Serpins are a group of proteins with similar structures that were first identified as a set of proteins able to inhibit proteases. This volume in the Methods in Enzymology series comprehensively covers this topic. With an international board of authors, this volume covers subjects such as Crystallography of serpins and serpin complexes, Serpins as hormone transporters, and Production of serpins using cell free systems. This volume in the Methods in Enzymology series comprehensively covers the topic of serpins With an international board of authors, this volume covers subjects such as Crystallography of serpins and serpin complexes, Serpins as hormone transporters, and Production of serpins using cell free systems

The book provides an comprehensive overview on biology, genetics and cellular functions of serpins (serine protease inhibitors) in health and disease. With over 1000 members serpins are the most diverse family of protease inhibitors. Latest groundbreaking research findings are presented and broaden the understanding on inhibitory and non-inhibitory serpins, not only in mammalian organisms but also in insects, worms, plants and viruses.​

Serpins are a group of proteins with similar structures that were first identified as a set of proteins able to inhibit proteases. The acronym serpin was originally coined because many serpins inhibit chymotrypsin-like serine proteases. This volume of Methods in Ezymology is split into 2 parts and comprehensively covers the subject.

With the most comprehensive and up-to-date overview of structure-based drug discovery covering both experimental and computational approaches, Structural Biology in Drug Discovery: Methods, Techniques, and Practices describes principles, methods, applications, and emerging paradigms of structural biology as a tool for more efficient drug development. Coverage includes successful examples, academic and industry insights, novel concepts, and advances in a rapidly evolving field. The combined chapters, by authors writing from the frontlines of structural biology and drug discovery, give readers a valuable reference and resource that: Presents the benefits, limitations, and potentiality of major techniques in the field such as X-ray crystallography, NMR, neutron crystallography, cryo-EM, mass spectrometry and other biophysical techniques, and computational structural biology Includes detailed chapters on druggability, allostery, complementary use of thermodynamic and kinetic information, and powerful approaches such as structural chemogenomics and fragment-based drug design Emphasizes the need for the in-depth biophysical characterization of protein targets as well as of therapeutic proteins, and for a thorough quality assessment of experimental structures Illustrates advances in the field of established therapeutic targets like kinases, serine proteinases, GPCRs, and epigenetic proteins, and of more challenging ones like protein-protein interactions and intrinsically disordered proteins

This book contains the proceedings of the International Symposium on the Mechanisms of Sexual Reproduction in Animals and Plants, where many plant and animal reproductive biologists gathered to discuss their recent progress in investigating the shared mechanisms and factors involved in sexual reproduction. This now is the first book that reviews recent progress in almost all fields of plant and animal fertilization. It was recently reported that the self-sterile mechanism of a hermaphroditic marine invertebrate (ascidian) is very similar to the self-incompatibility system in flowering plants. It was also found that a male factor expressed in the sperm cells of flowering plants is involved in gamete fusion not only of plants but also of animals and parasites. These discoveries have led to the consideration that the core mechanisms or factors involved in sexual reproduction may be shared by animals, plants and unicellular organisms. This valuable book is highly useful for reproductive biologists as well as for biological scientists outside this field in understanding the current progress of reproductive biology.

Acute Phase Proteins covers all major aspects of acute phase proteins (APP) starting with molecular mechanisms regulating their synthesis and ending with their functional significance. The book features 36 chapters addressing such topics as acute phase response and the APP; major APP and their structure and functions; regulation of APP synthesis, the cytokines and hormones implicated in these processes, and molecular mechanisms involved; signal transduction of cytokines in hepatocytes and posttranscriptional processes; and quantitative and qualitative evaluation of APP in clinical practice. The book will be an important reference for immunologists, molecular biologists, cellular biologists, biochemists, and clinical chemists.