Roland Benz 
Bacterial and Eukaryotic Porins 
Structure, Function, Mechanism

This first book dedicated to the topic relates the known physiological functions of porins to their molecular structure and mechanism, as documented by various in vitro and in vivo methods, including the generation of null mutants in mice.
For the first time, it brings together biophysical evidence with studies performed in a cellular context, presenting a unified picture of the fundamental importance of porins for cellular function.
With 16 contributions by an interdisciplinary team of leading porin researchers, this reference is essential reading for every molecular or structural biologist with an interest in this essential protein family.

Table of Content

Regulation of Porin Gene Expression by the Two-Component Regulatory System Env Z/Omp R
The Structures of General Porins
Role of bacterial porins in antibiotic susceptibility of gram-negative bacteria
Porins of the Outer Membrane of Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Regulation of Bacterial Porin Function
Reconstitution of General Diffusion Pores from Bacterial Outer Membranes
Omp A/Opr F: Slow Porins or Channels Produced by Alternative Folding of Outer Membrane Proteins
Drug Efflux and Protein Export through Channel-tunnels
Structure-Function Relationships in Sugar-Specific Porins
Role of the Carbohydrate-Specific Maltoporin in Substrate Uptake
Functional Reconstitution of Specific Porins
Energy-Coupled Outer Membrane Iron Transporters
Structural and Functional Aspects of the Vitamin B12 Receptor Btu B
Structure and Function of Mitochondrial Porins
Mitochondrial Porins in Mammals: Insights Into Functional Roles From Mutant Mice and Cells
Gene Family Expression and Multitopological Localization of Eukaryotic Porin/VDAC
Function of the Outer Mitochondrial Membrane Pore (VDAC) in Intracellular Signalling

About the author

Roland Benz (born 1943) studied Mathematics, Chemistry and Physics at the University of Würzburg (Germany) before joining the group of Peter Läuger at Konstanz University, where he obtained his Ph D in Biology and his habilitation in Biophysics. Recipient of a Heisenberg Fellowship of the German Research Society (DFG), he was a Visiting Professor at the State University of New York in 1980 and again in 1982, and at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver in 1984. Since 1986 he is full Professor of Biotechnology at the University of Würzburg. His research is centered on the molecular basis of membrane transport in microorganisms and higher organisms, with a special interest into pore-forming peptides and proteins.