Phenotypic Switching: Implications in Biology and Medicine provides a comprehensive examination of phenotypic switching across biological systems, including underlying mechanisms, evolutionary significance, and its role in biomedical science. Contributions from international leaders discuss conceptual and theoretical aspects of phenotypic plasticity, its influence over biological development, differentiation, biodiversity, and potential applications in cancer therapy, regenerative medicine and stem cell therapy, among other treatments. Chapters discuss fundamental mechanisms of phenotypic switching, including transition states, cell fate decisions, epigenetic factors, stochasticity, protein-based inheritance, specific areas of human development and disease relevance, phenotypic plasticity in melanoma, prostate cancer, breast cancer, non-genetic heterogeneity in cancer, hepatitis C, and more. This book is essential for active researchers, basic and translational scientists, clinicians, postgraduates and students in genetics, human genomics, pathology, bioinformatics, developmental biology, evolutionary biology and adaptive opportunities in yeast.

'Species' are central to understanding the origin and dynamics of biological diversity; explaining why lineages split into multiple distinct species is one of the main goals of evolutionary biology. However the existence of species is often taken for granted, and precisely what is meant by species and whether they really exist as a pattern of nature has rarely been modelled or critically tested. This novel book presents a synthetic overview of the evolutionary biology of species, describing what species are, how they form, the consequences of species boundaries and diversity for evolution, and patterns of species accumulation over time. The central thesis is that species represent more than just a unit of taxonomy; they are a model of how diversity is structured as well as how groups of related organisms evolve. The author adopts an intentionally broad approach, stepping back from the details to consider what species constitute, both theoretically and empirically, and how we detect them, drawing on a wealth of examples from microbes to multicellular organisms.

Legumes in the Omic Era provides a timely review of recent advances in legume genomics research and application. In this post-genomic era enormous amount of biological information is available which could be of huge potential use for crop improvement applications. This aspect of genomics assisted plant breeding is focused throughout the book for all the important grain legume crops. Role of functional genomics and importance of bioinformatics tools in present day genomics and molecular breeding research is also discussed in detail. Use of molecular tools for nutritional fortification of grain legume is briefly presented. A chapter also been contributed on fungal disease resistance to elucidate potential application of genomic tools in molecular breeding of grain legume species. The book contains fifteen chapters contributed by 50 scientists from different countries who are actively involved in analyzing and improving particular legume genome. This book will serve as reference resource to legumes researchers for use of genome information in improvement of major legume crops.

Dr Sanjeev Gupta is Principal Scientist/Project Coordinator-All India Coordinated Research Project on "Vigna" Crops at Indian Institute of Pulses Research (IIPR), Kanpur. He has more than two decades of research experience in grain legume breeding and developed a number of high yielding cultivars in grain legumes. He is authored numerous research papers published in peer-reviewed journals and edited several books in plant breeding aspects. He was the Organizing Secretary of the International Grain Legume Conference, 2009 held in the Indian Institute of Pulses Research, Kanpur, India. He has travelled across the continents to present his research several times. He is recipient of several awards for his research and literary contributions Dr. Nagasamy Nadarajan is the Director of the Indian Institute of Pulses Research (IIPR), Kanpur. He has more than three decades of teaching and research experience and developed more than fifteen legume and cereal cultivars. He has to his credits more than 200 peer-reviewed research publications. He has guided several graduate students for Masters and Doctoral degrees in food legume breeding and genetics research. He has authored a book in biometrics which is one of the most popular books among the agriculture graduate students in India. He is the recipient of three international and six national awards and honours for his outstanding contributions Mr. Debjyoti Sen Gupta is the ICAR International Fellow and Ph.D. candidate at North Dakota State University (NDSU), Fargo, USA. Recently, he visited Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, USA for high throughput genotyping work. Before joining at NDSU he was serving as the Scientist in the Indian Institute of Pulses Research (IIPR). He has authored several research articles, review articles and book chapters in the peer-reviewed journals and books from reputed publishers like Springer, CABI etc. He is recipient of several fellowships like CSIR-JRF, New Delhi; ICAR-JRF, New Delhi throughout his graduate study programs. "

This guide covers aspects of designing microarray experiments and analysing the data generated, including information on some of the tools that are available from non--commercial sources. Concepts and principles underpinning gene expression analysis are emphasised and wherever possible, the mathematics has been simplified. The guide is intended for use by graduates and researchers in bioinformatics and the life sciences and is also suitable for statisticians who are interested in the approaches currently used to study gene expression.* Microarrays are an automated way of carrying out thousands of experiments at once, and allows scientists to obtain huge amounts of information very quickly* Short, concise text on this difficult topic area* Clear illustrations throughout* Written by well--known teachers in the subject* Provides insight into how to analyse the data produced from microarrays

A common approach to understanding the functional repertoire of a genome is through functional genomics. With systems biology burgeoning, bioinformatics has grown to a larger extent for plant genomes where several applications in the form of protein-protein interactions (PPI) are used to predict the function of proteins. With plant genes evolutionarily conserved, the science of bioinformatics in agriculture has caught interest with myriad of applications taken from bench side to in silico studies. A multitude of technologies in the form of gene analysis, biochemical pathways and molecular techniques have been exploited to an extent that they consume less time and have been cost-effective to use. As genomes are being sequenced, there is an increased amount of expression data being generated from time to time matching the need to link the expression profiles and phenotypic variation to the underlying genomic variation. This would allow us to identify candidate genes and understand the molecular basis/phenotypic variation of traits. While many bioinformatics methods like expression and whole genome sequence data of organisms in biological databases have been used in plants, we felt a common reference showcasing the reviews for such analysis is wanting. We envisage that this dearth would be facilitated in the form of this Springer book on Agricultural Bioinformatics. We thank all the authors and the publishers Springer, Germany for providing us an opportunity to review the bioinformatics works that the authors have carried in the recent past and hope the readers would find this book attention grabbing.

Sociogenomics has rapidly become one of the trendiest sciences of the new millennium. Practitioners view human nature and life outcomes as the result of genetic and social factors. In Social by Nature, Catherine Bliss recognizes the promise of this interdisciplinary young science, but also questions its implications for the future. As she points out, the claim that genetic similarities cause groups of people to behave in similar ways is not new-and a dark history of eugenics warns us of its dangers. Over the last decade, sociogenomics has enjoyed a largely uncritical rise to prominence and acceptance in popular culture. Researchers have published studies showing that things like educational attainment, gang membership, and life satisfaction are encoded in our DNA long before we say our first word. Strangely, unlike the racial debates over IQ scores in the '70s and '90s, sociogenomics has not received any major backlash. By exposing the shocking parallels between sociogenomics and older, long-discredited, sciences, Bliss persuasively argues for a more thoughtful public reception of any study that reduces human nature to a mere sequence of genes. This book is a powerful call for researchers to approach their work in more socially responsible ways, and a must-read for anyone who wants to better understand the scholarship that impacts how we see ourselves and our society.

For decades, 98 per cent of our DNA was written off as 'junk' on the grounds that it did not code for proteins. From rare genetic diseases to Down's Syndrome, from viral infections to the ageing process, only now are the effects and the vital functions of these junk regions beginning to emerge. Scientists' rapidly growing knowledge of this often controversial field has already provided a successful cure for blindness and saved innocent people from death row via DNA fingerprinting, and looks set to revolutionise treatment for many medical conditions including obesity. From Nessa Carey, author of the acclaimed The Epigenetics Revolution, this is the first book for a general readership on a subject that may underpin the secrets of human complexity - even the very origins of life on earth.

Over a decade ago, as the Human Genome Project completed its mapping of the entire human genome, hopes ran high that we would rapidly be able to use our knowledge of human genes to tackle many inherited diseases, and understand what makes us unique among animals. But things didn't turn out that way. For a start, we turned out to have far fewer genes than originally thought - just over 20,000, the same sort of number as a fruit fly or worm. What's more, the proportion of DNA consisting of genes coding for proteins was a mere 2%. So, was the rest of the genome accumulated 'junk'? Things have changed since those early heady days of the Human Genome Project. But the emerging picture is if anything far more exciting. In this book, John Parrington explains the key features that are coming to light - some, such as the results of the international ENCODE programme, still much debated and controversial in their scope. He gives an outline of the deeper genome, involving layers of regulatory elements controlling and coordinating the switching on and off of genes; the impact of its 3D geometry; the discovery of a variety of new RNAs playing critical roles; the epigenetic changes influenced by the environment and life experiences that can make identical twins different and be passed on to the next generation; and the clues coming out of comparisons with the genomes of Neanderthals as well as that of chimps about the development of our species. We are learning more about ourselves, and about the genetic aspects of many diseases. But in its complexity, flexibility, and ability to respond to environmental cues, the human genome is proving to be far more subtle than we ever imagined.

This book is intended for non-specialists and students, presenting a unique introduction to the field of DNA nanotechnology. The primary focus is on the extraordinary advantages of specificity and sensitivity obtained by integrating DNA nanostructures in bioanalytical devices.DNA Nanotechnology for Bioanalysis provides a concise and rigorous description for the fabrication of various types of functional nanostructures by optimized software-aided high-yield synthesis. Following this is the explanation of methods to decorate these nanostructures with molecules such as proteins, metal nanoparticles or bioorganic moieties covalently bonded onto DNA via self-assemblage processes. Also provided is a concise review on non-canonical DNA structures (such as G-quadruplexes) and their targeting by small molecules for applications in pharmacology. Finally, it describes the exciting applications of DNA nanostructures in life sciences and nanomedicine, including ultraspecific molecular delivery, control of cell behavior, analysis of cell lysate and DNA-based nano-tools for super-resolution sub-cellular imaging.

For decades after the identification of the structure of DNA, scientists focused only on genes, the regions of the genome that contain codes for the production of proteins. Other regions that make up 98 percent of the human genome were dismissed as "junk," sequences that serve no purpose. But researchers have recently discovered variations and modulations in this junk DNA that are involved with a number of intractable diseases. Our increasing knowledge of junk DNA has led to innovative research and treatment approaches that may finally ameliorate some of these conditions. Junk DNA can play vital and unanticipated roles in the control of gene expression, from fine-tuning individual genes to switching off entire chromosomes. These functions have forced scientists to revisit the very meaning of the word "gene" and have engendered a spirited scientific battle over whether or not this genomic "nonsense" is the source of human biological complexity. Drawing on her experience with leading scientific investigators in Europe and North America, Nessa Carey provides a clear and compelling introduction to junk DNA and its critical involvement in phenomena as diverse as genetic diseases, viral infections, sex determination in mammals, and evolution. We are only now unlocking the secrets of junk DNA, and Nessa Carey's book is an essential resource for navigating the history and controversies of this fast-growing, hotly disputed field.

Are you considering to test your own DNA? Do you want to learn more about your health and ancestry? Understand your DNA - A Guide is about what you can use genetics for. For a few hundred dollars, you can now scan your own genes. Millions of people all over the world have already done so. Everyone wants to see what they can get to know about themselves, and the market growing rapidly. But what does it require from you? And what can you really use a DNA test for? Understand your DNA - A Guide helps you put the plots and charts of consumer genetics into perspective and enables you to figure out what's up and down in the media headlines. The book is also a key input for today's debate about what we as a society can and want to do with medical genetics. Genetics will play a growing role in the future. Understand your DNA - A Guide is an easy-to-read and necessary guide to that future. The book is provided with a foreword by Professor Sham Pak-Chung of Hong Kong University.While there are many books about genetics, they typically take the perspective of a scientist wanting to understand the molecular levels. At the same time, direct-to-consumer genetics is a booming market, with millions of people already tested. Very little has been published that will guide them for real, because the need here is more focused on medical and practical understanding, than focussed on molecules.This book therefore aims to hit that vacant spot in the market. It's a walk-through of all concepts that are necessary to understand in your own analysis. Meanwhile, it is also limited in scope to only those concepts - thus distinguishing it from broader works.The book is appropriate for the readerships in modern multi-ethnic metropolises because it mixes European and Asian examples, both from the collaboration between the author from Europe and the foreword-writer, Prof. Pak Sham of Hong Kong University. But also, because many of the examples in the book concerns differences and similarities between Asian and European ethnicities, something the author believes is a trend in time.Related Link(s)

The ability to produce vast amounts of DNA sequence data has enabled the discovery of molecular markers in model organisms, crops, as well as orphan species making genotyping the rate limiting factor, and this volume focuses on the different markers available and the low to high throughput genotyping of these markers. Given the diverse nature of some of these systems, an overview is provided on the identification of markers from sequence data, as well as data analysis with example applications once the genotyping data has been generated. Written in the successful Methods in Molecular Biology 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, Plant Genotyping: Methods and Protocols is aimed at plant molecular biologists, geneticists, plant breeders and ecologists who have a target question and need to know the most suitable markers and genotyping system to use.

The discovery of stress-induced mutagenesis has changed ideas about mutation and evolution, and revealed mutagenic programs that differ from standard spontaneous mutagenesis in rapidly proliferating cells. The stress-induced mutations occur during growth-limiting stress, and can include adaptive mutations that allow growth in the otherwise growth-limiting environment. The stress responses increase mutagenesis specifically when cells are maladapted to their environments, i.e. are stressed, potentially accelerating evolution then. The mutation mechanism also includes temporary suspension of post-synthesis mismatch repair, resembling mutagenesis characteristic of some cancers. Stress-induced mutation mechanisms may provide important models for genome instability underlying some cancers and genetic diseases, resistance to chemotherapeutic and antibiotic drugs, pathogenicity of microbes, and many other important evolutionary processes. This book covers pathways of stress-induced mutagenesis in all systems. The principle focus is mammalian systems, but much of what is known of these pathways comes from non-mammalian systems.

GW bodies are novel cytoplasmic foci that were discovered and named by Dr. Chan's group in 2002. These bodies are now known to be active cytoplasmic foci involved with the new gene regulation process mediated by microRNA that leads to translational repression and mRNA degradation. The detailed biological functions of these cytoplasmic structures are still being uncovered and the idea for this book is to provide the history of the discovery and the major work from different laboratories that has led to the characterization and elucidation of the structure and function of these new multiple subcellular structures.

In this new volume, renowned authors contribute fascinating, cutting-edge insights into microarray data analysis. Information on an array of topics is included in this innovative book including in-depth insights into presentations of genomic signal processing. Also detailed is the use of tiling arrays for large genomes analysis. The protocols follow the successful Methods in Molecular Biology (TM) series format, offering step-by-step instructions, an introduction outlining the principles behind the technique, lists of the necessary equipment and reagents, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding pitfalls.

DNA Repair and Human Disease highlights the molecular complexities of a few well-known human hereditary disorders that arise due to perturbations in the fidelity of diverse DNA repair machineries.

This work describes the current knowledge of biochemical mechanisms regulating initiation of DNA replication in Escherichia coli, which focuses on the control of activity of the DnaA protein. Examples of direct linkages between DNA replication and other cellular processes are provided. In addition, similarities of the mechanisms of regulation of DNA replication operating in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells are identified, and implications for understanding more complex processes, like carcinogenesis are suggested.Studies of recent years provided evidence that regulation of DNA replication in bacteria is more complex than previously anticipated. Multiple layers of control seem to ensure coordination of this process with the increase of cellular mass and the division cycle. Metabolic processes and membrane composition may serve as points where integration of genome replication with growth conditions occurs. It is also likely that coupling of DNA synthesis with cellular metabolism may involve interactions of replication proteins with other macromolecular complexes, responsible for various cellular processes. Thus, the exact set of factors participating in triggering the replication initiation may differ depending on growth conditions. Therefore, understanding the regulation of DNA duplication requires placing this process in the context of the current knowledge on bacterial metabolism, as well as cellular and chromosomal structure. Moreover, in both Escherichia coli and eukaryotic cells, replication initiator proteins were shown to play other roles in addition to driving the assembly of replication complexes, which constitutes another, yet not sufficiently understood, layer of coordinating DNA replication with the cell cycle.

The recent expansion in diversity of RNA and DNA editing types has stimulated the development of many unique genetic, molecular, biochemical, and computational approaches to biological issues. In RNA and DNA Editing: Methods and Protocols, leading experts in the field introduce methods developed over the last few years to study editing substrates, mechanisms of specificity, and functions of RNA and DNA editing enzymes and complexes. Sections of the book are dedicated to state-of-the art techniques which enable investigation of uracil insertion/deletion RNA editing in mitochondrion of Trypanosoma brucei, adenosine to inosine RNA editing, cytidine to uracil RNA and DNA editing, as well as tRNA editing and RNA modifications. Written in the highly 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 laboratory protocols, and key tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and cutting-edge, RNA and DNA Editing: Methods and Protocols seeks to inspire the further development of these vital and powerful techniques.

This book combines linguistic and historical approaches with the latest techniques of DNA analysis and shows the insights these offer for every kind of genealogical research. It focuses on British names, tracing their origins to different parts of the British Isles and Europe and revealing how names often remain concentrated in the districts where they first became established centuries ago. In the process the book casts fresh light on the ancient peopling of the British Isles. The authors consider why some names die out while others spread across the globe. They use recent advances in DNA testing to investigate whether particular surnames have single, dual, or multiple origins, and to find out if the various forms of a single name have a common origin. They show how information from DNA can be combined with historical evidence and techniques to distinguish between individuals with the same name and different names with similar spellings, and to identifty the name of the same individual or family spelt in various ways in different times and places. The final chapter of this paperback edition, looking at the use of genetics in historical research, has been updated to include new work on the DNA of Richard III.

In this timely new 2-volume treatise, experts from around the world have banded together to produce a first-of-its-kind synopsis of the exciting and fast moving field of plant evolutionary genomics. In Volume I of Plant Genome Diversity, an update is provided on what we have learned from plant genome sequencing projects. This is followed by more focused chapters on the various genomic "residents" of plant genomes, including transposable elements, centromeres, small RNAs, and the evolutionary dynamics of genes and non-coding sequences. Attention is drawn to advances in our understanding of plant mitochondrial and plastid genomes, as well as the significance of duplication in genic evolution and the non-independent evolution among sequences in plant genomes. Finally, Volume I provides an introduction to the vibrant new frontier of plant epigenomics, describing the current state of our knowledge and the evolutionary implications of the epigenomic landscape.

Transcriptome Analysis, by Frank Stahl, Bernd Hitzmann, Kai Mutz, Daniel Landgrebe, Miriam Lubbecke, Cornelia Kasper, Johanna Walter und Thomas Scheper Transcriptome Data Analysis for Cell Culture Processes, by Marlene Castro-Melchor, Huong Le und Wei-Shou Hu Modeling Metabolic Networks for Mammalian Cell Systems: General Considerations, Modeling Strategies, and Available Tools, by Ziomara P. Gerdtzen Metabolic Flux Analysis in Systems Biology of Mammalian Cells, by Jens Niklas und Elmar Heinzle Advancing Biopharmaceutical Process Development by System-Level Data Analysis and Integration of Omics Data, by Jochen Schaub, Christoph Clemens, Hitto Kaufmann und Torsten W. Schulz Protein Glycosylation and Its Impact on Biotechnology, by Markus Berger, Matthias Kaup und Veronique Blanchard Protein Glycosylation Control in Mammalian Cell Culture: Past Precedents and Contemporary Prospects, by Patrick Hossler Modeling of Intracellular Transport and Compartmentation, by Uwe Jandt und An-Ping Zeng Genetic Aspects of Cell Line Development from a Synthetic Biology Perspective, by L. Botezatu, S. Sievers, L. Gama-Norton, R. Schucht, H. Hauser und D. Wirth."

In 2001, first reports of the human draft genome were published. Since then, genomes of many other organisms have been sequenced, including several primate species: the chimpanzee, rhesus macaque, gorilla, orangutan, gibbon, baboon, marmoset, tarsier, galago, lemur, and more recently Neanderthals. In a new era of "post-genome biology", scientists now have the vast amount of information revealed by genome research to confront one of the most challenging, fundamental questions in primatology and anthropology: What makes us human? This volume comprises a collection of articles on a variety of topics relevant to primate genomes, including evolution, human origins, genome structure, chromosome genomics, and bioinformatics. The book covers the cutting-edge research in molecular primatology and provides great insights into the functional diversity of primates. This valuable collection will benefit researchers and students, including primatologists, anthropologists, molecular biologists, evolutionary biologists, and animal behaviorists.

Intracellular Signalling Proteins, Volume 116, presents an overview of the current developments in mechanisms of intracellular signaling and involvement of these mechanisms in the development of a number of disorders and diseases. Opportunities for targeting the intracellular signaling cascades for benefiting patients are also discussed, along with chapters that focus on Voices from the Dead: The Complex Language of Dead Cells, Nucleobindins and Encoded Peptides: From Cell Signalling to Physiology, Estrogen Receptor Signaling Mechanisms, Intracellular Signaling of the AMP-Activating Protein Kinase, the Relationship between Mitofusin 2 and Cancer, Molecular Signaling in Bone Cells: Regulation Cell Differentiation and Survival, and more.

"What underlying forces are responsible for the observed patterns of variability, given a collection of DNA sequences?" In approaching this question a number of probability models are introduced and anyalyzed.Throughout the book, the theory is developed in close connection with data from more than 60 experimental studies that illustrate the use of these results.

In 2007, Misha Angrist became the fourth subject in the Personal Genome Project, George Church's ambitious plan to sequence the entire genomic catalog: every participant's twenty thousand-plus genes and the rest of his or her 6 billion base pairs. Church hopes to better understand how genes influence our physical traits, from height and athletic ability to behavior and weight, and our medical conditions, from cancer and diabetes to obesity and male pattern baldness. Now Angrist reveals startling information about the experiment's participants and scientists; how the experiment was, is, and will be conducted; the discoveries and potential discoveries; and, the profound implications of having an unfiltered view of our hardwired selves for us and for our children. DNA technology has already changed our health care, the food we eat, and our criminal justice system. Unlocking the secrets of our genomes opens the door not only to helping us understand why we are the way we are and potentially fixing what ails us but also to many other concerns: What exactly will happen to this information? Will it become just another marketing tool? Can it help us understand our ancestry, or will it merely reinforce old ideas of race? Can personal genomics help fix the U.S. health care system? "Here Is a Human Being" explores these complicated questions while documenting Angrist's own fascinating journey-one that tens of thousands of us will soon make.