Redox Mediated Signal Transduction

Once believed to be involved mainly with energetics, including the production of ATP, knowledge of the role of redox in the control of cellular activity has been expanded over recent years. In Redox-Mediated Signal Transduction: Methods and Protocols, experienced researchers with backgrounds in both the plant and animal sciences contribute timely methods and techniques that can be used to study this important aspect of biology. Beginning with an overview and methods for measuring compounds that affect redox and the redox state of cells, the book continues with reviews of the use of GFP and its derivatives, methods to study the impact of changing redox on proteins, and methods to study the exact molecular changes that may underlie the mechanisms of action of altering redox, among other subjects. As a volume in the highly successful Methods in Molecular BiologyTM series, chapters include step-by-step, readily reproducible protocols, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Cutting-edge and easy to use, Redox-Mediated Signal Transduction: Methods and Protocols is an ideal reference for those who wish to enter this exciting area of research as well as for those who simply wish for a more thorough understanding of the dramatic impact of redox in the control of cellular function.

Henry Jay Forman, Jon Fukuto and Martine Torres "Research is to see what everybody else has seen and to think what nobody else has thought. " -- Albert Szent-Gyorgyi Several years ago, one of us put together a book that dealt with various aspects of oxidative stress and introduced the concept of signal transduction by oxidants. Since then, the interest in the mechanisms by which reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) can modulate the cell’s response has tremendously grown, paralleling the intense efforts towards identifying new signaling pathways in which phosphorylation/dephosphorylation events take center stage. Evidence is now mounting that production of these species by the cells is required for their function from growth to apoptosis and numerous signaling pathways have been identified where the participation of ROS and RNS is apparent (see Chapters 11-14, 16 and 18). Thus, the field is no more limited to the group of free radical aficionados who have pioneered this area of research but has now gone mainstream. While it is satisfactory for those of us who have been working on this topic for a long time, it has the risk of becoming the “fashionable” motto where those molecules, still mysterious to some, become responsible for everything and anything.

Presents recent developments in the rapidly expanding field of redox regulation research. The book examines insights into intracellular communication and new techniques for diagnosing and treating diseases associated with oxidation and reduction. It focuses on important cellular mechanisms, such as redox reactions related to thioredoxin (TRX)/adult

In the past few years there has been the increased recognition that the effects of oxidative stress are not limited to the damage of cellular constituents. There is now evidence that reactive oxygen species (ROS) can alter cell function by acting upon the intermediates, or second messengers, in signal transductions. Such effects on signaling mechanisms probably account for the role of oxidative stress in inflammation, aging, and cancer. This volume brings together internationally recognized researchers in both the major areas covered by the book, oxidative stress and signal transduction. The work is organized in three sections. The first deals with the immediate cellular responses to oxidative stress and the production of second messengers. The second details the connection between second messengers and the gene. The third part looks more closely at the level of the gene.

This book highlights the latest advances made in the niche area of Reactive Oxygen Species and Redox processes in plants. It offers a valuable guide for researchers and students alike, providing insights into sensing, detox scavenging, the role in oxidative deterioration, and signaling associated with redox-regulatory processes in plants. The book also dramatically demonstrates how these amazingly resourceful molecular species and radicals are poised at the core of a sophisticated network of signaling pathways, and act as vital regulators of plants’ cell physiology and cellular responses to the environment. The molecular language associated with ROS-mediated signal transduction, which produces modulations in gene expression that determine plants’ stress acclamatory performance, is also discussed. The book subsequently provides information on current trends in redox proteomics and genomics, which include efforts to gain a fuller understanding of these redox players’ role in cellular processes, and to further the application of this knowledge to technology and agriculture. Given its scope and format, the book offers a valuable asset for students of Plant Sciences, Agriculture, and Molecular Biology, as well as readers engaged in research on and teaching ROS Biology.

One of the major biomedical triumphs of the post-World War II era was the defmitive demonstration that hypercholesterolemia is a key causative factor in atherosclerosis; that hypercholesterolemia can be effectively treated; and that treatment significantly reduces not only coronary disease mortality but also all cause mortality. Treatment to lower plasma levels of cholesterol - primarily low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol - is now accepted as best medical practice and both physicians and patients are being educated to take aggressive measures to lower LDL. We can confidently look forward to important decreases in the toll of coronary artery disease over the coming decades. However, there is still uncertainty as to the exact mechanisms by which elevated plasma cholesterol and LDL levels initiate and favor the progression of lesions. There is general consensus that one of the earliest responses to hypercholesterolemia is the adhesion of monocytes to aortic endothelial cells followed by their penetration into the subendothelial space, where they differentiate into macrophages. These cells, and also medial smooth muscle cells that have migrated into the subendothelial space, then become loaded with mUltiple, large droplets of cholesterol esters . . . the hallmark of the earliest visible atherosclerotic lesion, the so-called fatty streak. This lesion is the precursor of the more advanced lesions, both in animal models and in humans. Thus the centrality of hypercholesterolemia cannot be overstated. Still, the atherogenic process is complex and evolves over a long period of time.

This volume, along with its companion (volume 474), presents methods and protocols dealing with thiol oxidation-reduction reactions and their implications as they relate to cell signaling. The critically acclaimed laboratory standard for 40 years, Methods in Enzymology is one of the most highly respected publications in the field of biochemistry. Since 1955, each volume has been eagerly awaited, frequently consulted, and praised by researchers and reviewers alike. Over 450 volumes have been published to date, and much of the material is relevant even today--truly an essential publication for researchers in all fields of life sciences. Along with companion volume, provides a full overview of techniques necessary to the study of thiol redox in relation to cell signaling Gathers tried and tested techniques from global labs, offering both new and tried-and-true methods Relevant background and reference information given for procedures can be used as a guide to developing protocols in a number of disciplines

Much of organic chemistry is based on the ability of suitably structured chemicals to bind together through the formation of covalent bonds. Biochemistry is replete with exam ples of enzymatically catalyzed reactions in which normal body constituents can be linked through covalent bonds during the process of intermediary metabolism. The finding that xenobiotic chemicals that enter the body from the environment, are metabolized to highly reactive species, and then covalently react with cellular macromolecules to induce toxic and carcinogenic effects was an observation that spawned the research featured in the Fifth International Symposium on Biological Reactive Intermediates (BRI V). The group of investigators that became fascinated with this process and its signifi cance in terms of human health began their discussions in Turku, Finland (J 975), and continued them at Guildford, England (1980), College Park, Maryland (1985), Tucson, Arizona (1990), and Munich, Germany (1995). Among the results were a series of reports listed below, as well as the book for which this serves as the Preface. • Jollow, DJ., Kocsis, J.J., Snyder, R. and Vainio, H. (eds), Biological Reactive Intermediates: Formation, Toxicity and Inactivation, Plenum Press, NY, 1975. • Snyder, R., Park, D.V., Kocsis, J.J., Jollow, D.V., Gibson, G.G. and Witmer, C.M. (eds), Biological Reactive Intermediates II: Chemical Mechanisms and Biological Effects, Plenum Press, N.Y., 1982.