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Peptides from A - Z: A Concise Encyclopedia

Hans-Dieter Jakubke, Norbert Sewald

Hardcover, 413 Pages
First Edition, 2008
ISBN: 978-3-527-31722-6
Wiley-VCH

Description

This mini-encyclopedia contains more than 1,500 alphabetical entries from the entire field of peptide science in one handy volume, as well as the technical terms, acronyms and concepts used in peptide chemistry. It also features the complete sequence of more than 800 peptides, numerous illustrations and numerous cross-references.

Condensed yet accessible, only essential information is displayed, extensively linked via references to the recent scientific literature for further study.

Editorial Review

"Peptides from A - Z" is a rather useful book if one considers that the authors intend to explain the technical jargon of peptide chemistry. It is all the more surprising to find that it contains not only explanations of chemical and biological terms, but also hundreds of natural products as well as short biographies of important pioneers in the field. For the book to encompass such an accumulation of knowledge, some of the explanations have been condensed quite a bit, as the title of the monograph accurately claims. Nevertheless, important terminology is treated in detail, after which it is straightforward to locate it in the cited technical literature where more precise explanations are available.

However, in these days of electronic media and the internet, the question arises of how beneficial such a book would be. Assume that one finds the term “Amatoxin” in a current literature report. Unless "Amatoxin" is mentioned in a peptide connection, one would never reach for the monograph "Peptides from A - Z: A Concise Encyclopedia" in order to find an explanation. As another example, the essentially common knowledge phrase “acyl halides” is also mentioned; however, the reference here comes up in connection with background knowledge relating to peptide synthesis, which does not appear in normal textbooks.

A solid recommendation is hard to offer in this case, since the broad transfer of knowledge covers many interests on the one hand, while on the other, any one reader would only use a fraction of the book, if anything. For example, this reviewer would sooner recommend "Peptides: Chemistry and Biology" for students, since its linear structure that makes the knowledge more accessible. Experts in the area could use "Peptides from A-Z" in fleshing out their own texts with additional explanations from the book. This tome can rightly serve its purpose purely as a reference work in the library, although individual readers are recommended to take a close look at the book and judge its benefits personally before purchasing it. Since there is a great deal of information presented in condensed form, individuals must ask themselves the question of how useful the book would be and whether the lengths of its explanations are adequate.

Contents

Areas covered include:
- biological peptides and small proteins
- peptide hormones
- pharmaceutical peptides
- peptide antibiotics
- peptide inhibitors
- peptide reagents
- peptide tags
- structural classes
- synthesis and purification
- analytical methods
- proteomics and peptidomics