62 Book Reviews/Bio('hcmical Education 27 (1990) 00-60

ives which were broadly to alert the academic community of the problems. There are six sections each of which is prefaced by a chairman's introduction. First - - ' T h e present situation and the likely future' - - many of these contributions will be familiar to readers who have been following developments in this subject area. Next, 'Legal and political issues' which successfully brings to the fore several concerns of academics seeking to influence politicians and contains useful guidance on future action. Several urgent problems are discussed in the session on 'the content and quality of academic communication' , and the future impact of electronic publishing on the world scene is considered in the section on "social and cultural issues'. The last two sessions concentrate on archiving information electron- ically and issues relating to access to repositories of scientific data.

The work is authoritative but expensive. However, with the exception of two papers where electronic copyright was not given, an outline, fully searchable, of this text is available: http:/ /tiepac.portandpress.co.uk/tiepac.htm. It would interest biochemists and microbiologists concerned with academic publishing in all its aspects.

Dennis Shaw

PII: S0307-4412(98)00114-9

Molecules of Emotion: Why You Feel The Way You Feel

by Candace B Pert. pp 368. Scribner, New York. 1997. $25. ISBN 0-084-83187-2

The modern era of autobiography by distinguished scientists as an art tk)rm of interest to the general reading public, can probably be dated to the publication of James D Watson's The Double Helix (Atheneum Press) in 1968. This personal account (warts and all) of the discovery of the structure of D N A was widely read and has become a classic in this genre of writing. Authored by the famous (and, alas, controversial) discoverer of the opiate receptor in the brain, the book under review follows very much the tradition initiated by Watson. It also deserves to be widely read. Pert followed that discovery with a lot of hard work to establish interest in neuroimmunoendocrinology as a legitimate field for biomolecular and biomedical research, being in the forefront for the understanding of the brainmind and mindbody aspects of the human organism with many important implications.

Pert 's book is not just the tale of the race for discovery of the opiate receptor and its endogenous ligand by an enthusiastic young female scientist in a scientific world dominated by well connected and ambitious men. It is also a very frank description of the ethos of the laboratory where the work was done, the rivalries between the senior scientists involved, and their relationships with their graduate students and young collabora- tors (all novices to the ways of seeking research money), doing research aggressively, and seeking the glory that goes with scientific discovery especially in the medical arena. This autobiography reveals the author as an intelligent and highly committed scientist determined not to be pushed into the tradi- tional role of women scientists ('scientist nuns', she calls them), and resilient enough to recover quickly from serious personal

setbacks. In between all this, her book provides an easy-to-read, exciting and racy introduction to the neuropeptides and other information substances of the body. These link the central nerwms system, the gastrointestinal tract, and the immune and endocrine systems into an amazing network for information transfer that leads to personal feelings, emotions and mood and affects the activities of the mind brain. It is no surprise that Pcrt 's research work has more recently focused on therapy for AIDS and that this topic dominates the closing parts of her book.

This is good and exciting reading that should appeal to a broad readership interested in modern biomedical science. I recommend it to all interested in the history and the sociolobBe of biomolecular science, in particular, female students who are pursuing a career as practising research scientists will not only discover what real scientific commitment means, but a[so the price some have paid, and many still pay, in this all-too-human endeavour.

F Vella

PII: S0307-4412(98)00212-X

Fatal Protein - - The Story of CJD, BSE, and other Priori Diseases

by R.M Ridley and H.F. Baker. pp 249. Oxford University Press, UK. 1998. £25 ISBN 0-19-852435-8

On average one person a month dies in the UK from what has come to be known as new variant (nv) CJD (Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease), deaths that are almost certainly due to the consump- tion of an infective agent derived from eating meat from cattle suffering from BSE (Bovine Spongiform Enccphalopathy). What is more, as a result of the epidemic of BSE some 2 million cattle have been slaughtered and incinerated with the eventual cost to the British taxpayer estimated to be some 3 billion pounds sterling. The UK is mercifully immune to major climatic disasters but the BSE epidemic must surely come within the normal deiinition of a disaster which has implica- tions worldwide.

The authors of this book are from the Department of Experi- mental Psychology at the University of Cambridge (UK). They have been involved in the subject for many years and so are in a position to provide a serious and unsensational account of the prion diseases - - which they certainly achieve. At present the molecular biology of the diseases centres on an infective protein which takes the form of a normal bodily protein which assumes an unusual tertiary configuration. This idea was in the main enunciated by Stanley Prusiner - - the so-called protein only hypothesis - - f o r which he recently received a Nobel Prize. The failure to find a nucleic acid that is involved in the replica- tion of the infective agent has come as a considerable surprise, so that if our current understanding holds, there are major implications in terms of our basic concepts of biology. The authors describe this conundrum very well.

While ! can certainly recommend this book to any biochemist who is interested in the aetiology of prion diseases, the authors state that they have written for scientists and non-scientist alike. They, therefore, take pains to explain the elementary

Book Reviews/Biochemical Education 27 (1999) 60-66 63

biochemistry but soon get involved in more difficult science such as arguments about the genetics of the susceptibility to infection. The authors are keen to dispute the evidence so far adduced which claims to show the prion infection is maternally transmitted. For reasons such as this example it is not possible for me to judge the suitability of the text for the non-scientist.

( l f any reader would like a copy of a reprint o f the text o f a recent lecture I gave on this subject and which will shortly be published I will t o ' and meet the request).

Biochemical Corporation, USA provides a manual on enzymes (ed. Von Worthington, 1993), which lists more than one hundred enzymes, detailed information on the reaction catalyzed by them, source of enzyme and various enzyme assays along with references, and this manual is provided gratis on request.

In summary, Enzyme Assays appears to have useful informa- tion and the little book will be on my bookshelf. The book is recommended to enzymologists and clinical biochemists who are willing buy the book at £15.99.

Peter N Campbell Arvind M Kayastha

P I I: S(13(17-4412(98)00213-1

Enzyme Assays

by S Gul, S K Sreedharan, and K Brocklehurst (Series Eds: D Rickwood and B D Hames). pp 118. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester. 1998. £15.99 ISBN (I-471-96527-8 (Paperback)

The existence of enzymes has been known for well over a century. Some of the earliest studies were performed in 1835 by the Swedish chemist Jon Jakob Berzelius who termed their chemical action catalytic. It was not until 1926, however, that the first enzyme was obtained in pure form, a feat accomplished by James B Summer of Cornell University. Summer was able to isolate and crystallize the enzyme urease from the jack bean. His work was to earn him the Nobel Prize in 1946 which was shared by John H Northop and Wendell M Stanley of the Rockfeller Institute. They discovered a complex procedure for isolating pepsin. This precipitation technique devised by Northop and Stanley has been used to crystallize several enzymes.

The use of enzymes in the diagnosis of disease is one of the important benefits derived from the intensive research in Biochemistry since the 1940's. However, it is only within the recent past few decades that interest in diagnostic enzymology has multiplied. Many methods currently on record in the litera- ture are not in wide use, and there are still large areas of medical research in which the diagnostic potential of enzyme reactions has not been explored at all. The development of an enzyme assay is an essential step in all studies on enzyme and hence this book in essential data series is an important contribution to the field of enzymology, which receives little attention in books these days.

The book is very small and handy and comprises of eight chapters. Chapters 1-3 give introduction, and overview of enzyme assays, evaluation and some general applications of experimental data. Chapter 4 describes most commonly used physico-chemical techniques for the determination of the activity of enzymes. Chapter 5 describes active site titration. Chapters 6-8 lists commercially available enzyme assay kits, useful data on commonly used buffers etc, and list of manufac- turers and suppliers. References are listed in the end. Though the information provided in different chapters is useful, authors have not really done justice with most of the chapters by just providing the basic information and asking the readers to see the references for details. Chapters 6-8 are not very useful, as this information is readily available these days in catalogues, CD's, handbooks etc. The Worthington

PiI: S(1307-4412(98)00224-6

Mass Spectrometry for Biotechnology

By Garry Siuzdak, pp 161. Academic Press, San Diego, CA, USA. 1996. ISBN 0-12-647471-0

In recent years, mass spectrometry has progressed from being an expensive tool largely used by chemists to investigate small molecules, to a highly adaptable technique applicable to many biomolecules, including macromolecules. Indeed, many biotechnology industries and research labs now consider mass spectrometry as an essential tool for the characterisation and quality control of many biomolecules. For this reason, many students and scientists are being introduced to mass spectro- metry techniques for the first time in a general biochemistry training. Siuzdak's inexpensive but comprehensive volume fills a definite gap in the market to supply this information, both for the novice and for those scientists trained in more traditional mass spectrometry techniques.

It starts with a general introduction to ion sources and sample preparation describing the key features of each type of ionisation, restricting the background theory to focus on facts required to ensure good practice. Next, the different types of mass ionisers, analysers and ion detectors are described, together with comparisons of the resolution and sensitivity of each technique. Following a discussion on the types of biomole- cules which may be amenable to mass spectrometry and their different properties, the subsequent chapters focus on specific mass spectrometry applications. These are in peptide protein analysis, (largely using MALDI and electrospray mass spectro- metry), carbohydrates and oligonucleotides (by FAB, MALDI and electrospray techniques), and a few examples of applica- tions particularly using the soft ionisation techniques in the field of virology and protein conformation. The book is rounded off by a useful appendix of terms and definitions. Indeed, the liberal use of diagrams, example questions and answers adds to the value of this volume as a teaching aid. Some of the newer advances in the MALDI field, particularly delayed extraction technology, are not covered in this volume, but this is not surprising due to the fast moving nature of the field. Also, the capacity of MALDI instruments to deal with glycopeptide sequences, as well as released glycans, is not covered.

The w)lume is unlikely to meet the complete needs of a mainstream mass spectrometrist, but certainly will prove idea[ for post-graduates, or final year undergraduates and for anyone new to mass spectrometry in the biosciences. Indeed, scientists