This detailed volume collects updates on the technical advances in hematopoietic stem cell research and incorporates new techniques focused on the molecular/genetic, cellular, and whole organism levels. Exploring methods that apply stress to hematopoiesis, the book also contains chapters focused on better understanding the role of hematopoietic niches and their cellular components, as well as in vivo models that test and quantitate stem cell function and are key to further development of therapeutic applications. Written for the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step and readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and up-to-date, Hematopoietic Stem Cells: Methods and Protocols serves as a valued addition to laboratories focused on understanding hematopoietic stem cell biology and the therapeutic advances that can be derived from it.

Species are not functionally independent. From a long-term perspective, only ecosystem with a fully integrated nutrient cycle is alive. The lack of trophic autonomy should be considered one of the key factors that ensure and maintain biodiversity. The variability of abiotic conditions, both in space and in time, also creates a huge diversity of niches and subniches for genotypes and species. In addition, life maintains its essential variables (biomass and productivity) as stable as possible due to the diversity of structures (genes, macromolecules, metabolic pathways, genotypes, species, etc.): the structures that reach optima are multiplied and thus activated, while the functioning of those which lost their optima is suppressed. The facts and concepts presented in this monograph thus support the conclusions that (a) genotype and species diversity is supported by trophic specialisation (b) biodiversity helps to stabilise the functions (essential variables) of individuals, populations, and ecological communities (c) in evolution, the emergence of biodiversity is determined by heritable variation and the advantage of specialised (more effective) structures over non-specialised ones (d) biodiversity is characterised by its ability to increase itself and to organise itself into relatively consistent structures, which we call production pyramids and nutrient cycles. This book therefore provides an answer to the question "why the diversity of life is of such and such a nature".

The analysis of changes in gene activity in tissues and cells of plants is an important way of measuring developmental and environmental responses. This is achieved by identifying, isolating, and analyzing the genes responsible for these changes, and assessing their degree of genetic expression in relation to other cells and tissues within each plant. This book, designed as a manual, provides detailed accounts of new and established techniques used to carry out these analyses, as well as a section on trouble-shooting.

Due to the vital biological importance of RNA and proteins functioning together within a cell, a protocol volume describing experimental procedures to study their interactions should find a home in many laboratories. RNA-Protein Interaction Protocols, Second Edition updates, complements, and expands upon the popular first edition by providing a collection of cutting-edge techniques developed or refined in the past few years along with tried-and-true methods. The expert contributors explore the isolation and characterization of RNA-protein complexes, the analysis and measurement of RNA-protein interaction, and related novel techniques and strategies. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biologya"[ series format, the chapters include brief introductions to the material, lists of necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and a Notes section which highlights tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.

Comprehensive and up-to-date, RNA-Protein Interaction Protocols, Second Edition is an ideal guide for researchers continuing the study of this all-important biological partnership.

This work is the first compilation of comprehensive deliberations on botany, cytogenetics and sex determination, genetic resources and diversity, classical breeding, molecular markers and genome sequence resources, and application of omics technology including transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics resources in the multipurpose medicinal plant seabuckthorn. The book also presents a detailed narrative on antioxidative, radioprotective nutraceutical, and medicinal applications of seabuckthorn products. A detailed treatment has been included on analytical techniques and processing technologies. Altogether, the book contains about 300 pages over 17 chapters contributed by globally reputed experts on the relevant field in this important plant species. This book will be useful to the research students, teachers, and scientists in the academia and private sector engaged in horticulture, genetics, breeding, molecular biology, biotechnology, and breeding. The book will also be a useful source for workers involved in the development of plant-based medicines, nutraceuticals, therapeutics, and cosmeceuticals and extension workers involved in the development of rural farmers and small-scale industries.

This volume provides protocols on evidence for polyploidy and how it can be unveiled. Chapters guide readers through evolutionary experiments, measure effects of polyploidy, evidence for (remnants of) ancient WGDs, models of chromosome number evolution, population genomics approaches to study polyploidy, analysing genetic data from polyploid populations, Phylogenetic and phylogenomic methods, gene expression, gene regulation, unicellular alga (Chlamydomonas), and a fast-growing duckweed (Spirodela). Written in the format of the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, each chapter includes an introduction to the topic, lists necessary materials and reagents, includes tips on troubleshooting and known pitfalls, and step-by-step, readily reproducible protocols. Authoritative and cutting-edge, Polyploidy: Method and Protocols aims to be of interest to experimental and computational (evolutionary) biologists, molecular biologists, and biotechnologists.

This book will expound the latest information on the current state of persimmon genomics and transcriptomics, with a particular focus on the latest findings and analysis in relation to the most important agronomic traits. The genus Diospyros contains about 400 species distributed all continents of the globe. Most of Diospyros species are distributed in the tropical and subtropical regions, while cultivated persimmon or simply kaki (Diospyros kaki) originates in East Asia and has been grown in China, Japan and Korea for many years. World production of persimmon has been increasing continuously since 1990s, with China being the most producer. Outside Asia, kaki production has been rapidly increasing in Spain in recent years. Because kaki is mostly hexaploid (2n = 6x =90) and its genome size is quite large with the flow cytometric analysis estimation of about 900 Mb, genetic and molecular studies in persimmon are quite complicated. Diploid close relatives of kaki, D. lotus and D. oleifera have been recently used as model species of kaki. Utilizing these species, molecular basis of several economically molecular basis of important traits such as sexuality and astringency has been studied, giving important information for kaki breeding.

This book brings together contributions from internationally renowned experts in the biochip field. These chapters present not only the authors' latest research work, but also discuss current trends in biochip technology. Specific topics include microarray technology and its applications, microfluidics, drug discovery, detection technology, lab-on-chip technology and bioinformatics. Both newcomers to the field and experienced biochip researchers will benefit from this book.

This book explores recent progress in RNA secondary, tertiary structure prediction, and its application from an expansive point of view. Because of advancements in experimental protocols and devices, the integration of new types of data as well as new analysis techniques is necessary, and this volume discusses additional topics that are closely related to RNA structure prediction, such as the detection of structure-disrupting mutations, high-throughput structure analysis, and 3D structure design. Written for the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, chapters feature the kind of detailed implementation advice that leads to quality research results. Authoritative and practical, RNA Structure Prediction serves as a valuable guide for both experimental and computational RNA researchers.

The field of epigenetics has played a major role at the forefront not only of molecular biology, but also of medical genetics and clinical medicine. Few disciplines have experienced growth comparable to that which we have witnessed for epigenetics in the past decade. The goal of "Epigenetics Protocols, Second Edition "is to highlight select techniques that have been mainstays in the field as well as to cover methods that are especially relevant to extant discoveries in epigenetics. This volume focuses on the two broad areas of epigenetics: DNA methylation and chromatin modifications, and also covers the complex topic of computational methods for epigenetic analyses which is essential to a complete understanding of the vast body of information that is being derived with the use of these newly-developed tools. Written in the highly successful "Methods in Molecular Biology " series format, chapters contain introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and notes on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.

Authoritative and accessible, "Epigenetics Protocols, Second Edition" serves as an ideal guide to advanced students, basic scientists and clinical researchers as well as clinicians and biotechnology investigators who wish to continue exploring this exciting and progressive research field."

Are humans unique? This simple question, at the very heart of the hybrid field of biological anthropology, poses one of the false of dichotomies--with a stereotypical humanist answering in the affirmative and a stereotypical scientist answering in the negative.

The "study "of human biology is different from the study of the biology of other species. In the simplest terms, people's lives and welfare may depend upon it, in a sense that they may not depend on the study of other scientific subjects. Where science is used to validate ideas--four out of five scientists preferring a brand of cigarettes or toothpaste--there is a tendency to accept the judgment as authoritative without asking the kinds of questions we might ask of other citizens' pronouncements.

In "Human Biodiversity, "Marks has attempted to distill from a centuries-long debate what has been learned and remains to be learned about the biological differences within and among human groups. His is the first such attempt by an anthropologist in years, for genetics has undermined the fundamental assumptions of racial taxonomy. The history of those assumptions from Linnaeus to the recent past--the history of other, more useful assumptions that derive from Buffon and have reemerged to account for genetic variation--are the poles of Marks's exploration.

This volume guides researchers on how to characterize, image rare, and hitherto unknown taxa and their interactions, to identify new functions and biomolecules and to understand how environmental changes condition the activity and the response of the organisms living with us and in our environment. Chapters cover different organism types (i.e., archaea, bacteria, fungi, protest, microfauna and microeukaryotes) and propose detailed protocols to produce high quality DNA, to analyse active microbial communities directly involved in complex interactions or processes through stable isotope probing, to identify and characterize of new functional genes, to image in situ interactions and to apply bioinformatics analysis tools to complex metagenomic or RNAseq sequence data. 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 cutting-edge, Microbial Environmental Genomics (MEG): Methods and Protocols, Second Edition aims to serve as a primary research reference for researchers in microbiology working to in the expanding field of molecular ecology and environmental genomics.

This book covers the important diseases and pests of potato which are of global significance. The pests and diseases in potato lead to huge economic losses by reducing the yield and quality of the produce. This book describes major pests and diseases in detail with particular emphasis on the latest developments with respect to their biology, ecology, and management. It highlights the importance of virus infection for seed potato production and diagnostic symptoms, along with management guidelines. The book brings forth tips for judicious use of pesticides for sustainable potato production and management of pesticide resistance. Use of novel approaches such as RNA interference, genome editing, and other genomic resources for drug designing in diseases and pest management is also emphasized in the book. This book is of interest to teachers, researchers, extension workers, potato growers, and policy makers. Also, the book serves as additional reading material for undergraduate and graduate students of agriculture and plant pathology. National and international agricultural scientists and policy makers will also find this to be a useful read.

In Genetics and You, John F. Jackson, MD, an eminent medical geneticist of many years' experience, presents everything you need to know to understand and deal with inherited disease and its risks. He explains in simple understandable language the sometimes baffling principles of genetics that underlie genetic disorders. From these principles, Dr. Jackson clarifies the process of genetic counseling, demonstrates the importance of constructing a family pedigree, and describes the latest methods of prenatal diagnosis. You will also learn about the role of environmental factors in producing birth defects, how the new techniques from molecular biology can help in their early detection and prevention, and what your reproductive options may be. A glossary of terms reduces to everyday language the sometimes mystifying technical jargon used by geneticists. There is also an annotated bibliography describing other books to consult, as well as a list of organizations to contact for further information and help with specific problems.
Genetics and You will illuminate once and for all the mysteries of genetics and genetic abnormalities, inspiring you with the understanding and confidence you need to successfully deal with the troubling dilemmas inherited disease creates.

Originally published in 1957, The Uniqueness of the Individual is a collection of 9 essays published from the ten years preceding publication. The essays deal with some of the central problems of biology. These are among the questions put and answered from the standpoint of modern experimental biology. What is ageing and how is it measured? What theories have been held to account for it, and with what success? Did ageing evolve, and if so how? Is Lamarckism and adequate explanation of evolutionary process? Does evolution sometimes go wrong? Do human beings evolve in a way peculiar to themselves? Other essays touch upon the problems of scientific method and of growth and transformation. This book will be of interest to natural historians, evolutionists and anthropologists.

Over the past decade, neuroproteomics has shed light on the molecular features of schizophrenia by depicting biological processes involved with its establishment, maintenance and treatment. These studies have also pointed to potential biomarkers applicable to diagnosis and medication monitoring. Edited by a leader in the field of neuroproteomics with contributions from subject experts, this new volume will address recent findings and compile evidence from difference perspectives-such as human samples, animal models, pluripotent stem cell-derived in vitro pre-clinical models-and provide findings to inform the development of innovative future treatment strategies. This volume will be useful for a broad audience of researchers and professionals, including biologists, neurologists, psychiatrists, analytical chemists, and pharmacists, among others.

The lighthearted title symbolizes the subject of the book, the disparity between economic breakthrough and stagnation, a crucial choice for developing countries. As we near the close of the twentieth century, the so-called New World Order remains undefined and its parameters hazy. Amidst all the uncertainty, one thing appears clear--a great many of the advantages that propelled countries forward during the Cold War decades no longer apply. In a world in which economic power is driven by the harnessing of new technological breakthroughs, cheap labor and abundant raw materials will not remain decisive as in the past. Increasingly, developing countries must bridge an ever-widening economic gap to achieve industrial status.

"New Tigers and Old Elephants "examines which factors and attributes will identify "winners" hi the development game and which factors are decisive in success and failure alike. "Winners" are represented as tigers--countries that are breaking through to a more advanced economic level. In contrast, elephants are countries with sporadic but ultimately disappointing spurts of growth, whose mammoth economies nonetheless permit them to lumber on due to one or two outstanding performing sectors. The tigers of the 1970s were mostly Asian; during the 1980s this group broadened to include Chile, Malaysia, and Thailand. Four chapters of this volume describe the authors' picks for the tigers of the future. This book offers an original and comprehensive approach to development in the economic trenches. It will appeal to teachers and students of international politics, business, and economics, and all those generally interested hi the developmental process.

Cellular-molecular approach to evolution has led to radical changes in our understanding of biologic principles ranging from the Cell, to the Life Cycle, Development, Homeostasis, Senescence/Aging, Heterochrony, Pleiotropy, Phenotype, and perhaps the purpose of life itself. Much of this new way of thinking about biology and medicine emanates from experimental evidence for epigenetic inheritance. This leads one to question whether our unicellular state is the actual primary level of selection. One particular system that is now recognized as being under the auspices of epigenetic inheritance is the endocrine system, which is conventionally thought to regulate physiologic homeostasis. However, because the sex hormones play such a major role in behaviors related to the acquisition of epigenetic data, and the processing of such epigenetic data by the gonads during meiosis, their role in the evolution of the organism become tractable. The composite of the activities of the individual over the course of its lifetime can now be understood causally, resulting from the orchestration of its physiology by hormones, prenatally, postnatally and during the aging process, across the entire life span of the organism. Specific behaviors over the course of the life cycle during childhood, adolescence, puberty, adulthood and aging can now be understood mechanistically rather than merely as milestones in the various stages of life. With the above considerations in mind, this book presents the cellular-evolutionary perspective towards the relationship of the organism with its surroundings, human and non-human alike renders biology and medicine a continuum instead of fragmented, un-related anecdotes.

A TIMES ENVIRONMENT AND SCIENCE BOOK OF THE YEAR 2022 'The ideal guide to what is not just a fiendishly complex area of science but also an ethical minefield' Mail on Sunday A new gene editing technology, invented just seven years ago, has turned humanity into gods. Enabling us to manipulate the genes in virtually any organism with exquisite precision, CRISPR has given scientists a degree of control that was undreamt of even in science fiction. But CRISPR is just the latest, giant leap in a long journey to master genetics. The Genetic Age shows the astonishing, world-changing potential of the new genetics and the possible threats it poses, sifting between fantasy and the reality when it comes to both benefits and dangers. By placing each phase of discovery, anticipation and fear in the context of over fifty years of attempts to master the natural world, Matthew Cobb, the Baillie-Gifford-shortlisted author of The Idea of the Brain, weaves the stories of science, history and culture to shed new light on our future. With the powers now at our disposal, it is a future that is almost impossible to imagine - but it is one we will create ourselves.

Biotic stresses cause yield loss of 31-42% in crops in addition to 6-20% during post-harvest stage. Understanding interaction of crop plants to the biotic stresses caused by insects, bacteria, fungi, viruses, and oomycetes, etc. is important to develop resistant crop varieties. Knowledge on the advanced genetic and genomic crop improvement strategies including molecular breeding, transgenics, genomics-assisted breeding and the recently emerging genome editing for developing resistant varieties in vegetable crops is imperative for addressing FPNEE (food, health, nutrition. energy and environment) security. Whole genome sequencing of these crops followed by genotyping-by-sequencing have facilitated precise information about the genes conferring resistance useful for gene discovery, allele mining and shuttle breeding which in turn opened up the scope for 'designing' crop genomes with resistance to biotic stresses. The nine chapters each dedicated to a vegetable crop or crop-group in this volume will deliberate on different types of biotic stress agents and their effects on and interaction with crop plants; will enumerate on the available genetic diversity with regard to biotic stress resistance among available cultivars; illuminate on the potential gene pools for utilization in interspecific gene transfer; will brief on the classical genetics of stress resistance and traditional breeding for transferring them to their cultivated counterparts; will enunciate the success stories of genetic engineering for developing biotic stress resistant varieties; will discuss on molecular mapping of genes and QTLs underlying biotic stress resistance and their marker-assisted introgression into elite varieties; will enunciate on different emerging genomics-aided techniques including genomic selection, allele mining, gene discovery and gene pyramiding for developing resistant crop varieties with higher quantity and better quality; and will also elaborate some case studies on genome editing focusing on specific genes for generating disease and insect resistant crops.

This detailed volume presents a series of protocols that are representative of recent developments and improvements in induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) and corresponding human disease models. Reflecting the latest technology for generating induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) and their initial characterization, the book explores techniques invaluable both for studies of disease-specific cell types and for their potential applications in regenerative medicine. Written for the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, chapters include introduction to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step and readily reproducible laboratory protocols, as well as tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells and Human Disease: Methods and Protocols serves as a vital guide that is valuable for not only experts but also novices in the stem cell field.

This book presents deliberations on molecular and genomic mechanisms underlying the interactions of crop plants to the abiotic stresses caused by heat, cold, drought, flooding, submergence, salinity, acidity, etc., important to develop resistant crop varieties. Knowledge on the advanced genetic and genomic crop improvement strategies including molecular breeding, transgenics, genomic-assisted breeding, and the recently emerging genome editing for developing resistant varieties in fruit crops is imperative for addressing FHNEE (food, health, nutrition, energy, and environment) security. Whole genome sequencing in many of these crops followed by genotyping-by-sequencing has provided precise information regarding the genes conferring resistance useful for gene discovery, allele mining, and shuttle breeding which in turn opened up the scope for 'designing' crop genomes with resistance to abiotic stresses. The seven chapters each dedicated to a fruit crop and a fruit crop group in this volume elucidate different types of abiotic stresses and their effects on and interaction with the crops; enumerate the available genetic diversity with regard to abiotic stress resistance among available cultivars; illuminate the potential gene pools for utilization in interspecific gene transfer; present brief on classical genetics of stress resistance and traditional breeding for transferring them to their cultivated counterparts; depict the success stories of genetic engineering for developing abiotic stress-resistant crop varieties; discuss on molecular mapping of genes and QTLs underlying stress resistance and their marker-assisted introgression into elite varieties; enunciate different genomics-aided techniques including genomic selection, allele mining, gene discovery, and gene pyramiding for developing adaptive crop varieties with higher quantity and quality of yields, and also elaborate some case studies on genome editing focusing on specific genes for generating abiotic stress-resistant crops.

The Flax Genome is a comprehensive compilation of most recent studies focused on reference genome, genetic resources and molecular diversity, breeding, QTL mapping, gene editing tools, functional genomics and metabolomics, molecular breeding via genomic selection, and genomic resources. The flax genome reference sequences and the new genome assemblies are presented. A list of flax QTL and candidate genes associated with more than 35 traits, including yield and agronomic, seed quality and fatty acid composition, fibre quality and yield, abiotic stress, and disease resistance traits, are summarized. A QTL- based genomic selection strategy and genome-editing tools are systematically introduced. In addition, huge amounts of flax genomic resources generated in the last decade are summarized. The book contains 13 chapters with about 390 pages authored by globally reputed researchers in the relevant fields to this crop The book is intended to be useful to students, teachers, and researchers interested in traditional and molecular breeding, pathology, molecular genetics and breeding, bioinformatics and computational biology, and functional genomics

This volume details state-of-the-art computational methods designed to manage, analyze, and generally leverage epigenomic and epitranscriptomic data. Chapters guide readers through fine-mapping and quantification of modifications, visual analytics, imputation methods, supervised analysis, and integrative approaches for single-cell data. Written in the highly 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 laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Cutting-edge and thorough, Computational Epigenomics and Epitranscriptomics aims to provide an overview of epiomic protocols, making it easier for researchers to extract impactful biological insight from their data.

This second edition provides an overview of recent developments and approaches used by researchers to investigate the properties and functions of mammary epithelial and stem cells, which will contribute to understand the heterogeneity of the mammary gland and of breast cancer. Chapters detail processes used to characterize stem cells, single cell RNA sequencing, computational methods, sophisticated imaging techniques, and a variety of model systems, among others. Written in the highly 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 laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and cutting-edge, Mammary Stem Cells: Methods and Protocols, Second Edition aims to make available protocols used to navigate the intricate behavior of mammary stem cells and to gain further knowledge to take us closer to the design of innovative strategies to prevent and treat breast cancer.