Praise for the Volume
"Packed within this volume is much of the accumulated practical wisdom of a century of biochemistry. When available at the bench, it should become widely used for answering the endless questions that arise in the research laboratory. The information is generous in detail and accompanied by sage advice from sixty-nine contributors who share the lessons of their wide experience.
The subject matter is in logical sequence, with early presentation of general information for handling proteins that includes an immensely useful table of fifty-four buffers, a discussion of seven different methods for measuring protein quantity, ten pages on maintenance of protein stability, a large section on solubilization, two contributions on overexpression, and much more. Preparation of extracts from the full spectrum of cell and organelle types used in biochemistry is covered by eight authors. About one-third of the book is devoted directly to purification procedures, from ammonium sulfate precipitation methods of the last century to the most advanced chromatographic and electrophoretic methods of today. A large selection is concerned with the characterization of purified proteins, and includes a computerized interpretation of physical and analytical data.
The book has much else to recommend it in its readability and thoughtful commentary. In a discussion on
Setting Up a Laboratory, Deutscher tells us that no laboratory ever has enough columns and fraction collectors (Amen!). And J.M. Wozney observes that cloning can be viewed as the ultimate purification step.
The book also offers a bonus in the reminiscent views of a few masters of the art of protein purification: Arthur Kornberg...Earl R. Stadtman, Kivie Moldave, and B.L. Horecker with O. Tsolas.
--Simon Black in ANALYTICAL BIOCHEMISTRY
"The freshness of Arthur Kornbergs introductory prose... takes the mundane and often frankly tedious business of isolating proteins onto another plane: 'Don't waste clean thinking on dirty enzymes'. In the epilogue, other giants of biochemistry remind us of the inherited wealth (often taken for granted) that we possess through the study of purified proteins. Strong stuff for a practical guide.
But then this is more than just a guide. It is a complete work. The strategies described embody both classical and modern thinking. We are told what to do to set up a separation laboratory in classic terms (don't start with wall-to-wall FPLC). New biochemists sometimes neglect their roots in physical chemistry. The chapters on buffers, protein assay, and quantitation will repay study. The editor has recognized that the everyday problems are protein desalting, concentration, recovery and storage. The advice here is comprehensive.
In summary, this is possibly the most important, comprehensive and affordable work on protein purification to have appeared in recent years. Librarians who want to retain it as a reference work will have to put it behind glass and turn a page each day. This reviewer is going to keep his copy at home."
--TIBTECH
Praise for the Series
"The
Methods in Enzymology series represents the gold-standard."
--NEUROSCIENCE
"Incomparably useful."
--ANALYTICAL BIOCHEMISTRY
"It is a true 'methods' series, including almost every detail from basic theory to sources of equipment and reagents, with timely documentation provided on each page."
--BIO/TECHNOLOGY
"The series has been following the growing, changing and creation of new areas of science. It should be on the shelves of all libraries in the world as a whole collection."
--CHEMISTRY IN INDUSTRY
"The appearance of another volume in that excellent series,
Methods in Enzymology, is always a cause for appreciation for those who wish to successfully carry out a particular technique or prepare an enzyme or metabolic intermediate without the tiresome prospect of searching through unfamiliar literature and perhaps selecting an unproven method which is not easily reproduced."
--AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MICROBIOLOGY NEWS
"If we had some way to find the work most often consulted in the laboratory, it could well be the multi-volume series
Methods in Enzymology...a great work."
--ENZYMOLOGIA
"A series that has established itself as a definitive reference for biochemists."
--JOURNAL OF CHROMATOGRAPHY
