This volume is a collection of articles written by Nobel Laureate Rita Levi-Montalcini and published from 1942 to 1995. Studies described in the first part set the stage for the discovery of a protein molecule which became known as the Nerve Growth Factor (NGF), described in detail in the second part. The NGF synthesized in minute amounts in all vertebrate tissues, plays an essential role in the differentiation and survival of several nerve cell populations in the peripheral and central nervous system. The discovery of the NGF was defined by the Nobel Foundation as a milestone in developmental neurobiology, and the author was awarded in 1986 with this prestigious award. Studies pursued in subsequent years and still in progress, have unveiled other fundamental properties of the NGF, described in the third part of this volume.

Neuronal and Glial Proteins: Structure, Function, and Clinical Application focuses on the basic and clinical information relating to a number of proteins that are either enriched in or unique to nervous tissue. This book discusses the structural and functional characteristics of cell-specific proteins, which provide a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in processes that are specific to glia or neurons. Organized into three sections encompassing 15 chapters, this book starts with an overview of the fundamental principles and strategies involved in studying the anatomical, structural, functional, and immunological aspects of brain protein. This text then discusses the techniques, including the preparation of brain tissues as well as the preparation of neural and glial cells in purified form. Other chapters review the two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, which is recognized as a significant technique for discovering brain molecules. The final chapter deals with the membrane-associated nervous system proteins. Neurochemists and clinical researchers will find this book useful.

This volume provides a wide-ranging review of the variety and specificity of receptors, including those for neurotransmitters, hormones, growth factors, oncogenes and antigens, and looks in depth at the fundamental features of multi-subunit complexes and their vital role in coordinating and controlling the functions of the body. These receptors for hormones and drugs are mostly constituted from protein subunits. They may be organised as ligand-operated ion channels in a cell membrane or they may be concerned with enzyme activation to generate second messengers or DNA transcription following a change in the association-disassociation state of the receptor complex. Advances at the molecular level have enabled scientists to relate the structure of these receptor subunits to their specific mode of action and their function and this in turn is leading the way forward to exciting new research with important medical consequences for the treatment of disease. The fourteen chapters in this volume summarise these advances across a wide range of disciplines and the resulting publication will therefore be of interest to research scientists in endocrinology, immunology, pharmacology, oncology and neurobiology.