Book Biochemical Pathways

Book Description

This book is not intended to be a textbook of biochemistry in the con-
ventional sense. There is no shortage of good biochemistry textbooks.
which outline how biochemical knowledge has been gained, trace
the logical and experimental developments in this fi eld and present
advances in their historical sequence.
In contrast, this book tries to condense important aspects of current
knowledge. Its goal is to give concise information on the metabolic
sequences in the pathways, the chemistry and enzymology of con-
versions, the regulation of turnover and the effect of disorders. This
concentration on the sequence of facts has entailed the omission of
researchers’ names, experimental methods and the discussion of how
results have been obtained. For information on these aspects, and for
an introduction to the fundamentals of biological science, it is neces-
sary to consult textbooks.
The scope of this book is general biochemistry, encompassing
bacteria (and to some extent archaea), plants, yeasts and animals.
Although a balanced representation is intended, personal interest nat-
urally plays a role in the selection of topics. In a number of cases, the
chemistry of the reactions is given in more detail, especially at meta-
bolic key and branching points. Human metabolism, its regulation and
disorders as a result of disease is a frequent topic. On the other hand,
some chapters are especially devoted to bacterial metabolism.
This book grew out of my interest in metabolic interrelationships
and regulation which was stimulated by my professional work at
Boehringer Mannheim GmbH, Germany. Previously, this interest led
me to compile the ‘Biochemical Pathways’ wall chart, the first edi-
tion of which appeared 40 years ago. Three more editions followed,
which have been widely distributed. As a result of this experience, I
developed a preference for the graphic presentation of scientific facts.
In contrast to texts, illustrations allow the simultaneous display of dif-
ferent aspects, such as structural formulas, enzyme catalysis and its
regulation, the involvement of cofactors, the occurrence of enzymes
in various kingdoms of biology, etc. This form of presentation facili-
tates a rapid overview. A standard set of conventions is used in all
illustrations (representation of formulas, symbols for proteins, the use
of colors, the shape of arrows, etc. - the rare exceptions are indicated),
and this assists in finding the facts quickly.
Tables have been added to provide more detailed information. They
list additional properties of the system components, homologies, etc.
The text plays only a supportive role. It gives a concise description
of the reactions and their regulation, and puts them into the general
metabolic context.
In many cases, current knowledge focuses on a limited in number
of species. A rough classification of the occurrence of pathways is
given by the color or the reaction arrows in the illustrations, but both
generalizations and specialization are expected to be found in the
future, which will necessitate modification of the picture.
The literature references have been limited in number and they usu-
ally cite recent review articles and books, if possible, from readily
accessible sources. They were selected to provide more detailed infor-
mation on new developments and additional references for the inter-
ested reader. There are no references to long-established biochemical
facts which can be found in any textbook. I hope that this restriction
will be acceptable to readers, since a complete listing of all sources
for the statements presented here would take up a major portion of this
volume. To compensate for the omission of such general references, a
special chapter on electronic data banks and major printed sources has
been added at the end of the book.
Most of all I want to thank my wife Dea, who has often encouraged
me during the long time required to fiish this work. She has given me
valuable advice and support in checking the text of the English edi-
tion. Without her understanding and her help this book would not have
been brought to completion.
Gerhard Michal

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