Marine Pharmacognosy: Action of Marine Biotoxins at the Cellular Level focuses on the study and utilization of marine drugs. This book discusses the methods of isolation and characterization of bioactive agents, bioassays, microcalorimetry, voltage-clamp techniques, toxin-induced alterations, measurement of muscle contraction, and kinetics of toxin-induced hemolysis. Organized into nine chapters, this book starts with an overview of the use and usefulness of marine bioactive agents as research tools. This text then examines the pharmacological effects of maculotoxin, which are similar to those of tetrodoxin and saritoxin. Other chapters consider the role of choline in general cellular processes. This book discusses as well the rate of hemolysis as a function of prymnesin concentration. The final chapter deals with the features of the prymnesin–membrane interaction. This book is a valuable resource for pharmacologists, bacteriologists, zoologists, physiologists, botanists, and oceanographers. Scientists involved in biological oceanography and comparative physiology will also find this book useful.

Recombinant DNA and Cell Proliferation focuses on the use of recombinant DNA technology in investigating the regulation of cell proliferation. Topics include gene transfer for assessing the role of defined DNA sequences in triggering DNA replication, nucleic acid hybridization probes for analyzing the regulation of specific genes during the cell cycle, and cloned DNAs for studying genes expressed with proliferation and differentiation. This book is organized into three sections encompassing 13 chapters and begins with a discussion on the expression of specific genes during the cell cycle. This text also deals with topics such as the use of cloned SV40 DNA fragments to examine signals for cell proliferation, expression of dihydrofolate reductase and thymidylate synthase genes in mammalian cells, and gene expression during the cell cycle of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. The following chapters explore the expression of histone genes during the cell cycle in human cells; organization and expression of eukaryotic ribosomal protein genes; and expression of the alpha-fetoprotein gene during development, regeneration, and carcinogenesis. This book also introduces the reader to the role of the cell division cycle in induced differentiation, gene regulation in muscle cells, regulation of nonmuscle actin gene expression during early development, and sequences at ends of cellular DNA molecules in relation to telomere replication and function. An overview of the biochemical aspects of cell proliferation and the genes and gene products that are necessary and specific for cell proliferation concludes the book. This book will be of value both to advanced students and to research scientists.

Cell Biology of the Eye discusses the eye tissues and its role in the investigations on active transport, growth factors, receptors, and differentiation. The book is comprised of articles which discuss corneal proteoglycans; transport of ions and metabolites across the corneal endothelium; the ontogeny and localization of the crystallins in eye lens development and regeneration; the biological-physical basis of lens transparency; the chromatic organization of the retina; and the dopamine neurons in the retina. This treatise will serve as a valuable reference text for graduate and professional students, teachers, researchers, clinicians, and to all in the vision field.

Cell Biology of Physarum and Didymium, Volume II: Differentiation, Metabolism, and Methodology summarizes important experimental research using Physarum and Didymium for developmental and cellular studies. This book is organized into three parts, encompassing 28 chapters that cover the differentiation, metabolism, and experimental techniques for cellular studies. After presenting an introduction to some aspects of developmental biology, this volume describes the ultrastructure and physiology of sporulation, spore germination, encystment, excystment, spherulation, and spherule germination. This is followed by a discussion on regulatory events leading to morphogenesis and on biochemical, physiological, and structural data on the amoeboid stage. The second part focuses on metabolic aspects. This includes metabolic characteristics of myxomycetes; the formation of nucleotides in Physarum by de novo synthesis and from nucleic acid degradation products; and radiation and radiomimetic agents on myxomycete species. Considerable chapters in the concluding part are devoted to procedures and protocol for isolation of cell components from Physarum and Didymium species. This volume also evaluates some techniques, including electron microscopy, time-lapse microcinematography, phase-contrast microscopy, Feulgen staining, and culture methods. The concluding chapters examine the preparation, isolation, and characterization of ribonucleic acid, histone, plasmodial polysaccharides, myosin, actins, and fragmin. The book will serve as a frequent, single reference source to brief cell biologists on the primary research on Physarum and Didymium. It will also be a good source for graduate students in cell biology and perhaps in other graduate courses.

Advances in Marine Biology