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Title: Introduction to Protein Structure by Carl-Ivar Branden, John Tooze ISBN: 0-8153-2305-0 Publisher: Garland Publishing Pub. Date: 15 January, 1999 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $54.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4 (7 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: An easy introduction to protein structure
Comment: This review refers to the second edition of this book, issued in 1999. The book, written by a noted crystallographer (Branden) and a molecular biologist (Tooze) noted for science education. Following up on an earlier edition, the present volume takes advantage of the enormous increase in solved protein structures that has occurred in the intervening years. The book is well written, clear, and makes excellent use of contrasting pastel colors to represent three-dimensional objects (proteins) on a two-dimensional page. One rather surprising omission is the lack of stereo views of proteins in a book about structure. These have become quite common in the structural biology literature, and I feel the book would have been strengthened by judicious inclusion of some examples.
The book, which would be suitable for an advanced undergraduate, graduate course or for biologist wishing to delve more into structure, begins with basic amino acid properties. The secondary structure elements of alpha helix and beta sheet are next introduced, along with some of the conventions used to illustrate structure in publications. How these structural elements are formed to build motifs, and motifs in turn are built into complex structures is discussed. Protein folding and flexibility are discussed, and proteins that assist in the process (e.g., chaperones, GroEL-GroES, disulfide isomerases) are highlighted.
The next several chapters deal with DNA structure, DNA recognition by helix-turn-helix motifs, and eukaryotic transcription factors. The various transcription factor families are outlined, with emphasis on their interactions with DNA. Next, the subject of enzyme catalysis is covered, using serine proteases as exemplars. Membrane proteins, signal transduction proteins, fibrous proteins and immune system components all have individual chapters that emphasize structural features in the service of function. There is a chapter on spherical virus assembly and structure. Two general chapters close the book: one on structure prediction and protein engineering and design, and a final chapter on protein structure determination, which deals with X-ray crystallography and NMR methods and studies.
Rating: 1
Summary: worst purchase I ever made online
Comment: This is just ridiculus! I tried to buy the second edition of this book (Introduction to Protein Structure). But when I paid my money, I got an email from the seller that "this is the first edition". Ok, I thought I made a mistake. I cancelled the purchase and re-searched the amazon.com. This time, I looked very carefully at the description of the book. No problem. It IS the second edition. I placed order again, thinking that everything was ok now. But AGAIN, I got another email from seller saying that "please notice: this is the first edition of..." WTF!!! Am I stupid or what? Are all the sellers trying to cheat us into some old gabage? I can't tolerate this any more. I will NEVER EVER buy anything from amazon.com!!!
Hate this place!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rating: 5
Summary: One of the best science books ever
Comment: This book was a pleasant surprise in almost every respect. I found it a gentle, clear exposition of material that can be hugely complicated. The text works upwards from amino acids, the building blocks, through the interactions of shape and chemical affinity, to views of proteins in action. By the time they appear, muscle fibers and virus capsules follow naturally from the discussion. This gives simple, concise descriptions of how proteins' shape emerge from its sequence. It goes on to describe protein control of DNA, to explain virus and muscle structure, and to hint at modern drug design.
'Protein Structure' requires some background in organic chemistry and in the ideas of molecular genetics. For example, you should already be familiar with steric hindrance and with the idea of regulatory regions in DNA. Branden and Tooze reward the prepared reader with a well-considered series of discussions. These include enzyme action, photosynthesis, virus self-assembly, muscle fibers, DNA binding, and more. I had never seen an actual chain of chemical events that turn light into usable chemical energy. This book stepped through it (for a bacterium, at least) in just few paragraphs and drawings. But the whole book is like that - it sustains a remarkable density of information, always in a very readable style.
The text is laid out in a simple and appealing way, and is profusely illustrated. The illustration is one of this book's wonderful strengths. Almost all of the discussion is carried in diagrams as well as in words, and the authors freely use as many different diagrams as needed to make each idea understandable. The illustration style is simple and consistent; most drawings use one of three or four conventions for describing proteins. Almost all of the illustrations seem to be hand-drawn with colored pencil. Still, the corpus of illsutrations is among the most communicative I have seen in any book. Artists aspiring to illustrate science (or to communicate any idea) should read Tufte, then treat this book as a uniquely successful case study.
My only complaint about this book had to do with the quality of its printing. A few pages in my copy have bad register, colors are not consistent from page to page, and the one major photograph is weirdly over-sharpened. I must also admit that I do not need a deep knowledge of protein structure and function - I scanned the book quickly, and read only parts with care. The book repaid that effort richly, and I expect that it will reward more careful readers even more. I'm not a biochemist, but I strongly recommend 'Protein Structure' to anyone at all interested in the topic.
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Title: Introduction to Protein Architecture: The Structural Biology of Proteins by Arthur M. Lesk ISBN: 0198504748 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: 2001 List Price(USD): $59.50 |
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Title: Structure and Mechanism in Protein Science: A Guide to Enzyme Catalysis and Protein Folding by Alan Fersht ISBN: 0716732688 Publisher: W H Freeman & Co. Pub. Date: January, 1999 List Price(USD): $111.90 |
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Title: Molecular Biology of the Cell by Bruce Alberts, Alexander Johnson, Julian Lewis, Martin Raff, Keith Roberts, Peter Walter ISBN: 0815332181 Publisher: Garland Pub Pub. Date: March, 2002 List Price(USD): $110.00 |
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Title: Crystallography Made Crystal Clear by Gale Rhodes ISBN: 0125870728 Publisher: Academic Press Pub. Date: 15 January, 2000 List Price(USD): $44.95 |
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Title: Molecular Modelling: Principles and Applications (2nd Edition) by Andrew R. Leach ISBN: 0582382106 Publisher: Prentice Hall Pub. Date: 30 March, 2001 List Price(USD): $83.00 |
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