Adp Ribosylation Metabolic Effects And Regulatory Functions

Considering the current interest in cellular regulation and intracellular signalling systems, it is surprising that the contribution of ADP-ribosylation reactions to the modulation of a variety of specific cell processes, in parallel with other post-translational modifications such as phosphorylation, has not been generally recognized. While it is not feasible to cover all aspects of ADP-ribosylation, the thirty-one articles contained in this volume provide a valuable overview of recent progress in the field within the context of cell control mechanisms. For the convenience of the reader, the various topics have been grouped into several sections: (a) poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation; (b) mono-ADP-ribosylation; (c) toxin mono-ADP-ribosylation; (d) inhibitors and activators; (e) protein modification with ADP-ribose and its analogues; and (f) non-modification forms of ADP-ribose. The contents of the individual chapters reflect the ideas of the contributors, many of whom have spent their careers attempting to resolve the biological functions of ADP-ribosylation. We hope that this publication will serve as a useful reference for those investigators that are new to the area as well as those who are actively studying ADP-ribosylation.

Despite the considerable success in treating diseases of the heart and blood vessels, they still remain the major cause of mortality throughout the world. One of the reasons underlying this problem is our lack of understanding of the molecular and cellular aspects of the processes involved. These problems are fully discussed in Cellular Interactions in Cardiac Pathophysiology, which draws together 25 contributions from leading investigators from all parts of the world. The contributions are grouped under three headings: Extracellular matrix and cardiocyte interaction; Myocytic adaptations and myocardial injury; and Signal transduction.

This special issue of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry contains original research papers as well as invited reviews focused in the field of cardiac metabolism and its regulation under normal and disease conditions. These papers cover many areas under intensive and rapid development such as the regulation of fatty acid oxidation in the heart, the role of cardiac glycogen during ischemia, the role of CPT I isoenzymes, the pathophysiology of diabetic cardiomyopathy, cardiac protection through regulation of energy production, the role of fatty acid binding protein under normal and pathological conditions, and several other important topics in this area of research. We hope that this special issue of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry provides an up-to-date source of information for scientists and clinicians interested in the mechanism by which cardiac metabolism is regulated in health and disease and the mechanistic relationship between disturbances in cardiac metabolism and the genesis of cardiovascular diseases.

This volume contains the proceedings of the 2nd World Conference of the International Society for Molecular Nutrition & Therapy. This conference was held on August 2-4, 1997, in Winnipeg, Canada. The goal of the conference was to advance our knowledge concerning the molecular events which link nutrition to various disease processes in the body. This volume represents an important compilation of unique articles addressing the molecular and cellular basis for the nutritional and therapeutic treatment of five general disease processes.

This special issue of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry contains original research papers as well as invited reviews dedi cated, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the inauguration of the Heart Research Group in Berlin-Buch that today forms a part there of the Max Delbriick Center for Molecular Medicine, to Professor Albert Wollenberger, founder of the Heart Research Group and for 21 years its head. The papers in this issue are written by researchers working in the field of cardiovascular research who together with Albert Wollenberger share the belief that an integrative application of advances in molecular and cellular biology will lead to new concepts for treatment and prevention of cardiovascular diseases. We hope that this special will serve as a good source of information in this regard. We wish to thank all of the contributors for their help and cooperation. We also wish to thank Mrs. Verona Kuhle for her secretarial help. We are grateful to Dr. Naranjan S. Dhalla, Editor-in-Chief of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry for his interest and encouragement, and for agreeing to publish this issue in honor of Albert Wollenberger. ROLAND VETTER and ERNST -GEORG KRAUSE Max Delbriick Center for Molecular Medicine, Robert-Rossle-StraBe 10, 13122 Berlin-Buch, Germany PART I CARDIAC DEVELOPMENT AND REGULATION Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry 163/164: 5-11, 1996. © 1996 Kluwer Academic Publishers.

This special issue of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry contains original research articles and review papers which were invited from the participants of a recent meeting organized to honour the 60th birthday of Naranjan S. Dhalla, Ph.D., M.D.(Hon.). The meeting, organized by Drs. Morris Karmazyn (London), Grant Pierce (Winnipeg) and Balwant Tuana (Ottawa), was held at the Best Western Lakeside Inn in Kenora, Ontario, Canada on August 23-25, 1996. The meeting was entitled The Cellular Basis of Cardiovascular Function in Health and Disease. There were over 40 invited speakers from 15 different countries represented at the meeting, attended by over 280 people. Keynote lectures were presented by Drs. Norman Alpert (Burlington, VT), Robert Jennings (Chapel Hill, NC), Makoto Nagano (Tokyo, Japan), Howard Morgan (Danville, PA), John Solaro (Chicago, IL) and Nobuskira Takeda (Tokyo, Japan). Dr. Henry Friesen, President of the Medical Research Council of Canada, presented Dr. Dhalla with a plaque at the banquet honouring his research accomplishments over his distinguished career. Dr. Dhalla's outstanding research achievements in understanding the subcellular basis of cardiovascular disease were highlighted at the meeting. One of the unique aspects of the meeting was the special effort made by 39 former trainees of Dr. Dhalla to attend the meeting to honour their mentor. The ex-students and trainees came from all over Canada, the United States, Japan, Slovakia, Germany, the Czech Republic, Estonia and the Netherlands. The meeting was judged to be an overwhelming success in terms of the scientific content as well as collaborative interactions initiated.

It is now generally recognized that protein kinase signaling is involved in virtually every aspect of cell function, including growth and proliferation. The field of protein phosphorylation, including the enzymes involved in this post-translational modification, continues to advance at a fascinating pace. Since the first international meeting on this topic, held in Heidelberg in 1994, several new avenues of CK2 research have emerged despite persistent deficiencies in our understanding of the regulation of its activity. Among the significant new directions are studies related to the structure of the enzyme, especially its crystal structure, as well as an interesting aspect of CK2 function that involves its subunits as binding partners of several other proteins. In addition, new data have been gathered on the role of CK2 in transcription as well as in certain other cellular functions. To address these various aspects of the progress of CK2, a number of key scientists from different parts of the world came together at the second international meeting on `A Molecular and Cellular View of Protein Kinase CK2', held at Villard de Lans near Grenoble on September 24-26, 1997. The meeting was attended by nearly 50 participants and included 28 presentations, which provide a view of the latest progress on protein kinase CK2.

This special issue of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry good source of information in this regard. contains original research papers as well as invited reviews We wish to thank all of the contributors for their help and dedicated, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the in cooperation. We also wish to thank Mrs. Verona Kuhle for auguration of the Heart Research Group in Beriin-Buch that her secretarial help. We are grateful to Dr. Naranjan S. Dhalla, today forms a part there ofthe Max Delbriick Center for Mo Editor-in-Chief of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry for his lecular Medicine, to Professor Albert Wollenberger, founder interest and encouragement, and for agreeing to publish this of the Heart Research Group and for 21 years its head. issue in honor of Albert Wollenberger. The papers in this issue are written by researchers work ing in the field of cardiovascular research who together with ERNST-GEORG KRAUSE and ROLAND VETTER Albert Wollenberger share the belief that an integrative ap Max Delbriick Center for Molecular Medicine plication of advances in molecular and cellular biology will Robert-Rossle-StraBe 10 lead to new concepts for treatment and prevention of cardio 13122 Beriin-Buch vascular diseases. We hope that this special will serve as a Gennany ALBERT WOLLENBERGER, Professor, Ph. D. (Harvard), Dr. Sc. Med. (Berlin) The dedication is accorded to Prof.