Essential Reviews In Experimental Biology
Volumes 1 to 5 are now available for purchase for just £35 in paperback.
You can buy up to 3 copies online. For queries and orders for more than 3 copies, please contact publications@sebiology.org.
Volume 1
Osmoregulation and Ion Transport: Integrating Physiological, Molecular and Environmental Aspects
ISSN: 2042-3381 (print)
ISBN: 978-1-907491-00-9
Published December 2009
Description:
The topic of osmoregulation has a long history, and is home to some of the most profound discoveries in the life sciences; including the universal mechanisms of how water and salt move across biological membranes. Researchers have always used the remarkable power of comparative physiology to study osmoregulation by exploring the adaptations of animals to freshwater and marine environments, as well as the challenges of ion transport in different types of epithelia. In recent years there has been a joining of minds and methodology in osmoregulation, with whole animal physiology, environmental factors and molecular methods merging to give a modern integrated perspective. This volume reflects this integration of modern molecular methods with the long held traditional view that whole animal physiology reveals the complex adaptations that organisms make to different ionic environments. This volume therefore starts by reviewing aspects of osmoregulation in very different marine and freshwater fish, and then moves into chapters on the molecular details of specific transporters and the influence of dietary salt on osmoregulation in animals; but all the time bringing the topic back to why it matters at the whole organism level. Pollution and climate change are big issues in science, and this book also includes some discussion of ecotoxicity and osmoregulation, as well as the application of osmoregulation to environmental diagnostics and animal health.
Paperback price:£35
Volume 2
Surface Chemistry, Bioavailability and Metal Homeostasis in Aquatic Organisms: an Integrated Approach
ISSN: 2042-3381 (print)
ISBN: 978-1-907491-02-3
Published July 2010
Description:
Rarely in one volume on aquatic metal biology are the subjects of chemistry, biophysics, membrane biology and their application to ecotoxicology and aquaculture synthesised. The collection of chapters within this book achieves this by integrating key reviews on the processes determining metal bioavailability and toxicity. The topics covered include: aquatic metal speciation and biocolloid formation; interactions and transfer of metals across the mucous layers (biogels); characterisation of metal uptake processes; emerging issues concerning metals within the marine environment; nutrient metal bioavailability in feeds for aquaculture; the use of transcriptomic tools as markers of cadmium exposure; and the recent developments in the use of the biotic ligand model for predicting metal toxicity. An overarching theme in ecotoxiciology is to identify best practice to protect aquatic life against the potential harmful effects of pollutants. This volume contributes to this debate with an opening chapter that describes an interdisciplinary approach to link novel ideas in metal ecotoxicology for better environmental risk management. Such an approach encapsulated the ethos of the volume: to encourage researchers in metal biology to think outside of the box and to embrace new ideas from each other’s disciplines.
Paperback price:£35
Volume 3
Advances in Maize
ISSN: 2042-3381 (print)
ISBN: 978-1-907491-04-7
Published August 2011
Description:
Maize, one of the most prevalent crops in the world, is also one of the most productive thanks to continuous genetic progress and improved agricultural practices. Using an intradisciplinary approach, this book provides a comprehensive overview of the topics from the dramatic advances in molecular genetic techniques to agronomy, including the progress made in the physiological and biochemical understanding of underlying mechanisms. Major sections of the book are devoted to molecular biology and genetics, crop physiology and functional genomics, and new trends for breeding application and industrial purposes. The most recent developments in the genetic and genomic tools are used to revisit the specific aspects of the crop, like genome structure, transposons, heterosis, domestication, QTL and association genetics. The physiological basis for growth and development limitation in interaction with the major climatic constraints (water and nutrients) are considered at both the plant and crop level. The potential for breeding method improvements through marker assisted selection, the use of more sophisticated traits (digestibility, starch quality) and transgenesis are presented. A final chapter is dedicated to the economic potential of maize in the world. This book is targeted to suit both graduate students and specialists.
Paperback price: £35
Volume 4
Glycosylation in Diverse Cell Systems: Challenges and New Frontiers in Experimental Biology
ISSN: 2042-3381 (print)
ISBN: 978-1-907491-06-1
Description:
More than half of all proteins are glycosylated and can be glycosylated in different ways, yielding a range of ‘glycoforms’ that have very different properties. Glycosylation changes under different environmental and physiological conditions, during development and in disease; it is complex, incompletely understood and fascinating. This book is targeted at the non-specialist and introduces some of the groundbreaking developments in this fast growing and topical field. It begins with general chapters, setting the scene and providing the necessary background so that the non-specialist can appreciate the importance of glycosylation and the basic principles underlying its biology. From this starting point, chapters introduce aspects of glycosylation in diverse cell systems (including microorganisms, plants and humans), introducing advances and challenges in engineering glycosylation pathways in these systems (for example for expression systems and protein engineering) and highlights some of the exciting new frontiers in glycobiology research. Approaches to analysis of glycosylation, glycan arrays, bioinformatics and automated synthesis are also covered. Experimental glycobiology is an especially exciting and topical field as it becomes increasingly apparent that different cell types glycosylate proteins very differently. This has enormous implications for biotechnology applications where recombinant proteins – sometimes destined for possible human therapeutic use – are expressed in nonhuman cell systems. Unexpected or non-human type glycosylation can have profound implications on biological activity, serum half life and toxicity. The potential to understand and ultimately to engineer glycosylation pathways in diverse cell systems represents a challenging new frontier.
Paperback price: £35
Volume 5
Starch: Origins, Structure and Metabolism 
ISSN: 2042-3381 (print)
ISBN: 978-1-907491-08-5
Description:
Starch is an important carbohydrate reserve of higher plants and plays a crucial role in human nutrition, representing as much as 75% of the daily caloric intake. It is also a valuable raw material for a variety of industrial applications including the production of bioethanol. Starch is synthesized within the plastids of plants as discrete water-insoluble granules. The fine structure of starch granules determines end-usage, and in particular has an important impact on human and animal health. Despite its critical importance, many fundamental questions remain regarding the origins of the pathway, details of the structural organization of the granule, regulatory aspects of starch biosynthesis and degradation, and the mechanism of granule initiation.
Starch: Origins, Structure and Metabolism provides a comprehensive overview of the most important aspects of starch biology by leading researchers in the field. This book discusses new ideas on the evolutionary origins of the starch metabolic pathway and current theories on the fine structure of the starch granule. It provides an overview of the key groups of enzymes involved in biosynthesis, including their regulation and organization into multienzyme complexes. It also covers starch degradation in plastids, including the process of glucan phosphorylation and metabolism of polyglucans. Various biotechnological applications of starches are discussed in relation to specific physicochemical properties that govern their applicability in the food and industrial sectors. The book is directed at plant biologists, geneticists, plant breeders, food scientists, the industrial sector, and graduate students.
Paperback price: £35
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