Humana Stress Response: Methods and Protocols: 99 (Methods in Molecular Biology, 99)

Mammalian cells have evolved a complex multicomponent machinery that enables them to sense and respond to a wide variety of potentially toxic agents present in their environment. These stress responses are often associated with an increased cellular capacity to tolerate normally lethal levels of an insult. The realization that the mammalian stress response may be intimately linked with many human diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, ischemia, fever, infection, and cancer, has led to an explosion of interest in this research area. Stress Response: Methods and Protocols brings together a diverse array of practical methodologies that may be employed to address various aspects of the response of mammalian cells to environmental stress. The p- tocols are carefully described by authors who have both devised and succe- fully employed them, and they represent a mixture not only of well-established techniques, but also new technologies at the leading edge of research. The areas covered include the detection and assay of stress-induced damage, the acti- tion of signal transduction pathways, stress-inducible gene expression, and stress protein function. Although no volume of this size can be comprehensive and the topics covered reflect a personal choice, it is hoped that it will prove of subst- tial interest and use to a wide range of research workers in the field. Review "This handbook will be very helpful in this respect for everybody interested in studies on the effects of stress at the cellular level using biochemical and molecular biology methods." -Cell Biology International From the Back Cover In is now understood that the response of mammalian cells to a wide variety of potentially toxic agents may be intimately linked with many human diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, ischemia, fever, infection, and cancer. In Stress Response: Methods and Protocols, Stephen Keyse has assembled a diverse collection of readily reproducible methods devoted to the study of these varied and powerful responses. Written by leading researchers expert in the techniques they describe, these detailed methods cover the detection and assay of stress-induced damage, the activation of a wide range of signal transduction pathways by cellular stress, stress-induced gene expression, and stress protein function. To ensure experimental success, step-by-step guidance is provided for each method, along with details of reagents, equipment, and other requirements. The methods include both well-established techniques and new technologies at the leading edge of research. Wide ranging and highly practical, Stress Response: Methods and Protocols provides a gold-standard bench manual for today's basic and clinical scientists working to understand how cells and tissues respond during physiological stress and in human disease