Over the last twenty years, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have revealed a great deal about the genetic basis of a wide range of complex diseases and they will undoubtedly continue to have a broad impact as we move to an era of personalised medicine. This authoritative text, written by leaders and innovators from both academia and industry, covers the basic science as well as the clinical, biotechnological and pharmaceutical potential of these methods. With special emphasis given to highlighting pharmacogenomics and population genomics studies using next-generation technology approaches, this is the first book devoted to combining association studies with single nucleotide polymorphisms, copy number variants, haplotypes and expressed quantitative trait loci. A reliable guide for newcomers to the field as well as for experienced scientists, this is a unique resource for anyone interested in how the revolutionary power of genomics can be applied to solve problems in complex disease.

Over the last decade there has been a rapid development of molecular techniques, with an increasing range of instrumentation now available. The development of accompanying reference literature has not kept pace with technological advances and this poses significant challenges to the analyst. Essentials of Nucleic Acid Analysis sets out to guide the analyst through the steps needed to obtain good quality results in DNA analysis. The underlying principles for achieving this goal were formulated by LGC (formerly the Laboratory of the Government Chemist) as the six principles for ensuring valid analytical measurement, which are detailed in the introduction. The reader is also provided with guidelines for method validation and quality control of established and emerging DNA measurement techniques. The authors of each chapter are practitioners of the art of DNA analysis in areas where the quality of the result is critical. Technical details and examples of application of key techniques in nucleic acid analysis are provided while highlighting best practice, available standards and practical advice on improving measurement quality. This book provides an indispensable handbook and premier reference for those working in the widely varying areas and specifically in the fields of food analysis and forensic applications.

"We are sure that DNA: Forensic and Legal Applications will play its part in promoting this most powerful tool in the forensic scientist's armamentarium."
-James Watson, PhD
-Jan Witkowski. PhD

Because it consists of a number of complex steps and procedures subject to both scientific and legal standards, the collection, analysis, presentation, and interpretation of DNA evidence remains a complex process. Any procedural or documentary misstep can potentially render key evidence or testimony useless. To avoid such costly errors, scientists, law enforcement personnel, attorneys, and judges all must possess a detailed knowledge of how forensic DNA works, from the crime scene to the laboratory to the courtroom and beyond.

DNA: Forensic and Legal Applications provides the most comprehensive and up-to-date guide to this important and increasingly prevalent legal tool. Designed to reach readers in both legal and scientific fields, this text gives a global view of the practical issues involved in the forensic use of DNA. In clear, nontechnical language, the text covers:

• A scientific overview of DNA and common DNA tests
• Techniques used by criminalists on the path from crime scene to final laboratory analysis
• Procedures used to analyze biological evidence
• Human genetics, population genetics, and statistics in the context of DNA testing and genetic profiling
• Understanding and interpreting DNA evidence with respect to past and present law
• Concepts and procedures used in challenging or defending DNA evidence
• Postconviction appeals based on analysis of existing DNA evidence, including a discussion of The InnocenceProject
• The future of DNA technology with respect to legal evidence gathering and analysis

In a unique combination of legal practice and scientific analysis, DNA: Forensic and Legal Applications provides forensic scientists, potential expert witnesses, and professionals in the criminal justice system with the definitive resource on the methods of DNA analysis as well as the handling, potential, and limitations of DNA evidence.

This book introduces a discrete optimisation technique in four applications: classic Traveller Salesperson Problem (TSP), Multilocus Genetic Mapping, Multilocus Consensus Genetic Mapping, and Physical Mapping. Each of the four sections contains the problem formulation, description of the algorithm, and experimental results. The foregoing problems are solved on the basis of Guided Evolution Strategy (GES) algorithm. The algorithm was implemented in MultiPoint package (http://multiqtl.com). The developed analytical tools were applied in many genome mapping projects.

This book opens with a discussion on the clinical applications of comet assay. Comet assay is rapid, simple method which able to assess DNA damage in different samples like blood, cells and tissues. Following this, the authors examine comet assay usage in occupational toxicology studies. Isolated lymphocytes were the most used cell line in these studies, but exfoliated cells such as nasal and buccal cell, liver, kidney and sperm cells may be used. Comet assay may also be used to detect nanoparticles-associated DNA damage. As such, this compilation assesses potential limitations due to the interaction of the nanoparticles with the method. Next, to shed light on the mechanisms of the DNA track formation, the authors apply an original approach based on the kinetic measurements in the comet assay, arguing that in neutral conditions at low levels of DNA damages, the comet tail is formed by extended DNA loops. New applications of the comet assay are described for the detection of aberrant DNA methylation, which is a promising marker in cancer diagnosis and follow-up. The authors go on to describe and analyse the results of in vitro treatment of lymphocytes with insecticide using comet assay under alkaline and neutral conditions, testing the commercial product Calypso (R) 480SC and its active agent thiacloprid at concentrations of 30; 60; 120; 240 and 480 g.ml-1. In one study, Helianthus annuus (sunflower) seedlings were irrigated with Hoagland solution containing different concentrations of AlCl3. Morphological parameters such as germination rate and stoma number are evaluated. Additionally, the genotoxic effects of endosulfan pesticide at different times and in different concentrations in wheat leaf samples are analyzed in two-week old wheat seedlings in an effort to demonstrate that endosulfan is a genotoxic agent causing DNA breaks in wheat. In the closing chapter, the correlation between the comet assay parameters, cell viability, and hydroquinone concentration is explored. The relationship between comet assay and remaining hydroquinone after fungal treatment is also investigated in order to evaluate its biodegradation efficiency.

At least 5 trillion cell divisions are required for a fertilized egg to develop into an adult human, resulting in the production of more than 20 trillion meters of DNA! And yet, with only two exceptions, the genome is replicated once and only once each time a cell divides. How is this feat accomplished? What happens when errors occur? This book addresses these questions by presenting a thorough analysis of the molecular events that govern DNA replication in eukaryotic cells. The association between genome replication and cell proliferation, disease pathogenesis, and the development of targeted therapeutics is also addressed. At least 160 proteins are involved in replicating the human genome, and at least 40 diseases are caused by aberrant DNA replication, 35 by mutations in genes required for DNA replication or repair, 7 by mutations generated during mitochondrial DNA replication, and more than 40 by DNA viruses. Consequently, a growing number of therapeutic drugs are targeted to DNA replication proteins. This authoritative volume provides a rich source of information for researchers, physicians, and teachers, and will stimulate thinking about the relevance of DNA replication to human disease.

The field of whole genome selection has quickly developed into the breeding methodology of the future. As efforts to map a wide variety of animal genomes have matured and full animal genomes are now available for many animal scientists and breeders are looking to apply these techniques to livestock production. Providing a comprehensive, forward-looking review of animal genomics, Genomic Selection in Animals provides coverage of genomic selection in a variety of economically important species including cattle, swine, and poultry. The historical foundations of genomic selection are followed by chapters that review and assess current techniques. The final chapter looks toward the future and what lies ahead for field as application of genomic selection becomes more widespread. A concise, useful summary of the field by one of the world s leading researchers, Genomic Selection in Animals fills an important gap in the literature of animal breeding and genomics.

Plants are sessile organisms and their only alternative to a rapidly changing environment is a fast adaptation to abiotic and biotic stresses. Among the several known species of flowering plants, Arabidopsis thaliana is the only plant that has been most thoroughly studied. This angiosperm with dicotyledonous seeds belonging to the family Brassicaceae was known to botanists for at least four centuries and has been used since then for experimental studies for about half a century, until it was Friedrich Laibach who had outlined the advantages of using it in genetic experiments and had also suggested that it could be used as a plant model system in 1943. Its unique features favors genetic experiments, which include its small size, a rapid generation time, the ability to grow well under controlled conditions, high fecundity of up to 10,000 seeds per plant. Like the peas that Mendel studied, it reproduces mainly by self-fertilisation. Arabidopsis is considered a model plant for many studies as its genomic sequence was completely identified and its mechanisms in genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic regulation are often similar to other plant species. The aim of this book is to give an up-to-date overview on the recent breakthroughs in the area of responses and adaptations of Arabidopsis, particularly those regarding its cultivation, life cycle and functional genomics. The chapters are focused on the most exciting and innovative researches on this species, involving authors with strong research experience. The present volume would definitely be an ideal source of scientific information to the advanced students, junior researchers, faculty and scientists involved in the ecology, agriculture, environmental microbiology, genetics, molecular biology, biochemistry, biotechnology and other areas involving Arabidopsis studies and plant sciences in general.

Metagenomic analysis has extraordinary potential to improve our understanding of microbial populations in their natural environment and identify novel genes of interest. The key feature of such analyses is that they are performed using metagenomic libraries constructed from total DNA isolated from a particular niche rather than a laboratory culture. Thus, metagenomic analyses potentially allow access to all the genetic resources present in an environment, regardless of whether or not they belong to micro-organisms that can be cultured in the laboratory. Sequence-based metagenomic analyses rely on comparisons with databases of known genomic sequences whilst functional analyses rely on screening libraries on the basis of the phenotypes cloned DNA can confer to host bacteria. Therefore, functional analysis allows the identification of novel genes with functions that could not have been predicted from their DNA sequence. This book discusses metagenomics' methods, applications and perspectives.

Published continuously since 1944, the "Advances in Protein Chemistry and Structural Biology" serial has been a continuous, essential resource for protein chemists. Covering reviews of methodology and research in all aspects of protein chemistry, including purification/expression, proteomics, modeling and structural determination and design, each volume brings forth new information about protocols and analysis of proteins while presenting the most recent findings from leading experts in a broad range of protein-related topics.

Coversreviews of methodology and research in all aspects of protein chemistry. Brings forth new information about protocols and analysis of proteins while presentingthe most recent findings from leading experts in a broad range of protein-related topics. "

Deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, is the fundamental building block for an individual's entire genetic make-up. DNA is a powerful tool for law enforcement investigations because each person's DNA is different from that of every other individual (except for identical twins). DNA can be extracted from a number of sources, such as hair, bone, teeth, saliva, and blood. As early as the 1980s, states began enacting laws that required collecting DNA samples from offenders convicted of certain sexual and other violent crimes. The samples were then analysed and their profiles entered into state databases. Meanwhile, the FBI laboratory convened a working group of federal, state, and local forensic scientists to establish guidelines for the use of forensic DNA analysis in laboratories. This book provides an overview of how DNA is used to investigate crimes and help protect the innocent. It reviews current statutory law on collecting DNA samples, sharing DNA profiles, and providing access to post-conviction DNA testing.

DNA methylation is a cryptic phenomenon that invokes the methylation of the cytosines in nuclear DNA and is responsible for a wide variety of essential processes, starting from cellular differentiation (embryogenesis), transposon silencing, miRNA dependent methylation and gene regulation. This book presents an overview of different aspects of DNA methylation with a focus on its basic principles and mechanisms and gene silencing. Also discussed, is the role of DNA methylation in plants; epigenetic control of circadian clock operation; photoperiodic flowering; and DNA methylation in cancer and its role in multiple sclerosis.

In this book, the authors present new research in the study of sex chromosomes. Topics discussed in this compilation include the evolution of mammalian X chromosomes and X chromosome inactivation; the role of sex chromosomes in mammalian female fertility; the fate of the Y chromosome; the role of Y chromosome genes on tumour development risk in disgenetic gonads; deletion of amelogenin Y-locus; non-invasive prenatal diagnosis for foetal sex determination; and application of X chromosomal STR polymorphisms to individual identification.

In this book, the authors present current research in the study of DNA replication and mutation, including connections between BLM and the Fanconi anemia pathway in the repair of replication fork damage; the mutagenic potential of methacrylates used in restorative dentistry; DNA mutation of the progranulin gene in familial frontotemporal lobar degeneration; effect of DNA polymerase a-inhibitor dehydroaltenusin on DNA replication in cultured cells; gel-based methods of DNA-binding zinc II complexes in the detection of DNA mutations and DNA mutations and genetic coding.

MiRNA is an extremely fast growing field, and miRNA knowledge is now believed to be a pivotal element of cancer biology. It is already evident that the discovery of miRNA has created a paradigm shift in post-genomics biology, not only for scientists accustomed to traditional central dogma of molecular biology but also for researchers studying human diseases and accustomed to traditional genetics approach of studying one gene at the time. This book provides an introduction to the basic principles of miRNA biology, overview of miRNA significance in the hallmarks of cancer, experimental techniques used in miRNA research, and in special part - miRNAs importance in wide range of solid cancers with a special focus on its potential usage in molecular pathology, predictive oncology or as a novel therapeutic targets.

Stem cells are cells found in all multi cellular organisms. They are characterised by the ability to renew themselves through mitotic cell division and differentiate into a diverse range of specialised cell types. This book presents and discusses current research in the study of stem cell research, including cancer and prostate stem cells; neural stem cells and taurine; interactions between transplanted neural stem cells and host tissue; retrovirus vector silencing in stem cells and moral and scientific consideration in embryonic stem cell research.

This book presents the basic results on studies of the interaction of anti-cancer Actinomycin antibiotics with DNA. It focuses on interactions of heterocyclic anti-tumour antibiotics (Actinomycins, as typical example) with DNA, poly-nucleotides, oligonucleotides, and aggregates of purines, using spectroscopic methods. Experimental data, various models of structures of the complexes and their physical and chemical properties are described, and possible approaches for delivery of heterocyclic antibiotics to DNA are also discussed.

In Curiosity guides: the Human Genome, Dr. John Quackenbush, a renowned scientist and professor, conducts a fascinating tour of the history and science behind the Human Genome Project and the technologies that are revolutionizing the practice of medicine today.

Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein enzyme that catalyses the cellular synthesis of telomeric DNA during cellular division, resulting in maintenance of telomere length and increased proliferative potential. Several studies suggest that the telomerase may play an important role in the diagnosis and prognosis of cancer because its expression strongly correlates with the potential tumour progression. Ninety percent of human cancers on different organs have shown high telomerasa activity. This book reviews research in the field of telomerase including functions of telomerase independent of its interaction with telomeres on gene expression and chromatin structure; histone deacetylase inhibition as an anticancer telomerase-targeting strategy and others.

DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is the hereditary material in humans and almost all other organisms. DNA sequencing is a common and requisite practice for molecular biologists today working in all areas of biology, including microbiology. This book aims to provide clues for DNA sequencing projects directed to unsequenced organisms in which many transcripts wait to be discovered, either coding small RNAs or genes homologue to known genes coding for protein products. This book also looks at the adoption of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to generate DNA profiles from minute biological samples, and the use of mitochondrial DNA to obtain information from old bones and the applications of Y chromosomal polymorphisms in sexual assault cases. Present research focuses on genetic markers for external visible traits and on improving the utility of poor quality samples with degraded DNA. The other direction of forensic DNA research addresses the difficulty of obtaining a DNA profile in a degraded crime stain. The third topic covered in this book is DNA chips- a microchip that holds DNA probes that form half of the DNA double helix. This book examines the development of DNA chips, as the prototype for global technology genetics.

The cell can be viewed as a 'collection of protein machines' and understanding these molecular machines requires sophisticated cooperation between cell biologists, geneticists, enzymologists, crystallographers, chemists and physicists. To observe these machines in action, researchers have developed entirely new methodologies for the detection and the nanomanipulation of single molecules. This book, written by expert scientists in the field, analyses how these diverse fields of research interact on a specific example - RNA polymerase. The book concentrates on RNA polymerases because they play a central role among all the other machines operating in the cell and are the target of a wide range of regulatory mechanisms. They have also been the subject of spectacular advances in their structural understanding in recent years, as testified by the attribution of the Nobel prize in chemistry in 2006 to Roger Kornberg. The book focuses on two aspects of the transcription cycle that have been more intensively studied thanks to this increased scientific cooperation - the recognition of the promoter by the enzyme, and the achievement of consecutive translocation steps during elongation of the RNA product. Each of these two topics is introduced by an overview, and is then presented by worldwide experts in the field, taking the viewpoint of their speciality. The overview chapters focus on the mechanism-structure interface and the structure-machine interface while the individual chapters within each section concentrate more specifically on particular processes-kinetic analysis, single-molecule spectroscopy, and termination of transcription, amongst others. Specific attention has been paid to the newcomers in the field, with careful descriptions of new emerging techniques and the constitution of an atlas of three-dimensional pictures of the enzymes involved. For more than thirty years, the study of RNA polymerases has benefited from intense cooperation between the scientific partners involved in the various fields listed above. It is hoped that a collection of essays from outstanding scientists on this subject will catalyse the convergence of scientific efforts in this field, as well as contribute to better teaching at advanced levels in Universities.

How has DNA come to be seen as a cosmic truth, representative of all life, potential for all cures, repository for all identity, and end to all stories? In "The Poetics of DNA," Judith Roof examines the rise of this powerful symbol and the implications of its ascendancy for the ways we think-about ourselves, about one another, and about the universe.
Descriptions of DNA, Roof argues, have distorted ideas and transformed nucleic acid into the answer to all questions of life. This hyperbolized notion of DNA, inevitably confused or conflated with the "gene," has become a vector through which older ways of thinking can merge with the new, advancing long-discredited and insidious ideas about such things as eugenics and racial selection and influencing contemporary debates, particularly the popular press obsession with the "gay gene." Through metaphors of DNA, she contends, racist and homophobic ideology is masked as progressive science.
Grappling with twentieth-century intellectual movements as well as contemporary societal anxieties, "The Poetics of DNA" reveals how descriptions of DNA and genes typify a larger set of epistemological battles that play out not only through the assumptions associated with DNA but also through less evident methods of magical thinking, reductionism, and pseudoscience.
For the first time, Roof exposes the ideology and cultural consequences of DNA and gene metaphors to uncover how, ultimately, they are paradigms used to recreate prejudices.
Judith Roof is professor of English and film studies at Michigan State University. She is the author of several books, including "All about Thelma and Eve: Sidekicks and Third Wheels."

Gene silencing is a general term describing epigenetic processes of gene regulation. The term gene silencing is generally used to describe the 'switching off' of a gene by a mechanism other than genetic mutation. That is, a gene which would be expressed (turned on) under normal circumstances, is switched off by machinery in the cell. Genes are regulated at either the transcriptional or post-transcriptional level. Transcriptional gene silencing is the result of histone modifications, creating an environment of heterochromatin around a gene that makes it inaccessible to transcriptional machinery (RNA polymerase, transcription factors, etc.). Post-transcriptional gene silencing is the result of mRNA of a particular gene being destroyed. The destruction of the mRNA prevents translation to form an active gene product (in most cases, a protein). A common mechanism of post-transcriptional gene silencing is RNAi. Both transcriptional and post-transcriptional gene silencing are used to regulate endogenous genes. This book presents the latest research in this important field.

The second edition of Horizontal Gene Transfer has been organized to provide a concise and up-to-date coverage of the most important discoveries in this fascinating field. Written by the most prominent gene transfer and genome analytical scientists, this book details experimental evidence for the phenomenon of horizontal gene transfer and discusses further evidence provided by the recent completion of genomic sequences from Archea, Bacteria, and Eucarya members. The relevance of horizontal gene transfer to plant and metazoan taxonomy, GM foods, antibiotic resistance, paleontology, and phylogenetic reconstruction is also explored. Horizontal Gene Transfer is essential for microbiologists, geneticists, biochemists, evolutionary biologists, infectious disease specialists, paleontologists, ecologists, and researchers working in plant/animal systematics and agriculture with an interest in gene transfer. This includes scientific researchers from government and industry concerned with the release of genetically modified organisms.
Up-to-the-minute reviews, maps, conclusions, urls to relevant websites and colour figures.
Unique chapters, for example one written by paleontologists presents data for horizontal gene transfer from fingerprints form the fossil record.

Medical science constantly demands our attention, as patients or relatives, concerned citizens, voters, investors, or simply curious individuals. But for those without training, the language of science is often hard to follow. The A to Z of DNA Science book series defines and illustrates specialized terms in ways that non-specialists can appreciate and enjoy. This volume focuses on the language of genes, genomes, DNA, biotechnology, and heredity, defining, explaining, and illustrating over 200 terms used in books, broadcasting, websites, and newspaper and magazine articles.