A cofactor is a component part of many enzymes and functions by uniting with another molecule in order to become active. The use of cofactors to supplement the native amino acids of a protein is essential to maintain the chemical capabilities necessary for organisms to survive. This volume focuses on the significant advances of the past decade in identifying and describing new cofactors--either small molecules or those derived posttranslationally.

Vitamins and Hormones

Summarizes research encompassing all of the aspects required to understand, fabricate and integrate enzymatic fuel cells Contributions span the fields of bio-electrochemistry and biological fuel cell research Teaches the reader to optimize fuel cell performance to achieve long-term operation and realize commercial applicability Introduces the reader to the scientific aspects of bioelectrochemistry including electrical wiring of enzymes and charge transfer in enzyme fuel cell electrodes Covers unique engineering problems of enzyme fuel cells such as design and optimization

The longest running serial published by Academic Press continues its well-respected run with Volume 61, a special volume in which a guest editor has come on board and has assembled some well-known contributors who are international authorities in the field. Together they tackle some of the latest topics in the field such as riboflavin and folate biosynthesis, biotin and lipoic acid biosynthesis, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide biosynthesis, biosynthesis of vitamin B6 and structurally related derivatives, pantothenic acid and coenzyme A biosynthesis, mechanistic biosynthesis of protein-derived redox cofactors, ascorbic acid biosynthesis, biosynthesis of menaquinone and ubiquinone - Vitamin B12 biosynthesis, biosynthesis of the methanogenic cofactors, and thiamin biosynthesis.

The first edition of this book covered the basic treatment of the enzyme reaction using the overall reaction kinetics and stopped-flow method, the general properties of protein and cofactors, the control of enzyme reaction, and the preparation of enzyme protein. These topics are the basis of enzyme research and thus suitable for the beginner in the field. The second edition presents the cofactors produced via the post-translational modification of the enzyme’s active site. These cofactors expand the function of enzymes and open a new research field. The carbonyl reagent phenylhydrazine and related compounds have been useful in finding some of the newly discovered cofactors and thus have been discussed in this edition. The topic of the control of enzyme activity through the channel of substrates and products in polyfunctional enzymes has also been expanded in this book.

Based on the award winning Wiley Encyclopedia of Chemical Biology, this book provides a general overview of the unique features of the small molecules referred to as "natural products", explores how this traditionally organic chemistry-based field was transformed by insights from genetics and biochemistry, and highlights some promising future directions. The book begins by introducing natural products from different origins, moves on to presenting and discussing biosynthesis of various classes of natural products, and then looks at natural products as models and the possibilities of using them in medicine.