The CCN family of genes currently comprises six secreted proteins (designated CCN16 i.e., Cyr61/CCN1; ctgf/CCN2; Nov/CCN3; WISP1/CCN4; WISP2/CCN5, and WISP3/CCN6) showing a strikingly conserved primary structure, with four modules sharing partial identity with IGF binding proteins, Von Willebrand protein, thrombospondin and several matricellular proteins and growth factors.The current view is that CCN proteins modulate signaling pathways that involve regulatory components of the ex...

How will increased understanding of the human genome affect our ability to diagnose and treat disease? The subject of recombinant DNA technology is no longer limited to the research laboratory; it is being discussed in ever-widening medical circles. Introduction to Molecular Medicine is especially written for the physician who is not a genetics expert but wishes to understand this new science and find entry to the more specialized publications. The first chapters present t...

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...

Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD) is a highly prevalent hereditary renal disorder in which fluid-filled cysts are appeared in both kidneys. Main causative genes of ADPKD are PKD1 and PKD2, encoding for polycystin-1 (PC1) and polycystin-2 (PC2) respectively. Those proteins are localized on primary cilia and function as mechanosensor in response to the fluid flow, translating mechanistic stimuli into calcium signaling. With mutations either of PKD1 or PKD2, hyper-activated...

Till recently, mutations in genes were described in textbooks as deletions or point mutations. These mutations can be inherited from a parent or they are de novo alterations. The discovery in 1991 that human disease can be caused by large-scale ex pansion of highly unstable trinucleotide repeats has elucidated a new mutation mechanism, heritable unstable DNA. In the subsequent years more then 10 such disease genes have been identified. All dynamic mutations have been iden tified in neurolo...

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), tentatively defined as ncRNAs of more than two hundred nucleotides in length, are characterized by the complexity and diversity of their sequences and mechanisms of action. Based on genome-wide studies, more than 3,300 of them exist, but to date only the limited number of functional lncRNAs have been identified and characterized. Nonetheless, lncRNAs have emerged as key molecules involved in the control of transcriptional and posttranscriptional gene regulat...

This book offers an essential guide to RNA activation (RNAa), an emerging and fascinating new field. RNAa is a small RNA-guided and Argonaute-dependent gene regulation phenomenon in which promoter-targeted short double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) induce target gene expression at the transcriptional level. It occurs primarily in the nucleus and can be mediated by artificially designed short duplex RNAs that target regulatory sequences (e.g., promoters, genes’ 3’ termini and enhancers) and natura...

This book gives a comprehensive insight into platelet biogenesis, platelet signal transduction, involvement of platelets in disease, the use of diverse animal models for platelet research and future perspectives in regard to platelet production and gene therapy. Being written by international experts, the book is a concise state-of-the art work in the field of platelet biogenesis, biology and research. It represents an indispensable tool for research scientists in biomedicine, vascular bio...

This volume collates world experts’ insights into the molecular biology of cancer chromosomes, their abnormalities and the subsequent cellular consequences. Exploring themes involving oncogenes, such as by chromosomal translocations, other genome rearrangements and somatic mutations, this book is a review of the field of cancer genetics that presages a new era, as whole genome sequencing becomes more accessible.The work begins with a look at historical themes, such as the analysis ...

This book provides a snapshot of the state-of-the art in the study of mammalian cell nuclear architecture, and features a diverse range of chapters written by top researchers. A key aspect is an emphasis on precise and repeatable quantitative analysis and simulation in addition to the more familiar biological perspective. The fusion of such material frames the future of the discipline. Quantitative contributions stress reproducible and robust 3D analysis, using a variety of tools ranging f...