Technological and Medical Implications of Metabolic Control Analysis » (New Edition)

The study of multienzyme systems has advanced considerably during the least decade. The cell is more complicated than classical biochemistry presents it, it contains more structure, and the behaviour of any system of enzymes is more elaborate than can be explained in simple terms. Nevertheless, classical enzymology and metabolism remain central to any modification of the metabolic behaviour of organisms, as attempted by modern biotechnology and drug development techniques.
In this cool, objective look at the current state of the art, internationally respected authors draw attention to the drawbacks, problems, and opportunities associated with this exciting field. The areas covered include problems with current practice, the imposition of human objectives on organisms, understanding health and disease, computer modelling, the increasingly complex picture of cell structure, control and regulation of metabolism, and the general contribution metabolic control is making to biochemistry on a broader canvas.

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Thirty-eight contributions from an international cast of biologists and biotechnologists attending an April 1999 NATO Advanced Research Workshop begin with discussion of problems with current practices in the field, including the fact that "real organisms vary widely, not only between species, but also between individuals, even in bacterial cultures..." (from the preface). Subsequent papers address current efforts to impose human objectives on organisms, the nature of health and disease, the use of metabolic models to predict the effects of drugs on particular enzymes, recent discoveries about cell structure, and the control and regulation of metabolism. A more specific sampling of topics: moiety conservation and flux enhancement, metabolic control analysis showing how aneuploidy causes cancer, regulation of energy metabolism in hepatocytes, computational approaches to the study of biochemical pathways, and an evolutionary view of glycogen structure. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)