Christopher Redfern brings together in Retinoid Protocols a comprehensive collection of key biochemical and molecular methods for retinoid research. These easily reproducible techniques range from methods of handling and analyzing retinoids to advanced protocols for gene targeting, from binding protein function in transgenic animals to the study of nuclear retinoid receptors. In addition, the book makes accessible to all retinoid researchers such advanced techniques as cloning via RT-PCR, fluorimetry methods, recombinant protein purification and characterization, the use of antisense oligonucleotides to study the role of CRABPs, immunological and in situ hybridization methods, photoaffinity labeling, gel-shift analysis, and differential display.
Many of the chapters in Retinoid Protocols represent landmarks in retinoid methodology because they give step-by-step instructions for techniques central to understanding cellular control by retinoids. These indispensable techniques will be fundamental for all those working with retinoids, and so will play a key role in the development of new drugs and therapies for treating human disease.