Psoralen Dna Photobiology

In one form or another psoralens have been in use dating back to biblical times for the treatment of depigmented patches of skin. However, it has only been in the past 40 years that the structure and function of psoralens have been elucidated. Although several volumes have been published on photobiology and photomedicine, no one volume has ever been devoted to the psoralen photobiology. In these two volumes we focus on the properties and uses of photoactivated psoralens.In these volumes the various aspects of psoralens are presented in a review of the field as it stands in mid 1986. In retrospect, we may find that this particular time was crucial in the development of new therapeutic modalities as many of the applications of modem molecular biology are beginning to impact on the practice of medicine.This book was written with two purposes in mind. First, to serve as an update (the last collective review of the field was in 1982). Second, it is hoped that newcomers to the fields of photobiology andphotomedicine both scientists and clinicians would find it a useful introduction.

In one form or another psoralens have been in use dating back to biblical times for the treatment of depigmented patches of skin. However, it has only been in the past 40 years that the structure and function of psoralens have been elucidated. Although several volumes have been published on photobiology and photomedicine, no one volume has ever been devoted to the psoralen photobiology. In these two volumes we focus on the properties and uses of photoactivated psoralens.In these volumes the various aspects of psoralens are presented in a review of the field as it stands in mid 1986. In retrospect, we may find that this particular time was crucial in the development of new therapeutic modalities as many of the applications of modem molecular biology are beginning to impact on the practice of medicine.This book was written with two purposes in mind. First, to serve as an update (the last collective review of the field was in 1982). Second, it is hoped that newcomers to the fields of photobiology andphotomedicine both scientists and clinicians would find it a useful introduction.

This second volume in a set continues the exploration of psoralen-DNA photobiology. Topics include chemical mechanisms in furocoumarins, psoralens as nucleic probes, genotoxic effects, DNA repair, psoralen phototherapies, and psoralen receptors. Extensive references. Acidic paper. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

"In one form or another psoralens have been in use dating back to biblical times for the treatment of depigmented patches of skin. However, it has only been in the past 40 years that the structure and function of psoralens have been elucidated. Although several volumes have been published on photobiology and photomedicine, no one volume has ever been devoted to the psoralen photobiology. In these two volumes we focus on the properties and uses of photoactivated psoralens.In these volumes the various aspects of psoralens are presented in a review of the field as it stands in mid 1986. In retrospect, we may find that this particular time was crucial in the development of new therapeutic modalities as many of the applications of modem molecular biology are beginning to impact on the practice of medicine.This book was written with two purposes in mind. First, to serve as an update (the last collective review of the field was in 1982). Second, it is hoped that newcomers to the fields of photobiology andphotomedicine both scientists and clinicians would find it a useful introduction."--Provided by publisher.

This thesis consists of three main parts and totally eight chapters. In Part I, The author will present studies on the photochemistry of psoralen-DNA adducts, specifically, the wavelength dependencies for the photoreversals of thymidine-HMT (4'-hydroxymethyl-4, 5', 8-trimenthylpsoralen) monoadducts and diadduct and the same adducts incorporated in DNA helices and the wavelength dependecies for the photocrossslinking of thymidine-HMT monoadducts in double-stranded helices. In Part II, The author will report some biological effects of psoralen-DNA adducts, i.e., the effects on double-stranded DNA stability, DNA structure, and transcription by E. coli and T7 RNA polymerases. Finally, The author will focus on the applications of psoralen-DNA photochemistry to investigation of protein-DNA interaction during transcription, which includes the interaction of E. coli and T7 RNA polymerases with DNA in elongation complexes arrested at specific psoralen-DNA adduct sites as revealed by DNase I footprinting experiments. 123 refs., 52 figs., 12 tabs.

It is not always the case that the subject of a scientific book and its relevance to everyday li fe are so timely. Photobiology and its si ster subject Radiobiology are now a must for understanding the environment we live in and the impact light, ultraviolet light, and radiation have on all aspects of our life. Photobiology is a true interdisciplinary field. Photobiology research plays a direct role in diverse fields, and a glance at the topics of the symposia covered in this book by over 100 articles shows the breadth and depth of knowledge acquired in fundamental research and its impact on the major issues and applied problems the world is facing. Half a century of photobiology research brought about an understanding of the importance of light to life, both as a necessary source of energy and growth as weIl as its possible dangers. Research in photochemistry and photobiology led to the discoveries of ceIlular repair mechanisms of UV induced damages to DNA and this led to understanding of the effects of hazardous environmental chemieals and mutagenecity , and to the development of genetic engineering. This topic was given due emphasis in several symposia and chapters in this book.