PNH and the GPI-Linked Proteins

Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria (PNH) has been recognized for over a century. This mysterious disease is now understood at the level of the gene and the protein. The pathophysiology is related to a class of cell surface proteins with distinctive biochemical and physical characteristics. Recently it has been acknowledged that PNH is not rare, and once sensitive assays--based on the chemistry of the proteins--can be applied to many patients.Written by international experts in the field, this book includes a number of distinctive characteristics, such as the clinical features of PNH, the mechanism of hemolysis, the biochemistry of glycosylphosphoinositol anchors, and the chemistry and biophysics of GPI-anchored proteins.This unique and timely volume will have a wide audience, including hematologists and oncologists with a clinical interest in this disease, as well as basic biochemists, immunologists, and cell biologists studying this class of proteins. Outlines the chemical features of PNH Explains the mechanism of hemolysis Includes work on the biochemistry of glycophosphoinositol anchors Contains descriptions of the chemistry and biophysics of GPI-anchored proteins