of microarray experiments, the choice of test statistic, and the assessment of observational significance, data reduction, and clustering.
Knowledge of the three-dimensional structure of a protein is absolutely required for the complete understanding of its function. The spatial orientation of amino acids in the active site of an enzyme demonstrates how substrate specificity is defined, and assists the medicinal chemist in the design of s- cific, tight-binding inhibitors. The shape and contour of a protein surface hints at its interaction with other proteins and with its environment. Structural ana- sis of multiprotein complexes helps to define the role and interaction of each individual component, and can predict the consequences of protein mutation or conditions that promote dissociation and rearrangement of the complex. Determining the three-dimensional structure of a protein requires milligram quantities of pure material. Such quantities are required to refine crystallization conditions for X-ray analysis, or to overcome the sensitivity limitations of NMR spectroscopy. Historically, structural determination of proteins was limited to those expressed naturally in large amounts, or derived from a tissue or cell source inexpensive enough to warrant the use of large quantities of cells. H- ever, with the advent of the techniques of modern gene expression, many p- teins that are constitutively expressed in minute amounts can become accessible to large-scale purification and structural analysis.
In this new edition, the editors have thoroughly updated and dramatically expanded the number of protocols to take advantage of the newest technologies used in all branches of research and clinical medicine today. These proven methods include real time PCR, SNP analysis, nested PCR, direct PCR, and long range PCR. Among the highlights are chapters on genome profiling by SAGE, differential display and chip technologies, the amplification of whole genome DNA by random degenerate oligonucleotide PCR, and the refinement of PCR methods for the analysis of fragmented DNA from fixed tissues. Each fully tested protocol is described in step-by-step detail by an established expert in the field and includes a background introduction outlining the principle behind the technique, equipment and reagent lists, tips on trouble shooting and avoiding known pitfalls, and, where needed, a discussion of the interpretation and use of results.
Since the discovery of p53 as a tumor suppressor, numerous methods have evolved to reveal the unique structural features and biochemical functions of this protein. Several unique properties of p53 posed a challenge to understa- ing its normal function in the initial phase of its research. The low levels of p53 in normal cells, its stabilization under situations of genotoxic stress, induction of growth arrest, and apoptosis with stabilization of the protein, obstructed the visibility of its normal, unmutated function. The property of p53 that can sense a promoter and transactivate or inhibit is still not well understood. It is still not known whether it is the absence of the protein that causes tumorigenesis, or if its mutants have a dominant role in inducing cancer. p53 Protocols comprises eighteen chapters for the study of the diverse properties of p53 and related proteins. The methods included are invaluable for delineating the function of other proteins that may function as tumor suppr- sors or growth suppressors. The chapters are not presented in any schematic order, for the importance and diversity of the functions of p53 make it imp- sible to organize them suitably. We have made a sincere effort to collect the methods most useful to those investigators working on tumor suppressors or growth suppressors. The purpose of p53 Protocols is not only to provide investigators with methods to analyze similar biochemical functions, but also to familiarize them with the associated problems that arose during the course of investigations.
In 1996, we organized a workshop, inter alia, at the National Research Co- cil in Milan under the generous sponsorship of the European Science Foun- tion. On that occasion, a small group of investigators convened from many countries and presented early evidence of the possibility of assembling basic units of mammalian chromosomes into artificial constructs (or, indeed, red- ing the relevant components to more manageable dimensions and defined c- stitution). Progress in the following years has been slow but steady. Many scientists who took part in the workshop have since been engaged in active and prod- tive research. It goes to the credit of Humana Press to have realized the need for a book on artificial chromosomes that aims to provide better tools to all scientists committed to this field who are confronted with very difficult tech- cal problems. We have strived to cover in Mammalian Artificial Chromosomes: Methods and Protocols all relevant areas of artificial chromosome research, from basic genetics to daring attempts to build new tools for genetic therapy. We are of course grateful to the authors who have accepted the task of describing the technical steps and pitfalls that can be encountered in their research. Rarely has a very delicate methodology been presented with such meticulous care. We have been helped in this enterprise by the excellent librarian of the LITA Institute in Segrate, Italy, Ms. Claudia Piergigli, whom we thank warmly. Ms.