This book serves as an introduction to protein structure and function. Starting with their makeup from simple building blocks, called amino acids, the 3-dimensional structure of proteins is explained. This leads to a discussion how misfolding of proteins causes diseases like cancer, various encephalopathies, or diabetes. Enzymology and modern concepts of enzyme kinetics are then introduced, taking into account the physiological, pharmacological and medical significance of this often neglected topic. This is followed by thorough coverage of hæmoglobin and myoglobin, immunoproteins, motor proteins and movement, cell-cell interactions, molecular chaperones and chaperonins, transport of proteins to various cell compartments and solute transport across biological membranes. Proteins in the laboratory are also covered, including a detailed description of the purification and determination of proteins, as well as their characterisation for size and shape, structure and molecular interactions. The book emphasises the link between protein structure, physiological function and medical significance. This book can be used for graduate and advanced undergraduate classes covering protein structure and function and as an introductory text for researchers in protein biochemistry, molecular and cell biology, chemistry, biophysics, biomedicine and related courses. About the author: Dr. Buxbaum is a biochemist with interest in enzymology and protein science. He has been working on the biochemistry of membrane transport proteins for nearly thirty years and has taught courses in biochemistry and biomedicine at several universities.

Intended for advanced undergraduates and graduate students in all areas of biochemistry, The Organic Chemistry of Biological Pathways provides an accurate treatment of the major biochemical pathways from the perspective of mechanistic organic chemistry.

This textbook presents concise chapters written by internationally respected experts on various important aspects of cancer-associated metabolism, offering a comprehensive overview of the central features of this exciting research field. The discovery that tumor cells display characteristic alterations of metabolic pathways has significantly changed our understanding of cancer: while the first description of tumor-specific changes in cellular energetics was published more than 90 years ago, the causal significance of this observation for the pathogenesis of cancer was only discovered in the post-genome era. The first 10 years of the twenty-first century were characterized by rapid advances in our grasp of the functional role of cancer-specific metabolism as well as the underlying molecular pathways. Various unanticipated interrelations between metabolic alterations and cancer-driving pathways were identified and currently await translation into diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Yet the speed, quantity, and complexity of these new discoveries make it difficult for researchers to keep up to date with the latest developments, an issue this book helps to remedy.

From the 39th annual conference of the International Society on Oxygen Transport to Tissue (ISOTT), held in Washington, DC, USA in July 2011, this volume covers aspects of oxygen transport from air to the cells, organs and organisms; instrumentation and methods to sense oxygen and clinical evidence. Oxygen Transport to Tissue XXXIV includes contributions from scientists (physicists, biologists and chemists), engineers, clinicians and mathematicians.

The importance of metals in biology, the environment and medicine has become increasingly evident over the last twenty five years. The study of the multiple roles of metal ions in biological systems, the rapidly expanding interface between inorganic chemistry and biology constitutes the subject called Biological Inorganic Chemistry. The present text, written by a biochemist, with a long career experience in the field (particularly iron and copper) presents an introduction to this exciting and dynamic field. The book begins with introductory chapters, which together constitute an overview of the concepts, both chemical and biological, which are required to equip the reader for the detailed analysis which follows. Pathways of metal assimilation, storage and transport, as well as metal homeostasis are dealt with next. Thereafter, individual chapters discuss the roles of sodium and potassium, magnesium, calcium, zinc, iron, copper, nickel and cobalt, manganese, and finally molybdenum, vanadium, tungsten and chromium. The final three chapters provide a tantalising view of the roles of metals in brain function, biomineralization and a brief illustration of their importance in both medicine and the environment.Relaxed and agreeable writing style. The reader will not only fiind the book easy to read, the fascinating anecdotes and footnotes will give him pegs to hang important ideas on.Written by a biochemist. Will enable the reader to more readily grasp the biological and clinical relevance of the subject.Many colour illustrations. Enables easier visualization of molecular mechanismsWritten by a single author. Ensures homgeneity of style and effective cross referencing between chapters