Calcium and Cell Function

Calcium and Cell Function, Volume III covers the many aspects of research on calcium, dealing with its biochemistry, biology, and pharmacology in animals as well as in plants. The book discusses a novel cellular signaling system based on the integration of phospholipid and calcium metabolism; the transport of calcium by sarcoplasmic reticulum; and the energetics and chemistry for interactions between calmodulin and calmodulin-binding proteins. The text also describes the specificity of trifluoperazine and related phenothiazines for calcium-binding proteins; the structure, function, and regulation of phosphorylase kinase; and the regulation of glycogen synthase by multiple protein kinases. The role of calmodulin in synaptic function and neurosecretion; the stimulation of the synthesis of neurotransmitters by calmodulin-dependent phosphorylation; as well as the role of calcium in axoplasmic transport in nerve are also considered. The book further tackles calcium control of the intestinal microvillus cytoskeleton; the possible role of calmodulin in the regulation of insulin release and protein phosphorylation by calcium and cyclic AMP; and the role of calcium in mediating cellular functions important for growth and development in higher plants. The text also looks into the localization of calmodulin in tissue culture cells; and the characterization and regulation of calcium-dependent neutral protease. Zoologists, cell biologists, biochemists, and pharmacologists will find the book invaluable.