Membrane transporters and channels play key roles in drug absorption and distribution, influence drug efficacy and toxicity, and are the target of about 30% of currently marketed drugs. In Membrane Transporters: Methods and Protocols, a panel of recognized basic and clinical investigators-many world-famous-describe their proven, cutting-edge methodologies for studying these important proteins. Treated in step-by-step detail, these techniques take advantage of all the latest developments in biomedical research, including pharmacogenomics, bioinformatics, and microarray technologies. The authors explain databases and tools for bioinformatics analysis, provide practical guidelines for microarray experiments and data analysis, and illustrate the use of small-angle X-ray scattering, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and molecular modeling to study the structural biology of membrane transporters. Methods for exploring structure-function correlation, such as site-directed mutagenesis, immunocytochemistry, and confocal microscopy, are also described, along with several methods that may help in the development of novel therapeutics. Each technique contains hands-on instructions, many notes on avoiding the problems that one may encounter, and suggestions for variant procedures.

Comprehensive and highly practical, Membrane Transporters: Methods and Protocols offers investigators working in biopharmaceutical science, drug discovery, and drug delivery both an array of powerful tools for work on membrane transporters and an essential guide to the state-of-the-art in the membrane transporter field today.

Pharmacogenomics of Membrane Transporters.- The IUBMB-Endorsed Transporter Classification System.- Bioinformatics and Data Integration in Membrane Transporter Studies.- DNA Microarrays to Analyze Gene Expression in Animals with Altered Transporter Expression.- Microarray Data Analysis in Studies of Membrane Transporters.- Laser Capture Microdissection to Examine Transporter Expression in Specific Cell Regions.- Site-Directed Mutagenesis in the Study of Membrane Transporters.- Fluorescence Techniques for Studying Membrane Transport Proteins.- Reconstitution of Membrane Transporters.- Equilibrium Binding and Transport Studies.- Electrophysiological Studies of Ion Channels and Therapeutic Potential With Adenovirus-Mediated Gene Transfer.- Antibody Production and Immunocytochemical Localization of Amino Acid Transporters.- Xenopus laevis Oocytes.- Measurement of Intracellular pH.- Small-Angle X-Ray Scattering Studies of Membrane Transporter Peripheral Components and Soluble Domains.- Membrane Protein NMR Studies.- Analysis of Soluble Sugar Permease Domains by Solution NMR.- Molecular Modeling and Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Membrane Transporter Proteins.- Imaging Plasma Membrane Proteins by Confocal Microscopy.