Chemistry and Biology of Proteins - F. Haurowitz 1953

Foreword to the Russian Edition

The book by F. Haurowitz, Chemistry and Biology of Proteins, offered here in Translation, differs significantly from several other foreign monographs and reviews published in recent years on the same subject. The main distinction of this book lies in the fact that the author does not merely present current data on Cell/13.html">Protein Structure, their physicochemical properties, biological Specificity, and so forth, but also attempts to synthesize these diverse findings to provide a comprehensive Overview of both The Mechanism of protein formation and The Nature of the Functions exhibited by proteins with specific biological activities (such as enzymatic, hormonal, etc.). He builds this framework upon a specific concept of Protein Structure and the Nature of the bonds determining their various properties.

It cannot be said that the author has entirely succeeded in accomplishing this task. The primary difficulty confronting any researcher undertaking such a goal is that, at present, very few firmly established facts are known regarding protein structure and the nature of the Bonds Responsible for their specificity and various biological properties (e.g., enzymatic and hormonal activity). In most cases, the author attempts to resolve this difficulty by taking the path of least resistance, basing his Conclusions not on solidly established facts, but on more or less probable assumptions and hypotheses. This undoubtedly accounts for the debatable and shaky nature of many of the author's assertions, as well as a certain bias in the Selection and interpretation of experimental data. This bias is particularly evident in the section devoted to the presence of cyclic groups in the protein molecule. Since the existence of such groups contradicts the author's theoretical framework, he completely arbitrarily and unjustifiably dismisses all experimental data available in the literature on this subject, declaring them to be artifacts. However, research by Acad. N. D. Zelinsky and his coworkers (V. S. Sadikov, N. I. Gavrilov, et al.) provides every reason to believe that such cyclic groupings, like diketopiperazines, are preformed in proteins and largely determine their properties (see note on p. 130).

At the same time, examining a vast and diverse body of material from a unified perspective enables the reader to gain a clear understanding of the Current state of major problems in Protein Chemistry abroad. From this standpoint, the book will be of interest to professional biochemists, physiologists, biologists, and physicians. The extensive factual material collected and systematized by the author allows readers to easily find necessary References and information regarding the Structure and properties of individual proteins, Methods for their Isolation and Purification, etc.

A notable shortcoming of the book is that it almost completely omits even the most important findings obtained by our domestic scientists on various issues discussed in the text. Therefore, supplementary notes have been added to individual chapters, pointing out the works of Russian and Soviet authors. These notes also provide a critique of several of the author's propositions.

Certain sections of Chapter XVII that were irrelevant to the main theme of the book have been omitted in this translation.

Prof. S. Ya. Kaplansky.