Harrison’s Infectious Diseases

eukaryotes, and there is evidence that they exist even in slime mold. The complexity and versatility of GPCR biology is apparent if we consider the fact that this signaling pathway evolved almost 1.2 billion years ago. The editors of G Protein-Coupled Receptors: Structure, Signaling, and Physiology successfully synthesize decades of research into a well-organized reference textbook. The layout of this text is one of its best features. The beginning of each chapter provides a concise but detailed list of the individual topics covered and, together with a master list of figures and tables following the table of contents, it enables easy navigation throughout the text. The authors and editors do not attempt to inundate the reader with every known fact about GPCRs, but instead summarize the most current and profound knowledge within the chapters and supplement the information with extensive reference lists. There is an overarching theme throughout the book of using the GPCR family as a model to demonstrate the implications of basic research on patients and the clinic. As mentioned several times in the text, it is estimated that 30 percent of currently prescribed therapeutics target GPCRs. This is in large part due to novel techniques that allowed details about GPCR structure and function to be discovered, including incorporation of GPCRs into lipoprotein particles for structural analysis, and FRET (fluorescent energy transfer) for activation assays. Many of these techniques and their applications are discussed in the text, and the accompanying figures help illustrate the complex principles. There is a particular focus on the basic theories, limitations, and applications of FRET technology in the context of GPCRs, and the vivid images presented capture the utility and power of this method. Though there are chapters discussing the role of GPCRs in disease and emerging novel therapeutic targets within this protein family, the strengths of this text would be most appreciated by the structural pharmacologist hoping to gain a comprehensive overview of GPCR biology. The well-outlined chapters balance the abundance and often overwhelming supply of references, while the simple figures and summary tables provide valuable information for the GPCR novice.