'Iron Carriers & Iron Proteins' is a compilation of reviews on the biochemistry of iron. Iron is an absolutely required trace element in essentially all life forms. Because iron in the natural environment occurs as the insoluble ferric hydroxide, biological systems have evolved specially designed molecules for the solubilization, transport, storage, and utilization of this element. The five main topics of this book treat the accumulation of iron by siderophores, the cellular storage of this essential element in ferritins, the intra- and inter- cellular transport of iron by transferrins, and the utilization of iron in proteins and enzymes. The application of sophisticated spectroscopic and instrumental techniques as well as thorough analyses of experimental data are presented in detail to provide the most comprehensive reviews of siderophores, ferritins, transferrins, and iron enzymes. Each chapter, using a historical perspective, presents the current state of research on their structural, physical, chemical, and biological properties.
Six chapters explore the application of detection techniques used in the inorganic physical sciences to the study of iron storage and transport, and its role in redox reactions in life processes. Topics include the siderophore-mediated transport in microorganisms; the storage structure, ferritin; the carrier molecules, transferrins; several binuclear iron proteins; and the catechol diogenases, mononuclear iron enzymes. New findings on the three-dimensional structure of lactoferrin, the chemistry of iron release, and the biochemistry of cellular uptake of iron, have been incorporated into a chapter updating the discussion of transferrins. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR booknews.com
