An essential text, this is a fully updated second edition of a classic, now in two volumes. It provides rapid access to information on molecular pharmacology for research scientists, clinicians and advanced students. With the A-Z format of over 2,000 entries, around 350 authors provide a complete reference to the area of molecular pharmacology. The book combines the knowledge of classic pharmacology with the more recent approach of the precise analysis of the molecular mechanisms by which drugs exert their effects. Short keyword entries define common acronyms, terms and phrases. In addition, detailed essays provide in-depth information on drugs, cellular processes, molecular targets, techniques, molecular mechanisms, and general principles.
Encyclopedia of Molecular Pharmacology S TEFAN O FFERMANNS AND WALTER R OSENTHAL (Eds.) Encyclopedia of Molecular Pharmacology (2nd edition) With 487 Figures* and 171 Tables *For color figures please see our Electronic Reference on www.springerlink.com Editors: Professor Dr. Stefan Offermanns Pharmakologisches Institut Universität Heidelberg Im Neuenheimer Feld 366 D-69120 Heidelberg Germany
[email protected] Professor Dr. Walter Rosenthal Leibniz-Institut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP) Campus Berlin-Buch Robert-Rössle-Str. 10 D-13125 Berlin Germany
[email protected] A C.I.P. Catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress ISBN: 978-3-540-38916-3 This publication is available also as: Electronic publication under ISBN 978-3-540-38918-7 and Print and electronic bundle under ISBN 978-3-540-38921-7 Library of Congress Control Number: 2008921487 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in other ways, and storage in data banks. Duplication of this publication or parts thereof is only permitted under the provisions of the German Copyright Law of September 9, 1965, in its current version, and permission for use must always be obtained from Springer-Verlag. Violations are liable for prosecution under the German Copyright Law. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg New York 2008 The use of registered names, trademarks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. Product liability: The publishers cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information about the application of operative techniques and medications contained in this book. In every individual case the user must check such information by consulting the relevant literature. Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media springer.com Printed on acid-free paper SPIN: 191230 2109 — 5 4 3 2 1 0 Preface to the First Edition The era of pharmacology, the science concerned with the understanding of drug action, began only about 150 years ago when Rudolf Buchheim established the first pharmacological laboratory in Dorpat (now, Tartu, Estonia). Since then, pharmacology has always been a lively discipline with “open borders”, reaching out not only to other life sciences such as physiology, biochemistry, cell biology and clinical medicine, but also to chemistry and physics. In a rather successful initial phase, pharmacologists devoted their time to describing drug actions