As a scientist with an interest in proteins you will, at some time in
your career, isolate an enzyme that turns out to be yellow--or perhaps
you already have. Alternatively, you may identify a polypeptide sequence
that is related to known flavin-containing proteins. This may, or may
not, be your first encounter with flavoproteins. However, even if you
are an old hand in the field, you may not have exploited the full range
of experimental approaches applicable to the study of flavoproteins. We
hope that Flavoprotein Protocols will encourage you to do so. In this
volume we have sought to bring together a range of experimental methods
of value to researchers with an interest in flavoproteins, whether or
not these researchers have experience in this area. A broad range of
techniques, from the everyday to the more specialized, is described by
scientists who are experts in their fields and who have ext- sive
practical experience with flavoproteins. The wide range of approaches,
from wet chemistry to dry computation, has, as a consequence, demanded a
range of formats. Where appropriate (particularly for analytical
methods) the protocol described is laid out in easy-to-follow steps. In
other cases (e. g., the more advanced spectroscopies and computational
methods) it is far more apt to describe the general approach and
relevance of the methods. We hope this wide-ranging approach will sow
the seeds of many future collaborations - tween laboratories and further
our knowledge and understanding of how f- voproteins work.
