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Oxford University Press: New York, 1997. ISBN 0 198 59955 2,
hardcover, $105.00. ISBN 0 198 59954 4, paper, $50.00.
This guidebook on protein toxin structure and
function arrives at a time when molecular and cellular approaches
to defining the toxic effects of xenobiotics are taking
centerstage. The authors have concisely compiled structure, function,
and toxicity data for 78 protein toxins in a unique,
accessible format that allows cell biologists to learn how protein
toxins have aided in the dissection of cellular processes.
The usefulness of the organization is exemplified by
the division of the contents into ten parts, each part reflecting
a biochemical process (protein synthesis, ion transport,
membrane trafficking, etc.) perturbed by a group of toxins. The
entry for each protein toxin contains a prefatory summary that
lists distinctive features of the toxin. Following the summary
are several paragraphs dedicated to the characterization of
the toxic effect of the protein, which is accompanied by
diverse pieces of information including comparisons of
primary amino acid sequence for orthologous forms,
ribbon or stereograms of protein toxin structure, or schematics of the
interaction of the toxin with the cellular target.
When the information is available, the other
sections for each entry describe structure-activity relationships of
the protein and recombinant mutants, purification and
sources of the toxin, antibodies and cDNA generated to the
toxin, toxicity information including
LD50 (route of administration) and species differences in response to the toxin, and a
generous bibliography, with references dating up to and
including 1996. Rarely are there descriptions of how the toxins
affect targeted protein structure and function at the molecular
level, although the physical biochemical alterations imposed by
the protein toxins on their targets may not be entirely
understood.
The text is likely to be most useful to experimental
biochemists, cell biologists, toxicologists, and
pharmacologists, who might utilize the information in the design of
unique pharmaceutical agents. It may also be of use in
upper-level undergraduate or graduate courses in biochemistry, cell
biology, or toxicology, as an accompanying text that provides a
unique perspective on toxic proteins. The 6-page index provides
a useful means of cross-referencing individual toxins,
biological processes, and biological molecules.
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