The paraoxonases: their role in disease development and xenobiotic metabolism (original) (raw)

Our knowledge of the ways in which a cell communicates with its environment and how it responds to information received has reached a level of almost bewildering complexity. The large diagrams of cells to be found on the walls of many a biologist's office are usually adorned with parallel and interconnecting pathways linking the multitude of components and suggest a clear logic and understanding of the role played by each protein. Of course this two-dimensional, albeit often colourful representation takes no account of the three-dimensional structure of a cell, the nature of the external and internal milieu, the dynamics of changes in protein levels and interactions, or the variations between cells in different tissues. Each book in this series, entitled "Proteins and Cell Regulation", will seek to explore specific protein families or categories of proteins from the viewpoint of the general and specific functions they provide and their involvement in the dynamic behaviour of a cell. Content will range from basic protein structure and function to consideration of cell type-specific features and the consequences of diseaseassociated changes and potential therapeutic intervention. So that the books represent the most up-to-date understanding, contributors will be prominent researchers in each particular area. Although aimed at graduate, postgraduate and principle investigators, the books will also be of use to science and medical undergraduates and to those wishing to understand basic cellular processes and develop novel therapeutic interventions for specific diseases.