The proteome consists of a complex mixture of proteins each of which need to be folded correctly in order to function for the health of the organism, and many of these proteins require molecular chaperones to reach the correct conformation and, in some cases, to remain in a folded form. In "Molecular Chaperones: Methods and Protocols," expert researchers address a wide variety of approaches to the study these mechanisms, featuring the workings of heat shock proteins and heat shock transcription factors, "in vitro" and "in vivo." Written in the highly successful "Methods in Molecular Biology " series format, chapters features 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, "Molecular Chaperones: Methods and Protocols" serves as an ideal guide for all scientists who wish to pursue this vital biological action and its impact on human health and disease."

Few problems in protein biochemistry have proven to be as challenging and recalcitrant as the molecular description of nitrogenase, the catalyst of one of the most remarkable chemical transformations in biological systems: the nucleotide-dependent reduction of atmospheric dinitrogen to bioavailable ammonia. In "Nitrogen Fixation: Methods and Protocols," recognized experts in the field provide an up-to-date, in-depth overview of the methods that have been applied to studying the nitrogenase at a molecular level, ranging from genetic, biochemical, spectroscopic, and chemical methods to theoretical calculations. In addition, techniques used to study an enzyme system that is homologous to nitrogenase are described in this book. Written in the highly successful "Methods in Molecular Biology " series format, methods chapters include introductions to their respective chapters, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.

Practical and cutting-edge, "Nitrogen Fixation: Methods and Protocols" will be useful for anyone interested in nitrogenase research and willing to venture further toward addressing the remaining mechanistic and biosynthetic questions of this fascinating enzyme system."

This book: (i) introduces fundamental and applied bioinformatics research in the field of plant life sciences; (ii) enlightens the potential users towards the recent advances in the development and application of novel computational methods available for the analysis and integration of plant -omics data; (iii) highlights relevant databases, softwares, tools and web resources developed till date to make ease of access for researchers working to decipher plant responses towards stresses; and (iv) presents a critical cross-talks on the available high-throughput data in plant research. Therefore, in addition to being a reference for the professional researchers, it is also of great interest to students and their professors. Considering immense significance of plants for all lives on Earth, the major focus of research in plant biology has been to: (a) select plants that best fit the purposes of human, (b) develop crop plants superior in quality, quantity and farming practices when compared to natural (wild) plants, and (c) explore strategies to help plants to adapt biotic and abiotic/environmental stress factors. Accordingly the development of novel techniques and their applications have increased significantly in recent years. In particular, large amount of biological data have emerged from multi-omics approaches aimed at addressing numerous aspects of the plant systems under biotic or abiotic stresses. However, even though the field is evolving at a rapid pace, information on the cross-talks and/or critical digestion of research outcomes in the context of plant bioinformatics is scarce. "Plant Bioinformatics: Decoding the Phyta" is aimed to bridge this gap.

Molecular Biology of Aging, the latest volume in the Progress in Molecular Biology and Translational Science series, focuses on placental development and disease.

Cell death is an essential process in development, and a major contributor to a wide range of human diseases. Three major classifications of cell death, apoptosis, autophagic cell death and necrosis, have been described for years, and the existence of many more forms of cell death is now accepted. In, Necrosis: Methods and Protocols experts in the field provide a wide range of methods and techniques for the study of necrosis in vitro and in vivo. These include methods and techniques for the analysis of necrosis in mammalian cells, characterization of alternative forms of cell death: entosis and pyroptosis, and analysis of cell death in non-mammalian model sytems and mammalian tissues, including chapters on skin, brain, and heart. 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 key tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Necrosis: Methods and Protocols describes techniques in an easy to follow manner, with details so that beginners can succeed with challenging techniques.

Proteins are the most diverse group of biologically important substances. With the recent technological advances in the genomics area and the efforts in proteomics research, the rate of discovery for new proteins with unknown structure and function has increased. These proteins generated from genomic approaches present enormous opportunities for research and industrial application. Protein Downstream Processing: Design, Development and Application of High and Low-Resolution Methods is a compilation of chapters within the exciting area of protein purification designed to give the laboratory worker the information needed to design and implement a successful purification strategy. It presents reliable and robust protocols in a concise form, emphasizing the critical aspects on practical problems and questions encountered at the lab bench. 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, Protein Downstream Processing: Design, Development and Application of High and Low-Resolution Methods will be an ideal source of scientific information to advanced students, junior researchers, and scientists involved in health sciences, cellular and molecular biology, biochemistry, and biotechnology and other related areas in both academia and industry.

Soil salinity is destroying several hectares of arable land every minute. Because remedial land management cannot completely solve the problem, salt tolerant crops or plant species able to remove excessive salt from the soil could contribute significantly to managing the salinity problem. The key to engineering crops for salt tolerance lies in a thorough understanding of the physiological mechanisms underlying the adaptive responses of plants to salinity. Plant Salt Tolerance: Methods and Protocols describes recent advances and techniques employed by researchers to understand the molecular and ionic basis of salinity tolerance and to investigate the mechanisms of salt stress perception and signalling in plants. With chapters written by leading international scientists, this book covers nearly 30 different methods, such as microelectrode and molecular methods, imaging techniques, as well as various biochemical assays. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology (TM) 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 easily accessible, Plant Salt Tolerance: Methods and Protocols serves as an essential read for every student or researcher tackling various aspects of the salinity problem.

This volume focuses on various approaches to studying long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), including techniques for finding lncRNAs, localization, and observing their functions. The chapters in this book cover how to catalog lncRNAs in various plant species; determining subcellular localization; protein interactions; structures; and RNA modifications. 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 innovative, Plant Long Non-Coding RNAs: Methods and Protocols is a valuable resource that aids researchers in understanding the functions of lncRNAs in different plant species, and helps them explore currently uncharted facets of plant biology.

This book contains articles written by experts on a wide range of topics that are associated with the analysis and management of biological information at the molecular level. It contains chapters on RNA and protein structure analysis, DNA computing, sequence mapping, genome comparison, gene expression data mining, metabolic network modeling, and phyloinformatics. The important work of some representative researchers in bioinformatics is brought together for the first time in one volume. The topic is treated in depth and is related to, where applicable, other emerging technologies such as data mining and visualization. The goal of the book is to introduce readers to the principle techniques of bioinformatics in the hope that they will build on them to make new discoveries of their own. Contents: Exploring RNA Intermediate Conformations with the Massively Parallel Genetic Algorithm; Introduction to Self-Assembling DNA Nanostructures for Computation and Nanofabrication; Mapping Sequence to Rice FPC; Graph Theoretic Sequence Clustering Algorithms and their Applications to Genome Comparison; The Protein Information Resource for Functional Genomics and Proteomics; High-Grade Ore for Data Mining in 3D Structures; Protein Classification: A Geometric Hashing Approach; Interrelated Clustering: An Approach for Gene Expression Data Analysis; Creating Metabolic Network Models Using Text Mining and Expert Knowledge; Phyloinformatics and Tree Networks. Readership: Molecular biologists who rely on computers and mathematical scientists with interests in biology.

Since the discovery of a collagen-degrading protease in the tadpole tail in 1962, matrix metalloproteinase research has led to the discovery of more than twenty distinct vertebrate MMPs, along with a variety of homologues from diverse organisms such as the sea urchin, plants, insects, and nematode worms. Fully updating and adding to the popular first edition, Matrix Metalloproteinase Protocols, Second Edition includes a series of state-of-the-art techniques provided by eminent experts in the field. Beginning with a brief overview of the MMP arena, from how these enzymes fit into the larger degradome to what occurs when their expression and function in the mouse is modulated, the volume continues with sections on the expression and purification of MMPs and TIMPs, the detection of MMPs and TIMPs at both the protein and mRNA level, and our ability to assay MMP and TIMP activities in a wide variety of circumstances. 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.

Comprehensive and cutting-edge, Matrix Metalloproteinase Protocols, Second Edition is an ideal source for many of the essential laboratory techniques for both novice and seasoned researchers alike collected in one convenient volume.

Membrane Biomechanics, Volume 86, the latest release in the Current Topics in Membranes series, highlights new advances in the field, with this new volume presenting interesting chapters on Lipid bilayers: phase behavior and mechanics, Molecular mechanisms of cell membrane structure modification by omega-3 fatty acids, Mechanical properties of magnetoliposomes, Mechanosensitive ion channels and membrane tension, From cell membrane to the nuclear membrane through modulation of cytoskeleton, Endothelial stiffness in dyslipidemia and aging, Vascular smooth muscle stiffness in aging and vascular disease, Mechanobiology of macrovesicle release and activation, Interplay of membrane cholesterol and substrate on vascular smooth muscle mechanics, and more.

The book is based on lectures presented on the International Summer School on Biophysics held in Croatia in September 2009. The advantage of the School is that it provides advanced training in very broad scope of areas related to biophysics contrary to other similar schools or workshops that are centered mainly on one topic or technique. In this volume, tenth in the row, the papers in the field of biophysics are presented. The topics are biological phenomena from single protein to macromolecular aggregations structure by using variant physical methods (NMR, EPR, FTIR, Mass Spectrometry, etc.). The interrelationship of supramolecular structures and their functions is enlightened by applications of principals of these physical methods in the biophysical and molecular biology context.

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has posed a major threat to human life and health. This book is beneficial for interdisciplinary students, researchers, and professionals to understand COVID-19 and how computational intelligence can be used for the purpose of surveillance, control, prevention, prediction, diagnosis, and potential treatment of the disease. The book contains different aspects of COVID-19 that includes fundamental knowledge, epidemic forecast models, surveillance and tracking systems, IoT- and IoMT-based integrated systems for COVID-19, social network analysis systems for COVID-19, radiological images (CT, X-ray) based diagnosis system, and computational intelligence and in silico drug design and drug repurposing methods against COVID-19 patients. The contributing authors of this volume are experts in their fields and they are from various reputed universities and institutions across the world. This volume is a valuable and comprehensive resource for computer and data scientists, epidemiologists, radiologists, doctors, clinicians, pharmaceutical professionals, along with graduate and research students of interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary sciences.

This manual offers a stand-alone reading companion, unique in simplifying the practical components of Bioinformatics in a unique and user-friendly manner. It covers the practical component of syllabi used at most leading universities and discusses the most extensively used tools and methodologies in Bioinformatics. Research in the biological sciences has made tremendous strides in recent years due in part to the increased automation in data generation. At the same time, storing, managing and interpreting huge volumes of data has become one of the most challenging tasks for scientists. These two aspects have ultimately necessitated the application of computers, giving rise to a highly interdisciplinary discipline-Bioinformatics. Despite the richness of bioinformatics resources and methods, the exposure of life sciences undergraduates and postgraduates to bioinformatics is extremely limited. Though the internet offers various tools for free, and provides guides for using them, it fails to help users interpret the processed data. Moreover, most sites fail to update their help pages to accommodate software upgrades. Though the market is flooded with books discussing the theoretical concepts in Bioinformatics, a manual of this kind is rarely found. The content developed to meet the needs of readers from diverse background and to incorporate the syllabi of undergraduate and postgraduate courses at various universities.

This book sheds new light on the physiology, molecular biology and pathophysiology of epithelial ion channels and transporters. It combines the basic cellular models and functions by means of a compelling clinical perspective, addressing aspects from the laboratory bench to the bedside. The individual chapters, written by leading scientists and clinicians, explore specific ion channels and transporters located in the epithelial tissues of the kidney, intestine, pancreas and respiratory tract, all of which play a crucial part in maintaining homeostasis. Further topics include the fundamentals of epithelial transport; mathematical modeling of ion transport; cell volume regulation; membrane protein folding and trafficking; transepithelial transport functions; and lastly, a discussion of transport proteins as potential pharmacological targets with a focus on the pharmacology of potassium channels.

Biological interactions of visible light with photosensitizers have been studied for over a century while controlled clinical applications of light and photosensitizers to treat solid tumors, known as photodynamic therapy, have been evolving since the mid 1970's. In Photodynamic Therapy: Methods and Protocols, leading PDT scientists and clinicians provide the first comprehensive collection of methods and protocols specifically related to relevant mechanistic, dosimetric, preclinical, and clinical procedures used in current PDT research. Reflecting the growing number of studies demonstrating that immunological, tumor microenvironmental, and vascular responses are all contributing to PDT treatment outcomes, the contents of this volume move beyond the more traditional PDT concepts in order to investigate the numerous signal transduction and cell death pathways involved. 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 notes which highlight tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.

Authoritative and cutting-edge, Photodynamic Therapy: Methods and Protocols is an ideal guide for new investigators just starting out in PDT research as well as seasoned investigators changing the direction of their research with the intention of exploring this vital field of study."

Over the last two decades advances in genotyping technology, and the development of quantitative genetic analytical techniques have made it possible to dissect complex traits and link quantitative variation in traits to allelic variation on chromosomes or quantitative trait loci (QTLs). In Quantitative Trait Loci (QTLs):Methods and Protocols, expert researchers in the field detail methods and techniques that focus on specific components of the entire process of quantitative train loci experiments. These include methods and techniques for the mapping populations, identifying quantitative trait loci, extending the power of quantitative trait locus analysis, and case studies. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology (TM) series format, the chapters include the kind of detailed description and implementation advice that is crucial for getting optimal results in the laboratory. Thorough and intuitive, Quantitative Trait Loci (QTLs):Methods and Protocols aids scientists in the further study of the links between phenotypic and genotypic variation in fields from medicine to agriculture, from molecular biology to evolution to ecology.

In Pseudomonas aeruginosa, expert researchers in the field detail many of the methods which are now commonly used to study this fascinating microorganism. Chapters include microbiological methods to high-throughput molecular techniques that have been developed over the last decade. 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 key tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Pseudomonas aeruginosa aids in the continuing study of new and cutting edge findings.

Signal transduction comprises the intracellular biochemical signals which induce the appropriate cell response to an external stimulus. The players in signal transduction are diverse, from small molecules as first messengers, to proteins, receptors, transcription factors, among many others. The different signaling pathways and the crosstalk between them originates the unique signaling profile of every cell type in the human body. The cell signaling specificity depends on several aspects including protein composition, subcellular localization and complexes and gene promoters. This textbook provides a comprehensive overview of the specific signaling pathways on a variety of human tissues. This information can be of great value for health science researchers, professionals and students to understand key pathways for tissue-specific functions in the plethora of signals, signals receptors, transducers and effectors. Chapter 3 and 15 are available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

This volume reviews the most important recent findings of the studies on pathogenic E. coli providing a timely overview of the field. The topics covered include epidemiology of the disease in humans and animals and the biological mechanisms that shaped the pathogenic types of E. coli; shiga toxins; subtilase cytotoxin; cell cycle modulating toxins; the heat stable and heat labile exterotoxins; and much more.

The book introduces the bioinformatics tools, databases and strategies for the translational research, focuses on the biomarker discovery based on integrative data analysis and systems biological network reconstruction. With the coming of personal genomics era, the biomedical data will be accumulated fast and then it will become reality for the personalized and accurate diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of complex diseases. The book covers both state of the art of bioinformatics methodologies and the examples for the identification of simple or network biomarkers. In addition, bioinformatics software tools and scripts are provided to the practical application in the study of complex diseases. The present state, the future challenges and perspectives were discussed. The book is written for biologists, biomedical informatics scientists and clinicians, etc. Dr. Bairong Shen is Professor and Director of Center for Systems Biology, Soochow University; he is also Director of Taicang Center for Translational Bioinformatics.

This book provides insights into some of the key achievements made in the study of Lotus japonicus (birdsfoot trefoil), as well as a timely overview of topics that are pertinent for future developments in legume genomics. Key topics covered include endosymbiosis, development, hormone regulation, carbon/nitrogen and secondary metabolism, as well as advances made in high-throughput genomic and genetic approaches. Research focusing on model plants has underpinned the recent growth in plant genomics and genetics and provided a basis for investigations of major crop species. In the legume family Fabaceae, groundbreaking genetic and genomic research has established a significant body of knowledge on Lotus japonicus, which was adopted as a model species more than 20 years ago. The diverse nature of legumes means that such research has a wide potential and agricultural impact, for example, on the world's protein production.

Classical natural product chemistry is transitioning to modern day metabolomics as a result of the advent of comprehensive analytical platforms and sensitive analytical instrumentation. Therefore, it is worthwhile to summarize recent developments with current analytical platforms and highlight how metabolomics is being integrated into this classical field to dereplicate and profile natural product extracts. Metabolomics Tools for Natural Product Discoveries: Methods and Protocols aims to unite diverse and recently developed methodologies and protocols in order to identify bioactive secondary metabolites for the purpose of drug discovery. Some topics covered in this volume include applications for the extraction of selected natural products from less common sources such as bryophytes and hard corals, various biological assays, comprehensive applications and strategies for GC-MS, LC-MS, and NMR, as well as protocols and strategies for the structure elucidation of isolated natural products. 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 Metabolomics Tools for Natural Product Discoveries: Methods and Protocols seeks to serve both professionals and research students with its well-honed methodologies for natural product isolation, biomarker discovery, dereplication, biological assays, and comprehensive metabolomic platforms available for high-throughput analyses.

Molecular Signalling: Ca2+-Signaling in Cardiac Myocytes: Evidence from Evolutionary and Transgenic Models; M. Morad, Y.J. Suzuki. Diastolic Viscoelastic Properties of Rat Cardiac Muscle; Involvement of Ca2+; B.D.M.Y. Stuyvers, et al. The Contractile Mechanism and Energetics: Molecular Control of Myocardial Mechanics and Energetics: The Chemo-Mechanical Conversion; A. Landesberg. Myocardial Cell Energetics; H. Kammermeier. Cardiac Mechanics and Flow Dynamics: How Cardiac Contraction Affects the Coronary Vasculature; N. Westerhof, et al. Dynamic Interaction between Myocardial Contracton and Coronary Flow; R. Beyar, S. Sideman. Vascular Structure and Remodeling: Endothelial Gene Regulation by Laminar Shear Stress; N. Resnick, et al. Myocardial Structure and Function. Tissue Remodeling with Micro-Structurally Based Material Laws; P. Hunter, T. Arts. Electrical Activation and Propagation: Cardiac Excitation: An Interactive Process of Ion Channels and Gap Junctions; Y. Rudy, R.M. Shaw. The Cardionome: Concepts in Modeling: Design and Strategy for the Cardionome Project; J.B. Bassingthwaighte. 20 Additional Chapters. Index.