ACTIN: Biophysics, Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Vol. 358

ANNOTATION

The book contains black-and-white illustrations.

FROM THE CRITICS

Juergen Mollenhauer

The book, volume 358 of the series ""Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology,"" is a comprehensive overview of the actin research during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Its content is made up by written version of oral contributions and poster presentations of a conference held in Troy, NY, in 1992. The contributions describe the basic properties of the actin molecule and the polymeric actin filaments, the dynamics of filament formation, and the cellular functions of the microfilament system. Actin is presented as a model for protein conformation studies and as a cytoskeletal element involved in regulation not only of cell shape and motility but also of protein synthesis and finally even tumorigenicity. The broad presentation makes the book interesting as an introductory reading material for scientists. The content is too complex to serve as a basic introduction into the biology of the cytoskeleton for students or clinicians. On the other hand, the book suffers from lack of recent data. For example, the essentials of the contribution by Dhawan and Farmer (collagen synthesis regulation by actin) have been published by the group in 1991. The style of presentation is intermediate between journal-style articles and book-style reviews. The book is well illustrated, although some halftone figures lack of technical quality. The book suffers also from problems of the technical editing: the article of Mendelson and Morris has been truncated in the summary paragraph. Citations beyond 1992 are not included. The book might be used by scientists familiar with the basics of protein chemistry and cell biology in the field of microfilament research to serve as an upgrade of their knowledge. Itcannot serve as an introduction for the preparation of a competitive grant proposal because the field has progressed far beyond what is presented in the book.

Doody Review Services

Reviewer: Juergen Mollenhauer, PhD, DSc (Rush Medical College of Rush University)Description: The book, volume 358 of the series "Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology," is a comprehensive overview of the actin research during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Its content is made up by written version of oral contributions and poster presentations of a conference held in Troy, NY, in 1992. Purpose: The contributions describe the basic properties of the actin molecule and the polymeric actin filaments, the dynamics of filament formation, and the cellular functions of the microfilament system. Actin is presented as a model for protein conformation studies and as a cytoskeletal element involved in regulation not only of cell shape and motility but also of protein synthesis and finally even tumorigenicity. Audience: The broad presentation makes the book interesting as an introductory reading material for scientists. The content is too complex to serve as a basic introduction into the biology of the cytoskeleton for students or clinicians. On the other hand, the book suffers from lack of recent data. For example, the essentials of the contribution by Dhawan and Farmer (collagen synthesis regulation by actin) have been published by the group in 1991. Features: The style of presentation is intermediate between journal-style articles and book-style reviews. The book is well illustrated, although some halftone figures lack of technical quality. The book suffers also from problems of the technical editing: the article of Mendelson and Morris has been truncated in the summary paragraph. Citations beyond 1992 are not included. Assessment: The book might be used by scientists familiar with the basics of protein chemistry and cell biology in the field of microfilament research to serve as an upgrade of their knowledge. It cannot serve as an introduction for the preparation of a competitive grant proposal because the field has progressed far beyond what is presented in the book.

Booknews

Twenty papers from an August 1992 conference in Troy, New York examine the basic properties of the actin molecule and actin- based microfilament systems, actin-associated proteins and the control of filament-based assembly-disassembly, and the cellular functions of the microfilament system. Reproduced from typescripts. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

RATING

2 Stars from Doody

ACCREDITATION

Estes, James E. (Stratton VA Medical Center); Higgins, Paul J. (Albany Medical Coll)