Transcription factors Methods and protocols

Paul J. Higgins (Ed)

Series: Springer Protocols - Methods in Molecular Biology, Volume 647, 2010

Humana press, Totowa, New Jersey (USA)

Pages: 412; €114.35
ISBN: 978-1-60761-737-2

European Journal of Histochemistry 2011; 55







A hearty welcome to prof. Higgins editorial toil: a necessary tool for those colleagues (young and older) fighting each day with the transcription factor they are involved with. In fact, the book is a full coverage compendium of state-of-the-art papers dealing with practical techniques and theoretical concepts about transcription factors. Each of the chapters (twenty-four) is written by colleagues already working with one of the many transcription factors we become acquainted with. For the sake of the reader the volume is divided in four parts: Part I is a brief (when compared with the others three!) introductory presentation of the shuttling (i.e., transcription factor nuclear-cytoplasmic trafficking) achieved by three reviews presentation of this biologically critical phenomenon. Part II (nine chapters) is devoted to the necessary techniques to study nuclear translocation and the existing controls of nuclear export through intracellular trafficking high-resolution imaging. Part III (eight chapters) highlights how to study post-translational modifications presenting the well-known ubiquitination (recently published is a fantastic Nature Reviews Cell Biology poster by Nicola Crosetto, David Komander and Ivan Dikic, free access!), phosphorylation and many others. Part IV (four chapters) describes protocols for optimization of functional assays. The succession of the four parts is quite interesting; I was personally much more involved with part II and IV, likely because they are presenting topics of more practical and general applicability. However, each of the reader will get his own satisfaction: that is something granted to the buyer since the whole volume is a terrific tour-de-force (as stated by prof. Higgins in his well written and clear Introduction) of “tricks of the trade” shared by the AA with the readers: a great merit of this book.

CarloAlberto Redi
University of Pavia, Italy

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