This book includes the descriptions of all bacterial cytochromes so far purified and characterized. The bacterial cytochromes are classified on the basis of their functions and are listed in a large number of tables for the convenience of the reader. The author himself is the discoverer of the nitrite reductase of the cd1-type; therefore, the nitrite reductase is described in great detail.

Bacteria change the surface of the Earth. All kinds of bacteria reside in the biosphere, and although sometimes they may cause damage, they also help in cleaning the surface of the Earth and in the circulation of various substances. Chemolithoautotrophic bacteria in particular have a unique and intimate relationship with inorganic substances and human beings. This book covers in detail advances in the biochemistry and physiology of several chemolithoautotrophic bacteria as well as their relationship to certain environments. Included are recent findings regarding the oxidation mechanisms of ammonia, nitrite, sulfur compounds, and ferrous iron by special bacteria. The characteristics of many cytochromes are described to further advance the understanding of bacterial oxidation systems of inorganic compounds. Applications of bacteria, such as in sewage treatment and in biohydometallurgy, among others, are detailed, and bacteria considered closest to the origins of life are discussed in the final chapter.

Cytochrome P450: Structure, Mechanism, and Biochemistry, third edition is a revision of a review that summarizes the current state of research in the field of drug metabolism. The emphasis is on structure, mechanism, biochemistry, and regulation. Coverage is interdisciplinary, ranging from bioinorganic chemistry of cytochrome P450 to its relevance in human medicine. Each chapter provides an in-depth review of a given topic, but concentrates on advances of the last 10 years.

Major advances have been made in recent years in clarifying the molecular properties of the cytochrome P-450 system. These advances stem, in practical terms, from the generally recognized importance of cytochrome P-450 in the metabolism of drugs and in the bioactivation of xenobiotics to toxic products. The fascinating multiplicity and differential regulation of cytochrome P-450 isozymes, and their ability to catalyze extraordinarily difficult chemical transformations, have independently drawn many chemists and biochemists into the P-450 circle. Progress in the field, from a technical point of view, has been propelled by the de velopment of reliable procedures for the purification of membrane-bound enzymes, by the growing repertoire of molecular biological techniques, and by the development of chemical models that mimic the catalytic action of P-450. As a result, our understanding of the P-450 system is moving from the descriptive, pharmacological level into the tangible realm of atomic detail. The rapid progress and multidisciplinary character of the cytochrome P-450 field, which cuts across the lines that traditionally divide disciplines as diverse as inorganic chemistry and genetics, have created a need for an up-to-date evaluation of the advances that have been made. It is hoped that this book, with its molecular focus on the cytochrome P-450 system, will alleviate this need. The authors of the individual chapters have strived to emphasize recent results without sacrificing the background required to make their chapters comprehensible to informed nonspecialists.

Cytochromes c are haemoproteins which carry out electron transfer in a wide variety of biological systems, necessitating different kinds of cytochrome c to fulfill different biological roles. The evolutionary relationship between cytochromes c and their host organisms are described, as well as their structural, spectroscopic and redox properties, including both electron-transfer rates and redox potentials. The treatment is aimed at the non-specialist so that both the techniques described and their application to cytochromes c can be understood. All classes of cytochrome c are dealt with to provide a comprehensive account of the field. No other text provides such a broad survey. Similar to the earlier volume "Cytochromes c: Biological Aspects" which deals with the classification, biosynthesis and biological role of cytochromes c, the present book is aimed at research workers and advanced students.

Seeming sometimes more like science fiction than science, anaerobic bacteria have been at the center of a number of exciting new discoveries. This volume discusses and explains the diversity of metabolism, modes of protein transport, molecular biology and physiology of these unusual microbes. It has practical applications ranging from wastewater treatment to clinical diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions.

Mitochondria are sometimes called the powerhouses of eukaryotic cells, because mitochondria are the site of ATP synthesis in the cell. ATP is the universal energy currency, it provides the power that runs all other life processes. Humans need oxygen to survive because of ATP synthesis in mitochondria. The sugars from our diet are converted to carbon dioxide in mitochondria in a process that requires oxygen. Just like a fire needs oxygen to burn, our mitochondria need oxygen to make ATP. From textbooks and popular literature one can easily get the impression that all mitochondria require oxygen. But that is not the case. There are many groups of organismsm known that make ATP in mitochondria without the help of oxygen. They have preserved biochemical relicts from the early evolution of eukaryotic cells, which took place during times in Earth history when there was hardly any oxygen avaiable, certainly not enough to breathe. How the anaerobic forms of mitochondria work, in which organisms they occur, and how the eukaryotic anaerobes that possess them fit into the larger picture of rising atmospheric oxygen during Earth history are the topic of this book.