Camp. Biochem. Physiol. Vol. 102A, No. I, pp. 221-222, 1992 Pergamon Press plc. Printed in Great Britain

BOOK REVIEWS

Motor ProteinsEdited by R. A. CROSS and J. KENDRICK-JONES. 168 pp. 1991. Portland Press, Colchester.

This is supplement 14 to the Journal of Cell Science, based on the EMBO workshop held in 1990. It deals with the measurement of force production; speed of motion; direc- tionality of the force; polymeric assembly of motors; geome- try of interaction and self assembly tracks. These systems are at work in muscle, nerve axonal transport, cell division, embryology and phagocytosis. A well produced and useful summary of a subject that has shown dramatic develop- ments over the last decade.

Hydrogen Bonding in Biological Structures-By G. A. JEFFREY and W. SAENGER. 569 pp. 1991. Springer, Berlin. DM 198.

The relative unspecificity and weakness of the hydrogen bond (H) of only - 3 kcal/mol are of prime importance for life. All biological processes involve intermolecular recog- nition which has to be rapid+lose to a time scale of 10’secc’; thus rapid association and dissociation are re- quired. Water is the matrix in which biochemistry takes place and the structure of water and the use of hydrogen bonds has determined much of amino acid, peptide, protein, carbohydrate, nucleic acid and membrane structure and function. The topics dealt with in this book are: the import- ance of H; definitions and concepts; experimental study of H; H geometries; small molecule structural studies; two center H; three and four center H; intermolecular H; weak H found in C-H groups; halides and halogen atoms as H acceptors; H in carbohydrates; H in amino acids, peptides and zwitterions; base pairing in purines and pyrimidines; H in nucleosides and nucleotides; H in oligoamyloses, cyclo- dextrins, maltrioses and malthexoses; H in proteins; H in nucleic acids; H in water; hydration of proteins; hydration of nucleic acids and the role of three centre H in the dynamics of hydration and structure transition. A very interesting and stimulating book.

Molecular and Cellular Basis of Pattern FormatiowEdited by K. ROBERTS, E. COEN, C. DEAN, J. JONES, K. CHATER, R. FLAVELL, A. WILKINS and N. HOLDER. 203 pp. 1991. Port- land Press. Colchester.

This is a supplement to the journal Development, based on a symposium held in 1990. The topics dealt with include: embryonic axis of Drosophila; polar axis in Mucus zygotes; microtubule organization in mouse embryogenesis; misregu- lation of C. elegans genes; division plane of plant cells; gene activation in amphibian mesoderm; retinoic acid and chick limb bud development; developing eye in Drosophila; anten- napedia promoter P2; homeobox genes and models for patterning the hindbrain and branchial arches.

Understanding Enzymes 3rd edition-By T. PALMER. 399 pp. 1991. Prentice-Hall/Ellis Horwood, New York. Paperback $39.95.

This third edition has been brought up to date and includes chapter summaries, problems (and answers), and further reading. The main chapters are on: background to enzymes

(E); structure of proteins; biosynthesis and properties of proteins; specificity of E action; monomeric and oligomeric E; bioenergetics, catalysis and kinetics; kinetics of single- substrate E catalysed reaction; E inhibition; kinetics of multi-substrate E catalysed reactions; active site structure; chemical nature of E catalysis; binding of ligands to pro- teins; sigmoid kinetics and allosteric E; use of E in biological preparations; extraction and purification of E; E as analyti- cal reagents; instrumental techniques; applications of E in medicine and industry and biotechnological application of E. Students will find this a very useful book.

Sequence Analysis Primer-Edited by M. GRIBSKOV and J. DEVEREUX. 279 pp. 1981. Stockton Press/Macmillan, New York. Paperback $39.95.

This book will help the reader understand computer&d sequence analysis including homology searches; stem-loop identification; protein secondary structure prediction; steps for characterising the gene sequence of NOTCH; sequencing project management; identification of mRNA signals; RNA structure; similarity vs homology; dot matrix methods; dynamic programming; scoring systems; multiple sequence alignment; appendices (nucleic acid codes, amino acid codes, log-odd matrices, software, hardware, databases, glossary).

Protein Engineering-By P. C. E. MOODY and A. J. WILKIN- SON. 85 pp. 1990. IRL/Oxford University Press, Oxford. Paperback $13.95.

Protein engineering is concerned with the construction, analysis and use of modified proteins. After an introduction and an account of protein structure, the book deals with the preparation and analysis of mutant proteins; site directed mutagenesis (tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase, serine proteases, chloramphenicol acetyl transferase and repressor proteins); tailoring protein properties and functions (faster acting insulins, antibodies, subtilisin and engineering thermostabil- ity in lysozyme).

Fundamentals of Protein Biotechnology-Edited by S. STEIN. 310 pp. 1990. Marcel Dekker, New York. $99.75 U.S.A. and Canada; $119.50 elsewhere; $49.75 on orders of five or more copies for classroom use.

The topics dealt with are: protein (P) structure; P biosyn- thesis; P purification and analysis by liquid chromatography and electrophoresis; P as biological effecters; isolation of natural P; large scale production of human leukocyte inter- feron; production of human calcitonin by recombinant DNA technology; structural analysis of P; chemical syn- thesis of peptides; production and analysis of P by recombi- nant DNA technology and monoclonal antibodies.

Biochemistry of RespiratioeBy D. C. JAB and G. S. MATTHEWS. 90 pp. 1991. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Paperback $11.95.

This is an introductory text on the major respiratory pathways. There is an initial section on basic biochemistrv. followed by the stages in the respiratory pathways. The& are questions, summary diagrams and revision points. A

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