Proteoglycan Protocols

Proteoglycans are some of the most elaborate macromolecules of mammalian and lower organisms. The covalent attachment of at least five types of glycosami- glycan side chains to more than forty individual protein cores makes these molecules quite complex and endows them with a multitude of biological functions. Proteoglycan Protocols offers a comprehensive and up-to-date collection of prepa- tive and analytical methods for the in-depth analysis of proteoglycans. Featuring st- by-step detailed protocols, this book will enable both novice and experienced researchers to isolate intact proteoglycans from tissues and cultured cells, to establish the composition of their carbohydrate moieties, to generate strategies for prokaryotic and eukaryotic expression, to utilize methods for the suppression of specific proteoglycan gene expression and for the detection of mutant cells and degradation products, and to study specific interactions between proteoglycans and extracellular matrix proteins as well as growth factors and their receptors. The readers will find concise, yet comprehensive techniques carefully drafted by leading experts in the field. Each chapter commences with a general Introduction, followed by a detailed Materials section, and an easy-to-follow Methods section. An asset of each chapter is the extensive notation that includes troubleshooting tips and practical considerations that are often lacking in formal methodology papers. The reader will find this section most valuable because it is clearly provided by experienced scientists who have first-hand knowledge of the techniques they outline. In addition, most of the chapters are well illustrated with examples of typical data generated with each method.

This volume is a comprehensive and up-to-date collection of strategies, reproducible methods, and protocols for the in-depth analysis of Proteoglycans (PGs) and their glycan part, the GAGs. Chapters are divided into three parts detailing GAGs in biological specimens, protocols for the evaluation of the in vitro and in vivo effects of PGs/GAGs, and protocols for compounds related with the metabolic enzymes, epigenetic regulation, and PGs/GAGs-based inhibitors. Written in the format of the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, each chapter includes an introduction to the topic, lists necessary materials and methods, includes tips on troubleshooting and known pitfalls, and step-by-step, readily reproducible protocols. Cutting-edge and thorough, Proteoglycans: Methods and Protocols aims to provide information on the elucidated the structural and functional aspects of the complex matrix macromolecules such as the proteoglycans and glycosaminoglycans.

Critically acclaimed for more than 25 years, the Methods in Cell Biology series provides an indispensable tool for the researcher. Each volume is carefully edited by experts to contain state-of-the-art reviews and step-by-step protocols. Techniques are described completely so that methods are made accessible to users. This volume, Methods of Cell-Matrix Adhesion, contains integrated coverage on cell-matrix adhesion methods. It brings the classical methodologies and the latest techniques together in one concise volume. This coverage includes experimental protocols and their conceptual background for all aspects of cell-matrix adhesion research: the extracellular matrix, adhesion receptors, and the growing number of functional applications of matrix-adhesion in molecular cell biology. Also covered is the purification of the extracellular matrix to functional analyses of cellular responses.

This book provides a comprehensive, up-to-date review of the structure, biology, and molecular interactions of proteoglycans, consolidating into a single source research using molecular, cellular, and animal systems. Of particular note is an in-depth look at the role of heparan sulfate in modulating growth factors and morphogens.

The Protein Protocols Handbook, Second Edition aims to provide a cross-section of analytical techniques commonly used for proteins and peptides, thus providing a benchtop manual and guide for those who are new to the protein chemistry laboratory and for those more established workers who wish to use a technique for the first time. All chapters are written in the same format as that used in the Methods in Molecular BiologyTM series. Each chapter opens with a description of the basic theory behind the method being described. The Materials section lists all the chemicals, reagents, buffers, and other materials necessary for carrying out the protocol. Since the principal goal of the book is to provide experimentalists with a full account of the practical steps necessary for carrying out each protocol successfully, the Methods section contains detailed st- by-step descriptions of every protocol that should result in the successful execution of each method. The Notes section complements the Methods material by indicating how best to deal with any problem or difficulty that may arise when using a given technique, and how to go about making the widest variety of modifications or alterations to the protocol. Since the first edition of this book was published in 1996 there have, of course, been significant developments in the field of protein chemistry.

Presents a comprehensive review of current proteoglycan research, which is providing fresh insights into many major chronic diseases. The proteoglycans are a family of macromolecules which contain one or more glycosaminoglycan chains covalently bound to a core protein. Proteoglycans are a major component of the extracellular matrix of connective tissues and help to determine its volume, resiliency, and organization. They are an important medium through which nutrients, hormones, and other solutes are transported to cells, and they play a significant role in cell-cell interactions. Disturbances in proteoglycans occur in rheumatic and connective tissue disorders, degenerative bone disease, vascular disease, renal disease, and malignant disorders.

The past decade has seen an extraordinary growth in research interest in neurotrophic factors, and the study of the neurotrophin family has led this activity. Nevertheless, this area of research has often struggled as a result of techniques that were either inadequate or just emerging from other research fields and disciplines. Neurotrophin Protocols has brought together many leaders in the neurotrophin field who detail their special expertise in a wide variety of techniques. Though most procedures are valid across many diff- ent fields of research, some of those described here have been developed to address particular issues within the neurotrophic factor field. The protocols cover a broad range of biochemical, histological, and biological techniques that are often required by the modern laboratory. However, all have been written with sufficient detail to allow any laboratory to achieve proficiency without need of reference to other texts. Neurotrophin Protocols is divided into four sections dealing with p- tein, RNA, recombinant, and in vivo techniques. Protein techniques have in general been less successfully employed than those dealing with RNA or DNA. However, procedures that achieve localization and quantification of the neurotrophins are now being used more extensively. Their inclusion here should assist further studies at the protein level. Transgenic cell lines and animals are commonplace in the scientific research literature, but their inc- sion in several chapters in this book provide some novel uses that are not readily available elsewhere.

We must unashamedly admit that a large part of the motivation for editing Genomics Protocols was selfish. The possibility of assembling in a single volume a unique and comprehensive collection of complete protocols, relevant to our work and the work of our colleagues, was too good an opportunity to miss. We are pleased to report, however, that the outcome is something of use not only to those who are experienced practitioners in the genomics field, but is also valuable to the larger community of researchers who have recognized the potential of genomics research and may themselves be beginning to explore the technologies involved. Some of the techniques described in Genomics Protocols are clearly not restricted to the genomics field; indeed, a prerequisite for many procedures in this discipline is that they require an extremely high throughput, beyond the scope of the average investigator. However, what we have endeavored here to achieve is both to compile a collection of procedures concerned with geno- scale investigations and to incorporate the key components of “bottom-up” and “top-down” approaches to gene finding. The technologies described extend from those traditionally recognized as coming under the genomics umbrella, touch on proteomics (the study of the expressed protein complement of the genome), through to early therapeutic approaches utilizing the potential of genome programs via gene therapy (Chapters 27–30).