Research into steroid receptor biology holds great promise for the treatment of cancer and endocrine disorders and for elucidating the fundamental biological mechanisms of gene expression. In Steroid Receptor Methods: Protocols and Assays, a distinguished team of principal investigators and their associates describe in step-by-step detail a cross-section of the latest research techniques available for studying the endocrine system. As a basis for sophisticated biochemical analysis of receptor properties, the contributors provide methods for the production and purification of a variety of receptors, including progesterone, glucocorticoid, and androgen. Other protocols allow the reader to experiment with DNA-binding characteristics and hormone-binding assays and with the use of combinatorial chemistry for drug discovery. A series of novel methods utilizing the latest advances in immunochemistry, yeast two-hybrid screening, and fluorescence are included for the detection and analysis of a variety of cellular proteins that influence steroid receptor effectiveness. Finally, a discussion by example presents the most current bioinformatics tools and analytical techniques.
Timely and highly accessible, Steroid Receptor Methods: Protocols and Assays provides biochemists and molecular biologists studying endocrine systems with a full range of the powerful tools needed for elucidating protein interactions with receptors and DNA, as well as for drug discovery.