The Biology Of Cholinesterases

Presenting the proceedings of the Third International Meeting on Cholinesterases, this volume provides a wealth of new information on current cholinesterase research and explores a number of avenues for future research. Important advances resulting from new concepts and methodologies such as monoclonal antibodies and molecular genetics, are covered. Among the topics covered in its 49 full papers and 140 poster papers are polymorphism and structure, cellular biology, gene structure and expression, agents, and noncholinergic roles of cholinesterases.

The Fifth International Meeting on Cholinesterases convened in Madras, India, in September of 1994. The long and rich history and culture of India provided an excellent setting for the meeting. More than 120 delegates from Asia, Australia, Europe and North America heard 54 oral presentations and viewed 54 posters on current research on enzymes of the cholinesterase family. The aim of this book is to compile the presentations of the Fifth International Meeting on Cholinesterases into a volume that describes recent investigations on the structure and catalytic function of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) and related enzymes, as well as studies on the molecular and cellular biology of these enzymes and the genes which encode them. Cholinesterases enjoy a long and storied history in diverse areas. In basic biochemical research, AChE is one of the best studied, though yet enigmatic, of enzymes. The efficient catalytic function of this enzyme presents the biochemist with a fundamental challenge in understanding the relationship between structure and function. AChE and BuChE belong to a family of proteins, the alB hydrolase fold family, whose constituents evolutionarily diverged from a common ancestor. Proteins in this family have a wide range of physiological functions. In commerce, AChE is a prime target for agricultural insect control, and for the development of therapeutic agents for Alzheimer's disease.

The Sixth International Meeting on Cholinesterases and Related Proteins, Choli nesterases '98, was organized by Palmer Taylor and his associates at the University of California-San Diego and convened in La Jolla, California, USA, in March of 1998. This was the first conference of the series to be held in the United States, let alone on the Pa cific Rim. Nearly 200 delegates from twenty countries-from Asia, Australia, Europe, and North and South America-heard 75 oral presentations and viewed 90 posters on current research on cholinesterases and related proteins. The meeting framework was structured to include two days of plenary sessions, followed by two days of concurrent sessions and workshops in specific areas. Communication at the concurrent sessions was facilitated by the conference settings of the Martin Johnson House, on a scenic bluff overlooking the blue Pacific Ocean, and the San Diego Supercomputer Center, which enabled projection and rotation of protein structures in three dimensions for a large audience. This book is the compilation of the presentations at the Sixth International Meeting on Cholinesterases and Related Proteins into a volume that describes recent investigations on the structure, catalytic and non-catalytic functions of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE), and related proteins, as well as studies on the molecular and cellular biology of these enzymes and the genes that encode them.

Modern Trends in Physiological Sciences, Volume 13: Organophosphorus Poisons: Anticholinesterases and Related Compounds covers the reactions, toxic action, activation, methods of preparation, and pharmacology of pentacovalent phosphorus compounds. This book is composed of four parts encompassing 17 chapters. The first part highlights the chemical aspects of organophosphorus poisons. This part specifically surveys their nomenclature, electronic theory, methods of preparation and purification, and hydrolytic and related reactions. The second part deals with the biochemical aspects of the compounds. Topics covered in this aspect include enzyme inhibition activity and metabolism in insects, mammals, plants, and soil. The third and fourth parts focus on the pharmacological aspects of organophosphorus poisons in mammals and insects. These parts emphasize some aspects of nerve function, of how nerve function is influenced by various drugs, and the main experimental set-ups used in studying the pharmacology of phosphorus compounds. A chapter on the therapeutic methods, symptoms, and diagnosis of their bad and abnormal effects in man is also provided. This book is of value to pharmacologists, biochemists, physical chemists, and toxicologists.

With the collaboration of the most distinguished scholars in this field Professor Giacobini has put together a publication which will convey present knowledge in the field of molecular biology and genetics, biochemistry, cell biology, pharmacology and toxicology as well of clinical applications (particularly in the field of Alzheimer's disease therapy) of cholinesterase inhibitors. In a concise but precise manner it condenses our present knowledge of these enzymes and their inhibitors and helps those who want to understand them as well as to utilize them for therapeutic purposes.

Modern Trends in Physiological Sciences, Volume 3: Cholinesterases: A Histochemical Contribution to the Solution of Some Functional Problems covers the histochemical aspects of humoral and tissue cholinesterases, both inside and outside of the nervous system. This volume is composed of three part encompassing 14 chapters. The first part describes the link between cholinesterases and serum and between acetylcholinesterase and erythrocytes. This part also deals with the histochemical measurement of acetylcholinesterase activity in the erythrocytes or platelets of some mammalian species, with an emphasis on delineating the possible role of this enzyme in maintaining the integrity of these cells. The remaining two parts discuss the convergence of morphological, physiological, and biochemical research on tissue cholinesterases. These parts also describe the general features of the localization of cholinesterases at nerve-endings in tissues and organs. Histochemical investigations of tissular cholinesterases outside the nervous system, such as in smooth muscle fibers, are also presented. This book will be of value to physiologists, enzyme scientists and researchers, cell biologists, and histochemists.