This monograph describes three growth and differentiation factors and their role in basic and clinical haematology and immunology: growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor 1 and prolactin. Recently, the expression of all three factors has been documented in the lympho-haemopoietic system. The relative importance of endocrine, paracrine and autocrine production is discussed. In addition to their role in development and physiology, these factors are implicated in auto-immune diseases and leukaemia. Possible implications of recent findings include the use of these factors in some forms of bone-marrow aplasia and immunodeficiency. In contrast, bromocriptine (which suppresses PRL secretion) may be of value in auto-immune diseases.
Nucleic acids are the fundamental building blocks of DNA and RNA and are found in virtually every living cell. Molecular biology is a branch of science that studies the physicochemical properties of molecules in a cell, including nucleic acids, proteins, and enzymes. Increased understanding of nucleic acids and their role in molecular biology will further many of the biological sciences including genetics, biochemistry, and cell biology. Progress in Nucleic Acid Research and Molecular Biology is intended to bring to light the most recent advances in these overlapping disciplines with a timely compilation of reviews comprising each volume.
This is a series of reviews on selected topics within the rapidly and vastly expanding field of membrane biology. Its aim is to highlight the most significant and important advances that have been made in recent years in understanding the structure, dynamics and function of cell membranes.