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Calcium signalling is an astonishing example how a simple caption can trigger and regulate an enormous variety of cellular and physiological responses. Ca2+-signalling routes very often involve Ca2+-binding proteins that sense changes in intracellular [Ca2+] and trigger cellular responses by regulating specific targets. One fascinating group among these Ca2+-sensors are the neuronal calcium sensor (NCS) proteins, named for their localisation in neuronal tissue (although there are reports of their expression in non-neuronal tissues as well). While recent excellent reviews have covered key aspects of this protein group, the field expanded in recent years making it more and more difficult to represent every facet of this ongoing research endeavour. This book is intended to represent properties of NCS proteins.
The subject of this book is the amazing enzyme ribonucleotide reductase (RNR), the enzyme responsible for the conversion of ribonucleotides to deoxyribonucleotides. The prerequisite for DNA-synthesis and DNA-repair in all living cells is the supply of the four deoxyribonucleotides. Such molecules result from the enzymatically difficult radical-induced reduction of ribonucleotides, a multistep chemical process catalyzed by RNR. RNR was the first enzyme in which the presence of an amino acid radical (a tyrosyl) in E. coli Class Ia RNR has been proven; since then several other biological amino acid radical species have been found on e.g. tryptophan, glycine, cysteine, lysine residues and on amino acid derived small cofactors like 2 tryptophanes in thryptophan-trypthanyl-radical or cysteine-tyrosyl-radical in other enzymes. As all known cellular life forms store their genetic information as DNA, RNR is likely to be found in all growing cells of every living organism, a fact that is confirmed by a rapidly increasing number of genomic screenings.
This volume foxuses on the status of Ca2+ ions in regulation of phototransduction, light adaptation and the recovery phase in vertebrate photoreceptors. Particular emphasis is given to Ca2+-binding proteins and their targets, among them particulate guanylate cyclases, GPCR-coupled kinases and cyclic nucleotide-gated cation channels. The book also expands our understanding of events invovling Ca2+ in the retinal pigment epithelium, in synaptic transmission and secondary retinal neurons. A significant part of the book is dedicated to the role of Ca2+ in invertebrate phototransduction, the best-studied phospholipid-mediated signal transduction pathway. Several chapters explore association of gene defects with human retina disease and the generation of animal models of retinal degeneration.
This book brings up-to-date information on developments in studies of human stefins and cystatins, proteins with the function of cystein proteases (cathepsins) inhibition. The chapters start at the level of genes, go on with protein structure and function (proposal of alternative function), protein stability and folding, to mis-folding and mis-function. The book ends with chapters describing different disease states where stefins or cystatins are involved, from Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy to cancer.
Protein research is a frontier field in science. Proteins are widely distributed in plants and animals and are the principal constituents of the protoplasm of all cells, and consist essentially of combinations of a-amino acids in peptide linkages. Twenty different amino acids are commonly found in proteins, and serve as enzymes, structural elements, hormones, immunoglobulins, etc., and are involved throughout the body, and in photosynthesis. This book gathers new leading-edge research from throughout the world in this exciting and exploding field of research.
Protein research is a frontier field in science. Proteins are widely distributed in plants and animals and are the principal constituents of the protoplasm of all cells, and consist essentially of combinations of a-amino acids in peptide linkages. Twenty different amino acids are commonly found in proteins, and serve as enzymes, structural elements, hormones, immunoglobulins, etc., and are involved throughout the body, and in photosynthesis. This book gathers new leading-edge research from throughout the world in this exciting and exploding field of research.
Parvalbumin is a small (Mr 12,000), acidic (pI 4-5), Ca2+-binding protein of the EF-hand superfamily, that is very important from several points of view. First of all, this protein takes part in Ca2+ regulation of activity of some types of muscle cells, neurons and some other types of cells. At the same time, the exact physiological role of parvalbumin in some of these cells is not clear enough now. Second, parvalbumin has two high affinity Ca2+ binding sites and for this reason it is frequently used as a simple model Ca2+ binding protein. It is convenient for studies of effects of interactions between two calcium binding sites and is very useful for studies of calcium binding effects on int...
Ca2+ signaling in neurons is characterized by highly restricted and dynamic gradients called Ca2+ waves, spikes, transients and puffs depending upon their corresponding spatial and temporal features. Based on this strict segmentation the Ca2+ ion provides a versatile basis for complex signaling in neuronal subcompartments with a spatial resolution of micro- and nanodomains. The multitude of Ca2+-regulated processes requires specialized downstream processing machinery, translating the Ca2+ signal into alterations of cellular processes. The broad range of different Ca2+-triggered phenomena in neurons, ranging from neurotransmission to gene expression, is reflected by the existence of a multitu...