Molecular biological approach

Futai, M., Noumi, T, and Maeda, M., 1989. ATP. syndia.se Re.sults by combined biochemical and molecular biological approaches. Annual Review of Biochemistry 58 111 — 136. 

It is clearly impossible to give a comprehensive overview of this rapidly expanding field. I have chosen a few experts in their field to discuss one (class of) transport protein(s) in detail. In the first five chapters pumps involved in primary active transport are discussed. These proteins use direct chemical energy, mostly ATP, to drive transport. The next three chapters describe carriers which either transport metabolites passively or by secondary active transport. In the last three chapters channels are described which allow selective passive transport of particular ions. The progress in the latter field would be unthinkable without the development of the patch clamp technique. The combination of this technique with molecular biological approaches has yielded very detailed information of the structure-function relationship of these channels. 

Coffield, J. A., Bakry, N., Zhang, R. D., Carlson, J., Gomella, L. G. and Simpson, L. L. In vitro characterization of botuli-num toxin types A, C and D action on human tissues combined electrophysiologic, pharmacologic and molecular biologic approaches. J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 280 1489-1498,1997. 

The coupling step between vector and drug moiety may be performed by either chemical or molecular biological approaches (see Chapter 11 for a more detailed discussion on conjugation strategies in drug targeting research). While the options offered by chemical methods... 

On the basis of studies with Drosophila and Neurospora circadian clocks, such oscillatory behavior appears to involve cycling gene expression. Nishida summarized recent progress using molecular biological approaches to elucidate the circadian clock mechanism. He also described the importance of transcription factors in providing clues about the nature of what may be a common mechanism of circadian clock in the divergent species. 

Patel TB et al. Molecular biological approaches to unravel adenylyl cyclase signaling and function. Gene 2001 16 13-25. 

Phage display techniques can be used in any field where molecular biological approaches find application. It can be successfully used for epitope mapping, vaccine development, identification of proteinkinase substrates and nonpeptid ligands, selection of functional interactions of hormones, enzymes, enzyme inhibitors, mapping... 

Mechanistic studies conducted in whole animals and in rodent and human tissues using biochemical and molecular biological approaches have provided important insights into the likely critical steps in the initiation of butadiene carcinogenicity and the identity of the most likely chemical species responsible for the development of tumours. 

Michibata, H., N. Yamaguchi, T. Uyama, and T. Ueki. 2003. Molecular biological approaches to the accumulation and reduction of vanadium by ascidians. Coord. Chem. Rev. 237 41-51. 

Pajor, A.M., Hirayama, B.A., Wright, E.M. (1992). Molecular biology approaches to comparative study of Na+-glucose cotransport. Am. J. Physiol. 263, R489-R495. 

Diversity of cyanobacterial hydrogenase, a molecular biology approach. Curr. Microbiol. 40, 356-361. 

Phytotoxic compounds are produced by many crop species, and some of these compounds may play a role as allelochemicals in plant interference. This has bear hard to prove, much less taken advantage of in weed management. Many crops have been screened for allelopathic potential [28]. However, in all but a few cases, the effects of crop allelopathy are quite subtle compared to the effects of chemical herbicides. Efforts to produce allelopathic crop varieties through conventional breeding have not generated commercial varieties sold with this trait. Molecular biology approaches to this problem might be helpful. 

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