This book reviews the latest trends and future directions of DNA replication research. The contents reflect upon the principles that have been established through the genetic and enzymatic studies of bacterial, viral, and cellular replication during the past decades. The book begins with a historical overview of the studies on eukaryotic DNA replication by Professor Thomas Kelly, a pioneer of the field. The following chapters include genome-wide studies of replication origins and initiatio...

Gene therapy was conceived during the early and mid part of the 20th century. At first, it was considered a revolutionary biomedical procedure, which could potentially cure any disease for which the molecular bases were understood. Since then, gene therapy has gone through many stages and has evolved from a nearly unrealistic perspective to a real life application. Clinical efficacy in humans was demonstrated at the beginning of this century after its successful application in small-scale ...

In the most recent years, each of the RNA silencing pathways of plants have appeared to generate ncRNAs with dedicated functions, specialized biological activities and specific functional scopes. RNA silencing plays a crucial role in coordinating the expression, stability, protection and inheritance of eukaryotic genomes. It compromises several mechanisms, that invariably depend on core small non coding RNAs and that achieve dedicated sequence-specific functions. RNA silencing has been rec...

This title will focus on the study of human interphase chromosomes and its relation to health and disease. Orchestrated organization and human genome function in interphase nuclei at the chromosomal level have been repeatedly shown to play a significant role in a variety of basic biological processes involved in realization and inheritance of genetic information within and between species. Current biomedical sciences of post-genomic era refocus basic and applied studies of interphase nucle...

This book explores critical principles and new concepts in bioengineering, integrating the biological, physical and chemical laws and principles that provide a foundation for the field. Both biological and engineering perspectives are included, with key topics such as the physical-chemical properties of cells, tissues and organs; principles of molecules; composition and interplay in physiological scenarios; and the complex physiological functions of heart, neuronal cells, muscle cells and ...

This thesis outlines the development of the very first technology for high-throughput analysis of paired heavy and light-chain antibody sequences, opening an entirely new window for antibody discovery and the investigation of adaptive immune responses to vaccines and diseases.Previous methods for high-throughput immune repertoire sequencing have been unable to provide information on the identity of immune receptor pairs encoded by individual B or T lymphocytes. The author directly ...

Obesity is a multi-factorial disease, in which an excess of accumulated body fat can reach levels capable of affecting health. It results from an interplay between environmental factors, eating behavior, genes, epigenetics, and neuronal stimuli. The main aim of this book is to provide a state-of-the-art revision about the molecular mechanisms underpinning the development of obesity, reviewing the current knowledge in areas like monogenic and polygenic obesity forms, but also providing an u...

DNA Methylation and Complex Human Disease reviews the possibilities of methyl-group-based epigenetic biomarkers of major diseases, tailored epigenetic therapies, and the future uses of high-throughput methylome technologies. This volume includes many pertinent advances in disease-bearing research, including obesity, type II diabetes, schizophrenia, and autoimmunity. DNA methylation is also discussed as a plasma and serum test for non-invasive screening, diagnostic and prognostic tests, as ...

Albinism in Africa: Historical, Geographic, Medical, Genetic, and Psychosocial Aspects provides the first in-depth reference for understanding and treating patients of human albinism in Africa. Leading international contributors examine the historical, geographic, psychosocial, genetic and molecular considerations of importance in effectively and sensitively managing this genetic disorder. Foundational chapters covering the historical and psychosocial aspects of albinism are supplemented b...

While most stem cell books focus on basic aspects and/or cell therapy, this book emphasizes the relevance of stem cells obtained from patients, the so-called “patients in a petri dish” as tools to investigate human genetic diseases for which there are no available effective treatment. Chapters embrace several examples of the use of iPS cell technology, a recent Nobel Prize-winning scientific breakthrough, to obtain patient-specific pluripotent cells from which many types of specialized cel...