Androgen Action: Methods and Protocols

Androgens play a critical role in the development and maintenance of the male reproductive system and affect important physiological processes and pathological conditions, including the homeostasis of the normal prostate and prostate cancer. Androgen Action: Methods and Protocols is designed to provide a tool box to study various phases of androgen action, from its entry to the cell to the phenotypic response that the cell mounts, with up-to-date techniques for biochemists, molecular biologists, cell biologists, geneticists, and pathologists. The volume opens with a brief review of the research history on androgen action and prostate carcinogenesis, followed by chapters that cover state-of-the-art methods to determine androgen levels in biological tissues and fluids, experimental procedures to study the various aspects of androgen receptor activity, and methodology to study salient examples of interactions between androgen signalling and other major signalling pathways in cells. Written in the successful Methods in Molecular Biology (TM) series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible protocols, and notes on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and easily accessible, Androgen Action: Methods and Protocols provides a comprehensive overview of, and practical guidance on, the diverse methodologies that are propelling androgen action research forward, both for normal physiology as well as in disease states.