Brigitte M. Jockusch - Böcker

Actin is one of the most abundant proteins and ubiquitously expressed in all eukaryotes. In recent years, the analysis of structure and function of such complexes has shed new light on actin's role in cellular and tissue morphogenesis, locomotion and various forms of intracellular motility, but also on its role in nuclear processes like chromatin architecture and transcription. Progress in understanding these different physiological phenomena, but also in unravelling the basis of actin-based pathophysiological processes has been made by combining video microscopy, molecular biology, genetics  and biochemistry. Thus, the current research on actin, as ongoing in many international laboratories, is a "hot spot" in basic and translational research in life sciences. In this book on  "The Actin Cytoskeleton", twelve internationally renowned authors present specific chapters that cover their recent work concerned with the various roles of actin mentioned above. This comprehensive volume is therefore an attractive handbook for teachers and students in many fields of medicine and pharmacology.

In this book on "The Actin Cytoskeleton", twelve internationally renowned authors present specific chapters that cover their recent work concerned with the various roles of actin mentioned above.

This volume contains the proceedings of the 45th Mosbach Colloquium of the German Society for Biological Chemistry (GBCh). The 1994 meeting was the first in this series devoted to the cytoskeleton. This complex system enables the eukaryotic cell to form discrete contacts with neighboring cells and the extracellular matrix, to differentiate, to move, change shape, transport organelles, and proliferate. These diverse tasks are performed by three distinct fibrillar networks: microfilaments, microtubules, and intermediate filaments, which are composed of structural and regulatory elements. The precise interplay between the components in time and space determines which of the various functions is performed. The rapid progress made in this field is best exemplified by the recent unraveling of the molecular mechanism of intracellular movement. Here, the modem microscopies of today allow the motility to be visualized in realtime. Molecular biology has dissected the functional domains of the motor proteins involved and provided material required for biochemical studies as well as structure analysis by X-ray diffraction and NMR. Thus, it is now possible to integrate cellular behavior and molecular structure in a unifying picture. Other recent advances in the field point to the role of cytoskeletol proteins in human diseases, from allergies to skin blistering, atrophies, and Alzheimers's disease. The book is an up-to-date account of the field told by an international set of experts, a broad introduction to newcomers, and a valuable reference for practitioners. January 1995 Brigitte M.