Gen. Pharmac. Vol. 22, No. 5, pp. 991-993, 1991 Pergamon Press pie. Printed in Great Britain

BOOK REVIEWS

Drug Discovery; a Casebook and Analysis--R. A. Maxwell and S. B. Eckhardt. 438 pp. 1990. Humana Press, Clifton, NJ. $79.50.

The various twists and turns that led to the discovery of specific drugs are often forgotten. This book gives the background to the discovery and development of important drugs such as propanolol, captopril, verapamil, nifedipine, diltiazem, chlorothiazide, furosemide, azathioprine, cyclo- sporine, chlorpromazine, haloperidol, imipramine, iproni- azid, lithium, diazepam, L-dopa, carbamazine, indo- methacin, penillamine, hydroxychloroquine, methotrexate, cyclophosphamide, succinyl choline, halothane, fentanyl, naloxone, albuterol, beclamethasone, cimetidine, cheno- deoxycholic acid. These drugs have generated revenues of tens of billions of dollars! There is also an analysis of the events that led to the discovery and development of these drugs that should prove useful in future work. Although history does not repeat itself, research workers often make the same or similar mistakes.

The Cytoskeleton and Cell Motility--T. M. Preston, C. A. King and J. S. Hyams. 202pp. 1990. Blackie/Chapman & Hall, London. U.S.A. $69.95 cloth, $29.50 paperback. Elsewhere $83.95 cloth, $35.50 paperback.

The last ten years have seen tremendous advances in our understanding of cell motility, cellular organization and control of movements within cells. This book describes the molecular components of the cytoskeleton (actin, actin binding proteins, myosin, microtubules, intermediate fila- ments, tektins, lamins); movement within cells (axonal transport, protozoan intracellular motility, movement of pigment cells, plant cytoplasmic streaming); mitosis; cilia and flagella; crawling movements; cell surface motility; contractile phenomena. A very interesting and useful book.

Activation and Desensitisation of Transducing Pathways--- Edited by T. M. Konijn, M. D. Houslay, P. J. M. van Haastert. 320 pp. 1990. Springer, Berlin. DM 188. NATO ASI Series H, Cell Biology Vol. 44.

Many transducing pathways involve second messenger systems. This book considers those involved in chemotaxis and chemosensing; cyclic nucleotide coupled systems [glucagon, luteinizing hormone, protein kinase]; inositol phospholipid coupled systems [insulin, purinergic linked phospholipase q ; G protein activation; cGMP phosphodi- esterase in retinal rods; auxin coupled systems; regulation of the desensitization of the nicotinic AChR; thyroid func- tion; neuronal secretion. These systems allow greater control and increase/decrease of the amplification processes in transduction.

Programmed Cell Death in Turnouts and Tissues---I. D. Bowen and S. M. Bowen. 268 pp. 1990. Chapman & Hall, London. U.S.A. $85. elsewhere $102.

Cell death can be genetically programmed or be caused by accident and injury. Various enzymes such as hydrolases,

acid phosphatase, lysosomal acid phosphatase, aspartate amino transferase, adenyl cyclase can be involved. In tu- mour cell death there can be involvement of cytokines, natural killer (NK) cells, cytotoxic lymphocytes, interferons, interleukins 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7, tumor necrosis factor, colony stimulating factors, and granulocyte macrophage stimulating factor. The book also deals with histological techniques for demonstrating cell death using light and electron microscopy.

Tumor Suppressor Genes---Edited by G. Klein. 273 pp. 1990. Marcel Dekker, New York. U.S.A. and Canada $99.75. Elsewhere $I 19.50.

Normal surrounding cells may suppress tumor cell growth. Mutation, partial deletion, chromosomal translocation and amplification, can alter the production of growth factors, growth factor receptors, signal transmitting proteins, tran- scription factors, and DNA binding proteins [myc, myb], and so produce tumor growth. Oncogenes can block specific steps in the maturation process. There are also anti-onco- genes, tumor suppressor genes or emergenes that can oppose tumorigenic behavior at various levels. Somatic hybridiz- ation of normal cells with malignant ceils showed that the normal genome can restore the responsiveness of the tumor cells to growth control. The normal alleles of genes can counteract the genesis of retinoblastoma, Wilms tumor and osteosarcoma. These topics are all well described in the present book.

Protein Structure, Prediction and Design~Edited by J. Kay, G. Lunt and D. Osguthorpe. 158 pp. 1990. Portland Press, London. $80. Biochemical Society Symposium 40.

The topics discussed in this volume are: Composer--a rule based approach to modelling protein structure; secondary structure prediction; inverting the protein-folding problem; ligand specific transport proteins; receptor and channel structures; binding sites of the nicotinic AChR; monoamine neurotransmitter receptors; the expert system approach to protein structure; preparation of artificial bifunctional enzymes by gene fusion; restructuring catalysis in the man- delate pathway; identification of binding determinants; antibody combining sites.

Nutrition; Proteins and Amino Acid.v--Edited by A. Yoshida, H. Naito, Y. Niiyama and T. Suzuki. 327 pp. 1990. Japanese Scientific Societies Press/Springer, Berlin. $87.10.

The general availability of a wide range of foods has increased and this together with increased wealth has brought about nutritional changes in Japan. These are surveyed and summarized in the present book. These is a historical introduction and the main chapters deal with protein metabolism, protein and amino acids requirements, physiological aspects of proteins and amino acids, nutri- tional aspects of food proteins, clinical aspects of amino acids (hepatic encephalopathy, chronic renal failure), uses of amino acids in parenteral and enteral nutrition, in medicine and general nutrition, production of amino acids.

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