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1 85578 161 1
Portland Press, London, UK
£65.00 (members price £48.75)
Free Radicals: Enzymology, Signalling and Disease (Biochemical Society Symposium 71)
CE. Cooper, MW. Wilson and VM. Darley-Usmar (Eds)
If you have always had the sneaking suspicion that free radicals have some kind of involvement in practically any metabolic process, it will be confirmed by this book. From the literature, it would appear that, for the most part, free radicals and reactive oxygen/nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) have a pretty bad name. However, the chapters relating to enzymology, and cell signalling, demonstrate the importance of free radicals in many fundamental cellular processes.
Chapters 1 to 4 provide examples of enzymology which typify the importance of free radical intermediates in the action of a range of enzymes. Scrutton and colleagues describe their study of the protein radical formation and interactions between proteins during electron transfer. The former issue is furthered by McPherson and colleagues who attribute redox, and probably, radical events to the maturation of the active site of galactose oxidase. Metal ions and radical intermediates feature again in the examination of the interaction between ascorbate and ascorbate peroxidase, described by Raven et al. Stuehr and colleagues describe the fascinating process by which nitric oxide synthase controls intermediate radical production during nitric oxide (NO) synthesis, whilst avoiding the production of extraneous superoxide, and damage to itself by NO.
Nitric oxide is the focus of much of the signalling chapters; whether that be the transduction of the NO signal by the NO receptor, guanylate cyclase, to cyclic GMP (cGMP), as discussed by Koesling et al., or Trimmer and colleagues mapping of the insect NO/cGMP system. Exemplifying the positive role of ROS is Lambeth and colleagues description of the recently discovered Nox/Duox enzymes. Production of superoxide and hydrogen peroxide by these enzymes in non-phagocytic cells may be involved in signalling for mitogenic growth, apoptosis and angiogenesis. Of course the presence of intracellular ROS has the potential to react with cellular components. Burkitt et al. describe such a situation, whereby release of mitochondrial cytochrome c, during apoptosis, leads to enhanced H2O2 formation. Darley-Usmar et al. introduce us to the concept of redox tone, the alteration of overall activity of signalling pathways, via post-translational modification of signal transduction proteins by ROS/RNS.
Of course free radicals are involved in disease, and this is explored in the final section. Münzel et al. stress how ROS/RNS, derived from classical cardiovascular risk factors, may precipitate endothelial events, worsening the prognosis in cardiovascular disease, perhaps mediated by haemoglobin, as suggested by Patel and colleagues. According to Mann et al., disruption of NO signalling pathways by pregnancy-related diseases has important ramifications for the fetal cardiovascular system. Protecting cells are antioxidant pathways, some of which are inducible, and which McLellan and colleagues describe, facilitated by genomic and proteomic approaches. The importance of bile pigments as protectors against oxidative stress is highlighted by Motterlini et al. In the Metallic prions chapter, Brown reveals how the consequences of altered conformation of normal brain protein may confer changes in metal ion handling and result in widespread oxidative stress in the brain. Finally, implications for aging are considered by Brand et al. in their investigation of mitochondrial uncoupling proteins, and superoxide formation.
This volume represents the proceedings of the Biochemical Societys Annual Symposium, held at the University of Essex in July 2003. Far too often books become out of date before they get published, for once, this is not the case, giving the reader a fascinating insight into studies at the cutting edge of free radical research. Whilst I would not recommend this to anyone with a passing interest in free radicals, if you really want to know the current thinking, in a number of free radical related disciplines, this book is for you.
Dr. Marcus S. Cooke, Senior Lecturer, Department of Cancer Studies, University of Leicester
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