The endothelium, a monolayer of endothelial cells, constitutes the inner cellular lining of the blood vessels (arteries, veins and capillaries) and the lymphatic system, and therefore is in direct contact with the blood/lymph and the circulating cells. The endothelium is a major player in the control of blood fluidity, platelet aggregation and vascular tone, a major actor in the regulation of immunology, inflammation and angiogenesis, and an important metabolizing and an endocrine organ. Endothelial cells controls vascular tone, and thereby blood flow, by synthesizing and releasing relaxing and contracting factors such as nitric oxide, metabolites of arachidonic acid via the cyclooxygenases, lipoxygenases and cytochrome P450 pathways, various peptides (endothelin, urotensin, CNP, adrenomedullin, etc.), adenosine, purines, reactive oxygen species and so on. Additionally, endothelial ectoenzymes are required steps in the generation of vasoactive hormones such as angiotensin II. An endothelial dysfunction linked to an imbalance in the synthesis and/or the release of these various endothelial factors may explain the initiation of cardiovascular pathologies (from hypertension to atherosclerosis) or their development and perpetuation. Table of Contents: Introduction / Multiple Functions of the Endothelial Cells / Calcium Signaling in Vascular Cells and Cell-to-Cell Communications / Endothelium-Dependent Regulation of Vascular Tone / Conclusion / References

Calcium Entry Channels in Non-Excitable Cells focuses on methods of investigating the structure and function of non-voltage gated calcium channels. Each chapter presents important discoveries in calcium entry pathways, specifically dealing with the molecular identification of store-operated calcium channels which were reviewed by earlier volumes in the Methods in Signal Transduction series. Crystallographic and pharmacological approaches to the study of calcium channels of epithelial cells are also discussed. Calcium ion is a messenger in most cell types. Whereas voltage gated calcium channels have been studied extensively, the non-voltage gated calcium entry channel genes have only been identified relatively recently. The book will fill this important niche.

The definitive text on the key component for cell functions—intracellular calcium This comprehensive book reveals the evidence for intracellular calcium as a universal switch in all animal, plant, fungal and microbial cells. It shows how the components required for calcium signaling are named and classified; covers the technology that has been developed to study intracellular calcium; describes how calcium is regulated inside cells and how it works to trigger an event; explains the role of intracellular calcium in disease, cell injury, and cell death; reveals how many drugs work through the calcium signaling system; and demonstrates how intracellular calcium is involved in the action of many natural toxins. The book also illustrates how the intracellular calcium signaling system has evolved over millions of years, showing why it was crucial to the origin of life. Additionally, the book promotes the importance of the molecular variation upon which the intracellular calcium signalling system depends. Featuring more than 100 figures (including detailed chemical structures as well as pictures of key pioneers in the field), a bibliography of some 1000 references, and a detailed subject index, this definitive work provides a unique source of scholarship for teachers and researchers in the biomedical sciences and beyond. Emphasizes two key scientific principles—the first to show how intracellular Ca2+ acts as a switch, to activate a wide range of cellular events, and the second demonstrating how an analogue mechanism can be superimposed on such a process Written by an internationally recognized expert in the field Filled with images and references to facilitate learning Fundamentals of Intracellular Calcium is an all-important text for post-graduate students and researchers working in biomedicine and biochemistry. It is also essential for undergraduate lecturers and their students in physiology, medicine, pharmacy, and the biosciences.

T cells play a vital role mediating adaptive immunity, a specific acquired resistance to an infectious agent produced by the introduction of an antigen. There are a variety of T cell types with different functions. They are called T cells, because they are derived from the thymus gland. This volume discusses how T cells are regulated through the operation of signaling mechanisms. Topics covered include positive and negative selection, early events in T cell receptor engagement, and various T cell subsets.

Store-operated calcium channels are found in most animal cells and regulate many cellular functions including cell division, growth, differentiation, and cell death. This volume provides a concise and informative overview of the principles of store-operated calcium entry and the key developments in the field from researchers who have led these advances. The overall goal of the volume is to provide interested students and investigators with sufficient information to enable a broad understanding of the progress and current excitement in the field. The volume contains a wealth of information that even experienced investigators in the field will find useful. - The volume provides a comprehensive overview of the mechanisms and functions of store-operated calcium channels - Contributors are authoritative researchers who have produced important advances in the field - The volume is well-illustrated with cartoons and data to facilitate easy comprehension of the subject

The intriguing complexity, precision, and regulation of the wide range of biologi cal processes is determined by intricate mechanisms of molecular recognition. Their nature is under intense scrutiny. In addition to the well-appreciated interac tion of proteins either with amino acid or nucleotide sequences, the investigation of their interplay with carbohydrate elements of cellular glycoconjugates current ly exerts increasing attraction. In the group of carbohydrate-binding proteins, lec tins are distinguished from antibodies or ligand-affecting enzymes, according to the most recent definition. The thorough analysis of their structure and function is considered as a focus to collect a critical mass of information for delineating details of a further array of biochemical processes with pivotal physiological im pact. Following an already century-long history of scientific description, reflected by subjectively chosen highlights (see the Brief History of Lectin Research at page VI), the excitement in glycobiological research that prevails today can easily be ex plained by our growing awareness of the multifarious significance of a sugar-code system of biological information. This present notion unmistakably has an im pact on lines of research in diverse disciplines like cell and molecular biology, histochemistry, or clinical sciences. It also prompts inherent practical questions such as how to obtain lectins, or how to employ them as instruments in various assay systems with the best possible results. Thus, this book is devoted intentionally to cover the techniques in different research fields that deal with lectins.

This book discusses the ways in which mathematical, computational, and modelling methods can be used to help understand the dynamics of intracellular calcium. The concentration of free intracellular calcium is vital for controlling a wide range of cellular processes, and is thus of great physiological importance. However, because of the complex ways in which the calcium concentration varies, it is also of great mathematical interest.This book presents the general modelling theory as well as a large number of specific case examples, to show how mathematical modelling can interact with experimental approaches, in an interdisciplinary and multifaceted approach to the study of an important physiological control mechanism. Geneviève Dupont is FNRS Research Director at the Unit of Theoretical Chronobiology of the Université Libre de Bruxelles; Martin Falcke is head of the Mathematical Cell Physiology group at the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin; Vivien Kirk is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Auckland, New Zealand; James Sneyd is a Professor in the Department of Mathematics at The University of Auckland, New Zealand.