This practical book provides the detailed methodology and expert guidance required for measuring and manipulating cytosolic ion concentrations. In addition, the strengths, weaknesses, and pitfalls of various techniques are presented. It is an invaluable source for those needing an objective evaluation of current methodologies and for those contemplating setting up such procedures. - A one-source reference for measuring and manipulating intracellular ions and for comparing and evaluating current methodologies - Includes overviews of Optical probes and reagents - Fabrication and use of ion-selective microelectrodes - Use of NMR spectroscopy - Ionophores

Gramicidin channels have been studied intensively for more than 25 years. They serve as model transport systems for large protein ion channels, since it is difficult to glean high-resolution structural information on the latter. This book includes contributions from virtually all the major scientists studying gramicidin channels and is the only compilation of work in this field. It discusses crystallographic, spectroscopic, electrophysiological and computational studies, especially in the light of the recent availability of high-resolution structural data, and it compares these with insights derived from larger systems. As well as drawing together much new and exciting work in this field, it provides pointers to promising new research directions.

Unicellular organisms use gravity as an environmental guide to reach and stay in regions optimal for their growth and reproduction. These single cells play a significant role in food webs and these factors together make the effects of gravity on unicellular organisms a fascinating and important subject for scientific study. In addition, they present valuable model systems for studying the mechanisms of gravity perception, a topic of increasing interest in these days of experimentation in space. This book reveals how single cells achieve the same sensoric capacity as multicellular organisms like plants or animals. It reviews the field, discussing the historical background, ecological significance and related physiology of unicellular organisms, as well as various experimental techniques and models with which to study them. Those working on the biology of unicellular organisms, as well as in related areas of gravitational and space science will find this book of value.

A qualitative leap in the understanding of cardiovascular and n- ral regulation by the renin–angiotensin system, and of the role of this s- tem in tissue damage, has occurred as a result of the many recent advances in molecular genetic techniques. The cloning of the genes for the components of the renin–angiotensin system, the design of specific angiotensin receptor ligands, and the use of embryonic gene targeting te- niques for the creation of mutant strains have established that the renin– angiotensin system is important in blood pressure regulation, ion and fluid homeostasis, and tissue growth and remodeling Further investigation of the mechanisms by which this system p- ticipates in cardiovascular regulation may shed some light on the pat- genesis of several cardiovascular diseases, e. g. , hypertension, congestive heart failure, and chronic renal failure. Despite the promise of this system as a target for therapeutic interventions for these diseases, there are great challenges in the integration of the attempts to close the gap between the traditional literature of medicine and the explosion of information from the new technologies. This book’s title, Angiotensin Protocols, reflects the authors’ strong efforts to translate expert knowledge into easy-to-follow practice. The book opens with introductory chapters, and each specialty section provides detailed methods covering a wide variety of techniques, ranging from genetic manipulation of targeted genes to functional studies of the renin– angiotensin system.

Although the function of nitric oxide in a regulatory capacity in the central and peripheral nervous system is widely recognized, the full scope of its actions and its interrelationships with other classes of regulatory molecules is just beginning to be comprehended. This volume contains a number of sophisticated and advanced methods essential for exploring the activity of nitric oxide in the brain. It will be a valuable tool for the established investigator and for those just entering the field. - Comprehensive protocols included for detection of NO and related compounds by chemical, immunohistochemical, and in situ hybridization techniques - Newly developed methods for the purification of neuronal and endothelial NO synthase, production of monoclonal antibodies to NO synthase, molecular cloning and expression of NO synthesis, and control of NO synthase gene expression - Assessment of NO-mediated functions in neurons, central nervous system, cerebral circulation, synaptic transmission, and vascular tone - Calcium imaging by confocal microscopy, evaluation of the effect of NO on iron metabolism, and detection of heme oxygenase-1 and -2 message level and distribution

Low Temperature Chemical Nanofabrication: Recent Progress, Challenges and Emerging Technologies offers a thorough and theoretical background to nanoscale fabrication phenomena, also covering important practical applications. It covers the conventional top down and the newly emerging bottom up processing methods. The latter has proven to be feasible for obtaining device quality material and can either be performed using high or low temperature processing. Low temperature (?100 oC), in particular, is becoming increasingly used due to its simplicity and varied applications, with huge benefits for developing new devices and flexible non-conventional substrates. This important resource is ideal for researchers seeking to learn more about the fundamental theories related to nanoscale phenomena and nanofabrication.

The importance of chloride ions in cell physiology has not been fully recognized until recently, in spite of the fact that chloride (Cl-), together with bicarbonate, is the most abundant free anion in animal cells, and performs or determines fundamental biological functions in all tissues. For many years it was thought that Cl- was distributed in thermodynamic equilibrium across the plasma membrane of most cells. Research carried out during the last couple of decades has led to a dramatic change in this simplistic view. We now know that most animal cells, neurons included, exhibit a non-equilibrium distribution of Cl- across their plasma membranes. Over the last 10 to 15 years, with the growth of molecular biology and the advent of new optical methods, an enormous amount of exciting new information has become available on the molecular structure and function of Cl- channels and carriers. In nerve cells, Cl- channels and carriers play key functional roles in GABA- and glycine-mediated synaptic inhibition, neuronal growth and development, extracellular potassium scavenging, sensory-transduction, neurotransmitter uptake and cell volume control. Disruption of Cl- homeostasis in neurons underlies pathological conditions such as epilepsy, deafness, imbalance, brain edema and ischemia, pain and neurogenic inflammation. This book is about how chloride ions are regulated and how they cross the plasma membrane of neurons. It spans from molecular structure and function of carriers and channels involved in Cl- transport to their role in various diseases. The first comprehensive book on the structure, molecular biology, cell physiology, and role in diseases of chloride transporters / channels in the nervous system in almost 20 years Chloride is the most abundant free anion in animal cells. THis book summarizes and integrates for the first time the important research of the past two decades that has shown that Cl- channels and carriers play key functional roles in GABA- and glycine-mediated synaptic inhibition, neuronal growth and development, extracellular potassium scavenging, sensory-transduction, neurotransmitter uptake and cell volume control The first book that systematically discusses the result of disruption of Cl- homeostasis in neurons which underlies pathological conditions such as epilepsy, deafness, imbalance, brain edema and ischemia, pain and neurogenic inflammation Spanning topics from molecular structure and function of carriers and channels involved in Cl- transport to their role in various diseases Involves all of the leading researchers in the field Includes an extensive introductory section that covers basic thermodynamic and kinetics aspects of Cl- transport, as well as current methods for studying Cl- regulation, spanning from fluorescent dyes in single cells to knock-out models to make the book available for a growing population of graduate students and postdocs entering the field