Proceedings of an international workshop held in Hamburg, Germany, May 19-23, 1996

Documents the first conference on the topic, called in response to opportunities opened by the molecular characterization of the first mammalian mono(ADP-ribosyl)transferase enzyme from rabbit skeletal muscles, and the subsequent realization that one had already been to hand in a well-studied surfac

This is the most comprehensive, up-to-date reference on this post-translational modification of proteins, which is intimately linked with DNA repair, maintenance of genomic stability, transcriptional regulation, cell death and a variety of other cellular phenomena as well as with a variety of pathophysiological conditions, including ischemia-reperfusion damage, Parkinson’s disease, Type I diabetes mellitus, hemorrhagic and septic shock and other inflammatory conditions. Richly illustrated, it offers 19 chapters written by international experts.

Current interest in NAD (Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) in biological systems focuses on its role in ADP-ribose transfer reactions. These appear to be fundamentally involved in the regulation of many physiological processes. The contributions in this monograph thus represent the range of research in the very active investigation of niacin metabolism. The major topics covered are: ??? - Enzymology of ADP-Ribosylation - ADP-Ribosylation and Chromatin Function - Carcinogenesis and Differentiation - NAD Metabolism and Chemotherapy - ADP-Ribosylation and Signal Transduction - Molecular Genetic Approaches to ADP-Ribosylation

This special issue of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry contains twenty-two selected research papers and reviews from a total of one hundred and ten presentations given at the 12th International Symposium on ADP-ribosylation Reactions: From Bacterial Pathogenesis to Cancer, held in Cancun, Mexico, May 10-14, 1997. The Symposium was hosted by the Sociedad Mexicana de Bioquimica and was sponsored by the University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX, USA. This volume provides a state-of-the-art source of information for basic scientists and clinicians who are interested in the molecular, biochemical, and cellular aspects of protein-(ADP-ribose) transfer reactions in human health and disease.

In 1966, a paper entitled "On the formation of a novel adenylylic compound by enzymatic extracts of liver nuclei" from Paul Mandel's laboratory in Strasbourg, France, planted the seed for a rapidly growing new field of biological research focusing on ADP-ribosylation reactions. The development of this field over the past 2 decades reflects very much a modern trend of biological research. As more detailed knowledge accumulates, enigmatic phenomena turn into concepts which create their own enigmata. This process tends to favor the development of multiple, seemingly disconnected, research lines until simplicity emerges from chaos and unifying concepts substitute for controversy. It appears that the field of ADP-ribosylation reactions has not yet attained this latter stage. For example, with the identification of two different classes of ADP-ribosylation reactions, i.e., mono-ADP-ribosyla tion and poly-ADP-ribosylation reactions, the field split very early into two separate branches of research. With the present volume, we have divided the task of reviewing these two classes of ADP ribosylation accordingly, although their coexistence in eukaryotes may involve a closer functional linkage than hitherto recognized.

Considering the current interest in cellular regulation and intracellular signalling systems, it is surprising that the contribution of ADP-ribosylation reactions to the modulation of a variety of specific cell processes, in parallel with other post-translational modifications such as phosphorylation, has not been generally recognized. While it is not feasible to cover all aspects of ADP-ribosylation, the thirty-one articles contained in this volume provide a valuable overview of recent progress in the field within the context of cell control mechanisms. For the convenience of the reader, the various topics have been grouped into several sections: (a) poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation; (b) mono-ADP-ribosylation; (c) toxin mono-ADP-ribosylation; (d) inhibitors and activators; (e) protein modification with ADP-ribose and its analogues; and (f) non-modification forms of ADP-ribose. The contents of the individual chapters reflect the ideas of the contributors, many of whom have spent their careers attempting to resolve the biological functions of ADP-ribosylation. We hope that this publication will serve as a useful reference for those investigators that are new to the area as well as those who are actively studying ADP-ribosylation.