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Bacterial Sensing and Signaling
- 2009
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Editorial collection (other academic/artistic)abstract
- One of the keys to the development of novel anti-infective strategies. Over the last fifteen years it has become increasingly obvious that bacteria are not as simple and solitary as once believed. Rather, an accumulating body of work shows that bacteria are highly complicated and social organisms, constantly sensing their surroundings and altering both their environments and behaviors to ensure survival. Direct communication between bacteria turns out to be quite common, as are coordinated intra- and interspecies responses that include the formation of highly sophisticated microbial communities. In fact, threats to bacterial survival from assaults ranging from nutrient deprivation and oxygen depletion to the defenses of eukaryotic hosts are all managed through the integration of a dizzying array of complex sensory and communication systems with the appropriate bacterial behaviors. This volume provides an update of the current knowledge in the expanding field of bacterial sensing and signaling, highlighting its most important and interesting aspects. In twelve state-of-the-art articles, respected international experts address topics such as quorum sensing and secondary messengers, chemotaxis and magnetoaerotaxis, two-component phosphotransferase systems, bacterial virulence mechanisms, thermoregulation, and more. The final chapter represents a unique description of the tools available to manipulate many of the sensing and signaling systems described in this volume. Bacterial Sensing and Signaling is recommended reading for students, scientists and clinicians with interests in microbiology, immunology, ecology, biotechnology and a range of other disciplines.
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Lipocalins
- 2006
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Editorial collection (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Less than a decade has elapsed since the publication in 2000 of the first anthology devoted to lipocalins (Biochim Biophys Acta 1482, 2000), and only a few years since the first Lipocalin International Symposium in Copenhagen in 2003 (Benzon Symposium no. 50 “The Lipocalin Protein Superfamily,” Copenhagen, 2003) and the introduction of a public lipocalin website (http://www.jenner.ac.uk/lipocalins.htm). In spite of all these recent joint actions from the lipocalin community, the need for another anthology has been expressed. Many new exciting publications have been issued during the past five years, partially outdating the 2000 BBA lipocalin anthology. Likewise, the three events mentioned above have undoubtedly had a positive effect upon lipocalin research and the exchange of research information. As a result the community of lipocalin researchers is highly motivated to continue such pan-lipocalin activities. Several of the chapters in this volume are reviews of groups of lipocalins with a similar phylogenetic or tissue distribution (Chapters 4-6, 12 and 13). Furthermore, two chapters discuss the evolutionary and structural relationships between the lipocalins (Chapters 2 and 3) and the penultimate three chapters are treatises on themes in lipocalin research: receptors, allergy, and clinical diagnosis (Chapters 14-16); the final chapter discusses how lipocalin research might go in future.
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Sepsis - pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory responses : Good, bad or ugly?
- 2011
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Editorial collection (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Sepsis is a serious condition that is associated with high mortality despite advanced modern medical treatment. Recent years have witnessed novel paradigms describing host responses in sepsis. In particular, the delicate balance between pro- and anti-inflammatory reactions has been subject to intense research. This volume in the book series 'Contributions to Microbiology' presents the state of the art in this rapidly expanding field of research. Leading international experts have contributed with reviews on the most relevant topics in the field such as clinical aspects, pathways of sepsis and pro- and anti-inflammatory mechanisms as well as their regulation. The book will be a valuable source of up-to-date information for clinicians, microbiologists, immunologists, and students with an interest in the complex regulation of host responses during microbial sepsis.
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