Traditionally, genetics laboratory exercises at the university level focus on mono- and dihybrid crosses and phenotypic analysis—exercises under traditional time, materials, and process constraints. Lately, molecular techniques such as gene cloning, polymerase chain reactions (PCR), and bioinformatics are being included in many teaching laboratories—where affordable. Human chromosome analysis, when present at all, has often been restricted to simple identification of chromosomes by number,...

The introduction of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies resulted in a major transformation in the way scientists extract genetic information from biological systems, revealing limitless insight about the genome, transcriptome and epigenome of any species. However, with NGS, came its own challenges that require continuous development in the sequencing technologies and bioinformatics analysis of the resultant raw data and assembly of the full length genome and transcriptome. Such d...

Genetics professor Michelle Murphy loses her husband under mysterious circumstances and without warning, while their brilliant eight year old daughter Avalon, adopted in Kazakhstan, stubbornly believes she is a mutant.As if this were not enough she soon finds herself thrown into the middle of a quickly thickening plot, where the legacy of Genghis Khan meets the hunt for FOXP5, a genetic transcription factor that could herald the dawn of new human species.Initially caught he...

Every time a cell divides, a copy of its genomic DNA has to be faithfully copied to generate new genomic DNA for the daughter cells. The process of DNA replication needs to be precisely regulated to ensure that replication of the genome is complete and accurate, but that re-replication does not occur. Errors in DNA replication can lead to genome instability and cancer. The process of replication initiation is of paramount importance, because once the cell is committed to replicate DNA, it ...

This book outlines 11 courses and 15 research topics in bioinformatics, based on curriculums and talks in a graduate summer school on bioinformatics that was held in Tsinghua University. The courses include: Basics for Bioinformatics, Basic Statistics for Bioinformatics, Topics in Computational Genomics, Statistical Methods in Bioinformatics, Algorithms in Computational Biology, Multivariate Statistical Methods in Bioinformatics Research, Association Analysis for Human Diseases: Methods an...

The goal of this book is to introduce the biological and technical aspects of next generation sequencing methods, as well as algorithms to assemble these sequences into whole genomes. The book is organized into two parts; part 1 introduces NGS methods and part 2 reviews assembly algorithms and gives a good insight to these methods for readers new to the field. Gathering information, about sequencing and assembly methods together, helps both biologists and computer scientists to get a clear...

Epigenetic Mechanisms in Cancer provides a comprehensive analysis of epigenetic signatures that govern disease development, progression and metastasis. Epigenetic signatures dictating tumor etiologies present an opportunity for biomarker identification which has broad potential for improving diagnosis, prognosis, prediction, and risk assessment. This volumes offers a unique evaluation of signature differences in childhood, sex-specific and race-specific cancers, and in doing so broadly ill...

In recent years, because of advances in karyological techniques, we have witnessed a remarkable renewal of interest in studies of mammalian chromosomes. These techniques, generally involving the use of tissue culture, colchicine and hypotonic solution pretreatments, allow for a much clearer display of metaphase chromosomes of mammalian cells than the classic direct squash or tissue section methods. Consequently, what was known about the chromosome complement of most mammals must be revised...

Nuclear Architecture and Dynamics provides a definitive resource for (bio)physicists and molecular and cellular biologists whose research involves an understanding of the organization of the genome and the mechanisms of its proper reading, maintenance, and replication by the cell. This book brings together the biochemical and physical characteristics of genome organization, providing a relevant framework in which to interpret the control of gene expression and cell differentiation. It incl...

The release of the complete version of the human genome sequence in 2003 has paved the way for defining gene function and genetic background for phenotypic variation in humans and allowed us to study the aging process in a new light. This new volume results from that research and focuses on the genetic and epigenetic process of aging. While the interpretation of the genome data is still in its initial stages, this new volume looks at the evolving understanding of molecular mechanisms invol...

Pharmacogenomics supports personalized medicine by translating genome-based knowledge into clinical practice, offering enhanced benefit for patients and health-care systems at large. Current routine practice for diagnosing and treating patients is conducted by correlating parameters such as age, gender and weight with risks and expected treatment outcomes. In the new era of personalized medicine the healthcare provider is equipped with improved ability to prevent, diagnose, treat and predi...