文档介绍：Preface
The transduction of signals from the extracellular space across the plasma
membrane into the interior of cells and ultimately to the nucleus, where in re-
sponse to such external signals the transcription of the ic code is influ-
enced, belongs to the most fundamental and important events in the regulation
of the life cycle of cells. During recent years several signal transduction cascades
have been elucidated which regulate, for instance, the growth and the prolifera-
tion anisms as diverse as mammals, flies, worms and yeast. The general
picture which emerged from these investigations is that nature employs -
bination of non-covalent ligand/protein and protein/protein interactions
together with a set of covalent protein modifications to generate the signals and
transduce them to their destinations. The ligands which are recognized may be
low molecular pounds like lipids, inositol derivatives, steroids or
microbial products like cyclosporin. They may be proteins like, for instance,
growth factors or intracellular adaptor proteins which carry SH2 or SH3
domains, and they may be specific DNA stretches which are selectively recog-
nized by transcription factors.
These and other aspects of biological signal transduction provide an open
and rewarding field for investigations by scientists from various different disci-
plines of biology,medical research and chemistry working in academic research
institutions or in industry. In particular, it is full of opportunities for anic
studies in which the expertises of biologists and chemists have to be merged,
and it is highly relevant to medicinal chemistry since “signal transduction thera-
py” is a new promising approach for the treatment of various diseases including
cancer.
This book presents a selection of the most advanced topics from the bio-
organic and medicinal chemistry of signal transduction. The authors who have
contributed include biologists, biochemists, medicinal chemists and sy