Mary Luckey, Cambridge University Press, 2008, 344 pp., £40.00, ISBN 978 0 521 85655 3. Mary Luckey's book addresses the requirement for an advanced level textbook for those with an interest in biomembrane research. There are plenty of general biochemistry text books dealing with biomembranes and the structure and function of membrane proteins that will meet the needs of first and second year undergraduates and their teachers. However, there has been a need, for some time, for a book, suitable for teaching this topic to final-year undergraduates and postgraduate students and most teachers of this cohort have had to look to reviews and original papers for teaching material. Mary Luckey's book changes all that. This book provides a history of the development of the field of biological membranes, but more importantly provides details of the major advances in the last decade that have provided insights into the functioning of membrane proteins; and it does so in an impressive and engaging style. This is a book for anyone interested or engaged in biomembrane research. It serves as a reference text, but also as a showcase to reveal the strides that have been made in this field over the past decade or so.
The opening chapters, dealing with the generalities of biological membranes, lipids, detergents and model membranes, are beautifully illustrated and the text is interspersed with appropriate figures and tables from the original sources that serve to connect the reader to the literature. In addition, text boxes are used to good effect to draw attention to key biophysical and biochemical techniques. The bibliography associated with the chapters is organised to point the reader at the seminal papers in the area as well as to provide reviews to illuminate key areas still further.
The scope of the book is broad, dealing efficiently with many aspects of membrane biology, including membrane protein synthesis as well as assembly. The book is at its best when examining high resolution protein structures of transporters channels and receptors. The Figures in these chapters bring the topic to life and convey the excitement of being able to grasp, for example, how an ion pump operates at the molecular level. From a teaching and learning perspective it is extremely valuable to have so many of the major resolved protein structures at hand. Text boxes are used to discuss X-ray diffraction and NMR spectroscopy techniques. These sections serve to raise the awareness of the reader, and the author directs the reader to more detailed material for those who wish to pursue it. Similarly the role of bioinformatics in predicting membrane protein structure is presented to inform the reader of the possibilities and limitations of the tools available. Again the reader is referred to expert texts, if detailed knowledge is required.
Given the rapidly moving advances in the field of high resolution membrane protein structure such a text book could date rapidly. However, the author hints at a second edition in the foreword and asks that the readership provide her with feedback that can be incorporated into the next edition; so perhaps we can look forward to regular updating of this extremely useful and welcome textbook.
Mary Luckey has produced an inspiring textbook that will fire the enthusiasm of the next generation of membrane biologists across the spectrum, from biological to biophysical, and provide a compact and valuable resource for anyone involved in biomembrane research. J. Malcolm East School of Biological Sciences University of Southampton, UK E-mail: [email protected]