Considering the current interest in cellular regulation and
intracellular signalling systems, it is surprising that the contribution
of ADP-ribosylation reactions to the modulation of a variety of specific
cell processes, in parallel with other post-translational modifications
such as phosphorylation, has not been generally recognized. While it is
not feasible to cover all aspects of ADP-ribosylation, the thirty-one
articles contained in this volume provide a valuable overview of recent
progress in the field within the context of cell control mechanisms. For
the convenience of the reader, the various topics have been grouped into
several sections: (a) poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation; (b) mono-ADP-ribosylation;
(c) toxin mono-ADP-ribosylation; (d) inhibitors and activators; (e)
protein modification with ADP-ribose and its analogues; and (f)
non-modification forms of ADP-ribose. The contents of the individual
chapters reflect the ideas of the contributors, many of whom have spent
their careers attempting to resolve the biological functions of
ADP-ribosylation. We hope that this publication will serve as a useful
reference for those investigators that are new to the area as well as
those who are actively studying ADP-ribosylation.