Enzymes A Very Short Introduction

Download or read book Enzymes: A Very Short Introduction written by Paul Engel and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2020-11-26 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Enzymes are the astonishing, tiny molecular machines that make life possible. Each one of these small proteins speeds up a single chemical reaction inside a living organism many millionfold. Working together, teams of enzymes carry out all the processes that collectively we recognise as life, from making DNA to digesting food. This Very Short Introduction explains the why and the how of speeding up these reactions - catalysis - before going on to reveal how we have evolved these catalysts of such extraordinary power and exquisite selectivity. Paul Engel shows how X-ray crystallography has revealed the complex molecular shapes that allow enzymes to function at an extraordinarily sophisticated level. He also examines medical aspects of enzymes, both in the way faulty enzymes cause disease and in the way enzymes can be used for diagnosis and therapy. Finally, he looks at the many varied ways in which individual enzymes, taken out of their biological context, are used nowadays as tools - in washing powders, food production, waste treatment, and chemical synthesis. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Download or read book Biochemistry: A Very Short Introduction written by Mark Lorch and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2021-05-27 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring From the simplest bacteria to humans, all living things are composed of cells of one type or another, all of which have fundamentally the same chemistry. This chemistry must provide mechanisms that allow cells to interact with the external world, a means to power the cell, machinery to carry out varied processes within the cell, a structure within which everything runs, and also governance through a web of interlocking chemical reactions. Biochemistry is the study of those reactions, the molecules that are created, manipulated, and destroyed as a result of them, and the massive macromolecules (such as DNA, cytoskeletons, proteins and carbohydrates) that form the chemical machinery and structures on which these biochemical reactions take place. It didn't take long for an understanding of the chemistry of life to turn into a desire to manipulate it. Drugs and therapies all aim to modify biochemical processes for good or ill: Penicillin, derived from mould, stops bacteria making their cell walls. Aspirin, with its origins in willow bark, inhibits enzymes involved in inflammatory responses. A few nanograms of botulinum toxin (botox), can kill by preventing the release of neurotransmitters from the ends of nerves and so leads to paralysis and death, or give a wrinkle free forehead (if administered in very tiny quantities).This Very Short Introduction discusses the key concepts of biochemistry, as well as the historical figures in the field and the molecules they studied, before considering the current science and innovations in the field, and the interaction between biochemistry, biotechnology, and synthetic biology. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Download or read book Astrobiology: A Very Short Introduction written by David C. Catling and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2013-10-24 with total page 161 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Examines the origins of life on Earth and the search for extraterrestrial life, through an understanding of the factors that have allowed life to exist on this planet and the commonalities on others that may enable life elsewhere.

Download or read book Enzymes written by Robert A. Copeland and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2004-04-07 with total page 416 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fully updated and expanded-a solid foundation for understandingexperimental enzymology. This practical, up-to-date survey is designed for a broadspectrum of biological and chemical scientists who are beginning todelve into modern enzymology. Enzymes, Second Editionexplains the structural complexities of proteins and enzymes andthe mechanisms by which enzymes perform their catalytic functions.The book provides illustrative examples from the contemporaryliterature to guide the reader through concepts and data analysisprocedures. Clear, well-written descriptions simplify the complexmathematical treatment of enzyme kinetic data, and numerouscitations at the end of each chapter enable the reader to accessthe primary literature and more in-depth treatments of specifictopics. This Second Edition of Enzymes: A Practical Introductionto Structure, Mechanism, and Data Analysis features refinedand expanded coverage of many concepts, while retaining theintroductory nature of the book. Important new featuresinclude: A new chapter on protein-ligand binding equilibria Expanded coverage of chemical mechanisms in enzyme catalysisand experimental measurements of enzyme activity Updated and refined discussions of enzyme inhibitors andmultiple substrate reactions Coverage of current practical applications to the study ofenzymology Supplemented with appendices providing contact information forsuppliers of reagents and equipment for enzyme studies, as well asa survey of useful Internet sites and computer software forenzymatic data analysis, Enzymes, Second Edition isthe ultimate practical guide for scientists and students inbiochemical, pharmaceutical, biotechnical, medicinal, andagricultural/food-related research.

Download or read book The Immune System: A Very Short Introduction written by Paul Klenerman and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2017-11-20 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The immune system is central to human health and the focus of much medical research. Growing understanding of the immune system, and especially the creation of immune memory (long lasting protection), which can be harnessed in the design of vaccines, have been major breakthroughs in medicine. In this Very Short Introduction, Paul Klenerman describes the immune system, and how it works in health and disease. In particular he focuses on the human immune system, considering how it evolved, the basic rules that govern its behaviour, and the major health threats where it is important. The immune system comprises a series of organs, cells and chemical messengers which work together as a team to provide defence against infection. Klenerman discusses these components, the critical signals that trigger them and how they exert their protective effects, including so-called "innate" immune responses, which react very fast to infection, and "adaptive" immune responses, which have huge diversity and a capacity to recognise and defend against a massive array of micro-organisms. Klenerman also considers what happens when our immune systems fail to be activated effectively, leading to serious infections, problems with inherited diseases, and also HIV/AIDS. At the opposite extreme, as Klenerman shows, an over-exaggerated immune response leads to inflammatory diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis and Rheumatoid Arthritis, as well as allergy and asthma. Finally he looks at the "Immune system v2.o" — how immune therapies and vaccines can be advanced to protect us against the major diseases of the 21st century. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Download or read book Enzyme Assays written by Robert Eisenthal and published by Practical Approach. This book was released on 2002 with total page 310 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Enzyme assays are among the most frequently performed procedures in biochemistry and are routinely used to estimate the amount of enzyme present in a cell or tissue, to follow the purification of an enzyme, or to determine the kinetic parameters of a system. The range of techniques used tomeasure the rate of an enzyme-catalysed reaction is limited only by the nature of the chemical change and the ingenuity of the investigator. This book describes the design and execution of enzyme assays, covering both general principles and specific chapters.Building upon the highly popular first edition, this book combines revised or rewritten chapters with entirely new contributions. Topics include experimental protocols covering photometric, radiometric, HPLC, and electrochemical assays, along with methods for determining enzyme assays after gelelectrophoresis. The theory underlying each method is outlined, together with a description of the instrumentation, sensitivity and sources of error. Also included are chapters on the principles of enzyme assay and kinetic studies; techniques for enzyme extraction; high- throughout screening;statistical analysis of enzyme kinetic data; and the determination of active site concentration.This second edition of Enzyme Assays will be valuable not only to biochemists, but to researchers in all areas of the life sciences.

Download or read book Fundamentals of Enzymology written by Nicholas C. Price and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 1999 with total page 478 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since the publication of the successful and popular second edition of Fundamentals of Enzymology in 1989 there has been a large increase in the knowledge of several aspects of enzymology, not least the rapid acceleration of structural characterization of enzymes and the development of the field of bioinformatics. This new edition places appropriate emphasis on the new knowledge and consolidates the strengths of the previous editions. As before, Fundamentals of Enzymology 3rd ed gives anall-round view of the field including enzyme purification and characterization, enzyme structure (including information on the web), enzyme kinetics, the mechanisms and control of enzyme action, enzyme folding, how enzymes act in vivo, enzyme synthesis and degradation, and also clinical and industrial applications of enzymology. Throughout the book, the integration of these themes is stressed.