Redox-Active Amino Acids in Biology

Protein methylation has recently emerged as one of the most exciting areas of study on posttranslational modification. A large family of protein methyltransferases has been identified and their structural properties have been characterized. These studies have provided novel insights into how methylation regulates a variety of biological functions including DNA and RNA metabolism, protein synthesis and signal transduction. Methylation also plays important roles in aging. This volume is intended to capture these recent developments concerning protein methyltransferases.The chapters contained in this two-volume set provide a broad perspective on the novel strategies and conceptual paradigms that drive the current resurgence of interest in somitogenesis - the process by which somites form and elaborate differentiated tissues and structures. Because somites are a ubiquitous feature of vertebrate embryos, they can be studied in a variety of experimental animal models including those amenable to genetic (zebrafish, mammalian), molecular/genetic (mammalian, avian) as well as those already well established for classical experimental embryological and cell biological studies (amphibians, avian). The wide variety of experimental approaches to somitogenesis that are presented in these volumes will leave the reader with a broad perspective on how current research in somitogenesis is helping to solve fundamental questions in vertebrate development and morphogenesis.General Description of the Volume:The role of low molecular weight cofactors (often vitamins) in enzyme catalysis has been discussed in many earlier volumes of Methods in Enzymology. Exciting new results indicate that redox-active prosthetic groups can also arise from pre-existing amino acid side chains in proteins. In this volume, methods are described for the detection and characterization of such prosthetic groups in a range of enzyme systems.General Description of the Series:The critically acclaimed laboratory standard for more than forty 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. Now with more than 300 volumes (all of them still in print), the series contains much material still relevant today--truly an essential publication for researchers in all fields of life sciences.