Book Reviews 675

developed textual expositions supplemented with ex- tensive tabulated information. Only the photographic reproductions are disappointing, being of uniformly low quality throughout the book. The encyclopedic treatment of these chapters makes this a book that well deserves to be brought to the attention of every- one from journalist to senior researcher.

Unfortunately, the remainder of the book does not live up to the high standards set by these first chap- ters. The author intended “to provide a concise, yet comprehensive review of cancer biology from basic mechanisms of carcinogenesis to the etiology and pathophysiology of human cancer” in 339 pages (ed- itorial note, preface). A comprehensive treatment of so vast a subject is simply not possible within so short a format and must lead to excessive brevity. The third chapter is an overview of the control of gene expres- sion, covering topics that range from the molecular biology of mRNA splicing to the regulation of cellular differentiation. Almost all topics are treated superfi- cially, and a course instructor would be well advised to substitute a series of research or review articles.

The encylopedic tone set in the earlier chapters is continued throughout the book, in sections on differ- entiation and cancer, the in vitro phenotype of tumor cells and the molecular mechanisms of carcinogene- s/s. Most subjects are treated too briefly. For instance, a number of important aspects of cancer biology- serum diagnostic markers (CEA, alpha-fetoprotein), tumor promotion and chromosomal rearrangements to name a few-have been almost totally neglected. These chapters impressed me as being more a com- pendium of facts than an explanation of some very complex phenomena; very few topics are treated deeply enough to provide a good understanding of the biology involved. Of course there are exceptions, such as the discussion of cell surface glycosylation and the very good chapter on in vivo tumor growth. However, on the whole it is unlikely that this book will be broadly adopted as a text.

Had the author been willing to exercise more selec- tion and thus provide a comprehensive treatment of a set of relevant and related topics, this book would have been much more useful and enlightening. As it stands, both medical and biological libraries should consider acquiring it (particularly at the bargain price of $21.951, and everyone interested in the life sci- ences should at least scan it when it appears on the shelf. An interesting note in closing-many col- leagues who saw this book on my desk as I was working on the review asked for an opportunity to read it. Cancer Biology will be making the rounds at CSH for the next month or so.

William C. Topp Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Cold Spring Harbor, New York 11724

Quasi-Repetitive Nucleic Acids

Topics In Nucleic Acid Structure. Edlted by S. Neidle. New York: Halsted Press (a division of John Wiley and Sons). (1981). 221 pp. $59.95.

The nucleic acids are among the most discussed and least understood biological macromolecules. Until re- cently much of the structural information about these systems was based on approximate theoretical models designed to match the X-ray diffraction pat- terns of DNA and RNA fibers. The direct information available was limited to a few crystallographic exam- ples of the simple nucleotide repeating units. In solu- tion even less was known. The nucleic acids were described, at best, in vague phenomenological terms. At short chain lengths the molecules were termed rigid rods, when very long they were ideal Gaussians, and chains of intermediate lengths were described as wormlike coils of varying degrees of tortuosity.

The situation, however, has markedly improved as direct structural information has accumulated over the past decade. The nucleic acids are now regarded as highly mobile species able to adopt a variety of three- dimensional spatial arrangements. Both right- and left- handed helical structures are found in solid-state and solution studies. Appreciable numbers of nonhelical arrangements are also reported in various X-ray crys- tallographic and magnetic resonance studies of oli- gonucleotide fragments, drug-oligonucleotide com- plexes and transfer RNA. Even the double helix is a mobile species in dilute solution, apparently adopting a variety of internal chain arrangements while retain- ing its characteristic macroscopic stiffness.

This book is the first in a review series edited by Stephen Neidle that updates the advances in this burgeoning field. It is a collection of nine chapters by leading investigators principally summarizing basic observations of recent X-ray crystallographic and magnetic resonance studies.

Helen Berman introduces the subject in an article that ties the conformational variables of the nucleotide repeating units to the three-dimensional structures of the nucleic acid molecules. She summarizes the pre- ferred ranges of the various internal parameters as well as the conformational correlations suggested by experimental and theoretical studies. The second chapter, by Dr. Berman and Huey-Sheng Shieh, de- tails the structural information gleaned from X-ray crystallographic studies of oligonucleotide models. It includes several useful tables of comparative data and an excellent set of related molecular representations. Ramaswamy H. Sarma and M. M. Dhingra then dis- cuss their NMR findings on oligonucleotide structure in solution. They provide several interesting examples

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of so-called “stereochemical domino effects” brought about by the conformational correlations between var- ious internal rotations in the nucleic acid backbone. Struther Arnott updates and classifies the refined pol- ynucleotide structures revealed by improved X-ray fiber diffraction analyses. A series of molecular illus- trations exquisitely illustrates the dramatic influence of conformational variations on the macroscopic fea- tures of the polynucleotide as a whole.

In the following two chapters, Sung-Hou Kim and Brian Reid discuss the three-dimensional structure of transfer RNA. Dr. Kim outlines the principal features of crystallographic models, while Dr. Reid discusses how and what NMR reveals about these molecules in solution. Dr. Kim also offers a detailed conformational analysis of the yeast tRNAPhB crystal structure that should prove useful in understanding the three-dimen- sional structures of polynucleotides in general.

One of the high points of the book is the exception- ally thorough review by D. M. J. Lilley of the structure and dynamics of eucaryotic chromatin. The article is an excellent introduction to a fascinating and impor- tant area of molecular genetics. The volume con- cludes with chapters by Stephen Neidle and Thomas Krugh on the structures of nucleic acid-drug com- plexes. The results of fiber diffraction analyses, the- oretical model building and single crystal studies are carefully tabulated by Dr. Neidle. A survey of the complementary information provided by various mag- netic resonance techniques is offered by Dr. Krugh.

The book is highly recommended as a useful intro- duction to nucleic acid structure. It would be an at- tractive and useful addition to any biochemical library. The reader, however, should be aware that some of the reviews have appeared almost word-for-word in other recently published texts (see Nucleic Acid Ge- ometry and Dynamics, R. H. Sarma, ed., Pergamon, 1980, and Structural Aspects of Recognition and As- sembly, M. Balaban, ed., Int’l. Science Services, 19811, a factor that might dissuade many potential buyers from purchasing this rather expensive volume.

Wilma K. Olson Department of Chemistry Rutgers State University of New Jersey New Brunswick, New Jersey 08903

Receiving Neurotransmitters

Neurotransmitter Receptors, Part 2, Biogenic Amlnes. Receptors and Recognition, Series B, 70. Edited by H. I. Yamamura and S. J. Enna. London: Chapman and Hall (distributed in New York by Methuen, Inc.). (1981). 273 pp. $37.50.

This multiauthored collection attempts to summarize the information on the physiological, biochemical,

pharmacological and functional characteristics of re- ceptors for the biogenic amine neurotransmitter can- didates-a significant undertaking it accomplishes with some degree of success. The authors take some- what different approaches to their respective chapters but, on the whole, the book represents a very com- plete review, discussion and evaluation of the avail- able information.

The importance of consolidating information on all these aspects of neurotransmitter receptors cannot be overemphasized, especially in view of the rapid progress being made in each of these specialized areas of receptor research. Similarities in results ob- tained by these different approaches can reinforce our understanding of the neurotransmitter function of these compounds. In addition, the discrepancies among the data from the different disciplines under- score the complexity of receptor mechanisms and define the areas that require further research before a unified concept of the receptors for each of the biogenic amines can be formulated.

The first chapter, by Henry J. Haigler, is on seroto- nergic receptors in the central nervous system. Its major emphasis is on the electrophysiological and microiontophoretic studies of serotonergic receptors and their classification into three subtypes. This is the only chapter that concentrates on physiological rather than biochemical evidence. The author also presents the available biochemical evidence from binding stud- ies.on the serotonin receptor and discusses the dis- crepancies among the different binding studies and between the binding and electrophysiological studies. Several hypotheses are presented in an attempt to reconcile these discrepancies, but much additional research will be necessary for any consensus to be reached. Interactions between the serotonergic sys- tem, nociception and morphine, are also reviewed.

The second chapter, by John E. Taylor and Elliott Richelson, is on histamine receptors. Following a brief description of the evidence for multiple histamine re- ceptors, there is a summary of the biochemical events coupled to histamine receptor activation-stimulation of CAMP and cGMP formation. The binding of ligands to the histamine receptor in membrane fractions is discussed, but little information was available on this topic at the time of this review. The remainder of the chapter is devoted to a review of the electrophysiolog- ical studies of histamine receptors and the physiolog- ical actions of histamine in the regulation of neuroen- docrine and cardiovascular function, ingestive behav- ior and thermal regulation.

The receptors for acetylcholine are covered by Gre- gory J. Wastek and Henry I. Yamamura in the third chapter. They review a broad range of topics including the physiology of central nicotine and muscarinic re- ceptors;- their biochemical characterization, isolation and purification; the role of cyclic nucleotides and phosphatidylinositol turnover in cholinergic receptor mechanisms, and their potential involvement in neu-