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This book presents a major research program on epigenetic mechanisms of cell programming and reprogramming. The program was launched by the National Natural Science Foundation of China during the 11th Five-Year Plan period, which was started in October 2008 and concluded at the end of 2016. It first summarizes the epigenetic research plans and the current situation of epigenetic research in China and the international frontier. With the application of interdisciplinary research methods, the book discusses the development trends of epigenetic research, such as mechanisms of establishment and maintenance of epigenetic information and epigenetic regulation on reproduction and development. It also presents a variety of research achievements. For example, the discovery of new epigenetic regulators and chromatin remodulaters and their biological functions and mechanisms are highlighted. Several regulation mechanisms of cell differentiation and trans-differentiation are discussed, especially the discovery of the key factors to promote the trans-differentiation of somatic cells to hepatocytes. In addition, this book puts forward some key academic fields with increasing importance, such as biochemistry, cell biology, and clinical medicine. Given its scope, the book is of interest to researchers who work in cell biology, biochemistry, structural biology, bioinformatics, clinical medicine, and other related fields.

This book describes the author's work on the development of sequence-specific DNA binders for the therapy of mitochondrial diseases. In the first chapter, the author provides a detailed background of pyrrole–imidazole polyamides (PIPs) and mitochondrial disease research followed by chapters presenting the author's own research and discoveries. Firstly, the developed compounds called MITO-PIPs, which recognize specific sequences in mitochondrial DNA, are presented. The following chapter demonstrates how, by introducing a DNA alkylating reagent into a MITO-PIP that recognizes the adjacent sequence to a target mutation, the copy number of mutated mitochondrial DNA was successfully reduced in live cells. Furthermore, because nuclear DNA is another important target for treating mitochondrial diseases, the author demonstrated that tri-arginine vectors can enhance nuclear uptake of PIPs and improve their biological activity in cells.This work willattract readers'interest because it paves the way for a transgene-free chemical gene therapy for mitochondrial diseases. The book includes a detailed description of experimental procedures, especially compound synthesis. This description helps readers to have a clear image of the author's studies and to perform similar and extended studies themselves.

This book gives a comprehensive overview of the unique roles that non-coding repetitive elements such as satellite DNAs play in different physiological and evolutionary processes. It presents the gene-regulatory aspect of satellite DNAs in different model systems including mammals, insects and plants. In addition, evolutionary aspects of activation of satellite DNAs in terms of transcription and proliferation are highlighted, revealing the role of satellite DNAs in the process of adaptation to changing environment and in the speciation process.Finally, the book discusses satellite DNA activation during pathological transformation and the mechanisms by which they affect disease progression. Namely, some satellite DNAs promote the oncogenic processes by affecting genome epigenetic regulation as well as genome integrity. Readers get a full overview of the latest research on satellite DNA.

Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a macromolecule that plays a central role in cell physiology: RNA molecules act as intermediates between the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), where genetic information is stored, and proteins, which perform the necessary functions within the cell. Traditionally, the structural and functional properties of RNA are closely linked to gene expression. However, RNA-based enzymes, called ribozymes, are also involved in catalysis and small RNAs regulate key cellular processes, such as cell growth, division, differentiation, aging and death. RNA is a sensitive macromolecule that can be easily damaged by environmental conditions (ultraviolet radiation, oxidative stress) and biological factors (ribonucleases, ribotoxins, CRISPR-Cas systems). Therefore, cells have developed mechanisms to protect and/or repair RNA molecules. This book presents an overview of the biology of RNA damage, protection and repair in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Individual chapters cover the expression regulation, enzymology and physiological role of such systems, and link them to important human diseases such as cancer and degenerative diseases.

Nucleic Acid Sensing and Immunity - PART B, Volume 345 gives a comprehensive overview of the nucleic acid machinery, from plants to mammalians, along with their regulation. Chapters in this updated volume include Nucleic acids sensing in allergic disorders, Nucleic acids sensing in autoimmune disorders, Nucleic acid sensing in inflammatory disorders, Viral nucleic acid sensing inflammasomes in intestinal host defense, Genome damage sensing leads to tissue homeostasis in Drosophila, Nucleic acids sensing in plants, Nucleic Acid sensing in invertebrates, amongst other topics. Provides an accurate, state-of-the-art resource on RNA sensing Includes the work of a well-known tumor immunologist Links intestinal host defense and viral nucleic acid sensing Presents a chapter on the negative regulation of DNA sensing, a timely topic

Nucleic Acid Sensing and Immunity - PART A, Volume 344, provides a comprehensive overview of the nucleic acid machinery, from plants to mammalians, as well as their regulation. Specific chapters in this updated release include Molecular bases of discrimination between self from non-self nucleic acids, Intracellular RNA sensing in mammalian cells, Nuclear DNA damage and nucleic acid sensing, Negative regulation of nucleic acid sensing, Dendritic cell responses to exogenous nucleic acids, Activating the nucleic acid-sensing machinery for anticancer immunity, and Nucleic acid sensing and inflammasomes, amongst other topics. Provides an accurate, state-of-the-art resource on RNA sensing Includes the work of a well-known tumor immunologist Links intestinal host defense and viral nucleic acid sensing Presents a chapter on the negative regulation of DNA sensing, a timely topic

This book discusses topics related to the topological structure and biological function of gene networks regulated by microRNAs. It focuses on analyzing the relation between topological structure and biological function, applying these theoretical results to gene networks involving microRNA, illustrating their biological mechanisms, and identifying the roles of microRNA in controlling various phenomena emerging from the networks. In addition, the book explains how to control the complex biological phenomena using mathematical tools and offers a new perspective on studying microRNA. It is a useful resource for graduate students and researchers who are working on or interested in microRNAs and gene network.

This book spans diverse aspects of modified nucleic acids, from chemical synthesis and spectroscopy to in vivo applications, and highlights studies on chemical modifications of the backbone and nucleobases. Topics discussed include fluorescent pyrimidine and purine analogs, enzymatic approaches to the preparation of modified nucleic acids, emission and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy for studying nucleic acid structure and dynamics, non-covalent binding of low- and high-MW ligands to nucleic acids and the design of unnatural base pairs. This unique book addresses new developments and is designed for graduate level and professional research purposes.

This new volume of Methods in Enzymology continues the legacy of this premier serial with quality chapters authored by leaders in the field. This volume covers computational prediction RNA structure and dynamics, including such topics as computational modeling of RNA secondary and tertiary structures, riboswitch dynamics, and ion-RNA, ligand-RNA and DNA-RNA interactions. Continues the legacy of this premier serial with quality chapters authored by leaders in the field Covers computational methods and applications in RNA structure and dynamics Contains chapters with emerging topics such as RNA structure prediction, riboswitch dynamics and thermodynamics, and effects of ions and ligands.

This book provides a review of the multitude of nucleic acid polymerases, including DNA and RNA polymerases from Archea, Bacteria and Eukaryota, mitochondrial and viral polymerases, and other specialized polymerases such as telomerase, template-independent terminal nucleotidyl transferase and RNA self-replication ribozyme. Although many books cover several different types of polymerases, no book so far has attempted to catalog all nucleic acid polymerases. The goal of this book is to be the top reference work for postgraduate students, postdocs, and principle investigators who study polymerases of all varieties. In other words, this book is for polymerase fans by polymerase fans.Nucleic acid polymerases play a fundamental role in genome replication, maintenance, gene expression and regulation. Throughout evolution these enzymes have been pivotal in transforming life towards RNA self-replicating systems as well as into more stable DNA genomes. These enzymes are generally extremely efficient and accurate in RNA transcription and DNA replication and share common kinetic and structural features. How catalysis can be so amazingly fast without loss of specificity is a question that has intrigued researchers for over 60 years. Certain specialized polymerases that play a critical role in cellular metabolism are used for diverse biotechnological applications and are therefore an essential tool for research.

This volume on nucleic acid nanotechnology offers authoritative, up-to-date and comprehensive coverage of nanotechnological studies and applications of nucleic acids. It provides reviews of various aspects of nucleic acid nanotechnology, each written by an internationally leading expert in the field, and presents state-of-the-art and recent advances in nucleic acid synthetic modifications, nanoscale design, manipulation and current and future applications in bioengineering, medicine, electronics, genetic analysis, chemistry, molecular biology, surface and material sciences. It examines how nucleic acid research is merging with nanotechnology, allowing the nanoscale properties of nucleic acid to be exploited in performing challenging nanotechnological tasks, from nanorobotics and nanosensing to nucleic acid computing. This book will above all benefit anyone who is interested in nanotechnological concepts of nucleic acid design and applications, and offers a valuable resource for teaching these concepts. It is essential reading for a broad audience of scientists both in academia and industry who wish to expand their expertise on the potential of nucleic acid functions and applications.

Molecular Beacons explains working principle of molecular beacons, discusses their design, synthesis, purification and characterization, explores their thermodynamic and kinetic properties, and more importantly, reviews their in vivo and in vitro applications with the emphasis on the design and modification of molecular beacons for in vivo mRNA imaging applications.This book is designed to bring together in a single resource an organized and comprehensive view of molecular beacons and will be a valuable resource for academic, clinical and industrial scientists and graduate students who may consider exploring molecular beacons in their research or practice.Chaoyong James Yang is the Lu Jiaxi Professor of Chemistry at Xiamen University, China.Weihong Tan is a Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Biomedical Engineering at Hunan University, China and also a University of Florida Distinguished Professor and V. T. and Louis Jackson Professor of Chemistry at the University of Florida, USA.

While structure-function relationships of proteins have been studied for a long time, structural studies of RNA face additional challenges. Nevertheless, with the continuous discovery of novel RNA molecules with key cellular functions and of novel pathways and interaction networks, the need for structural information of RNA is still increasing. This volume provides an introduction into techniques to assess structure and folding of RNA. Each chapter explains the theoretical background of one technique, and illustrates possibilities and limitations in selected application examples.

Chapter 1 - Nucleic Acid Chapter 2 - DNA Chapter 3 - RNA Chapter 4 - Nucleic Acid Sequence Chapter 5 - Nucleic Acid Analogues Chapter 6 - Aptamer Chapter 7 - Small Nucleolar RNA Chapter 8 - Glycol Nucleic Acid and Locked Nucleic Acid Chapter 9 - Mitochondrial DNA Chapter 10 - Messenger RNA Chapter 11 - Small Interfering RNA Chapter 12 - MicroRNA

If theoretical physicists can seriously entertain canonical “standard models” even for the big-bang generation of the entire universe, why cannot life scientists reach a consensus on how life has emerged and settled on this planet? Scientists are hindered by conceptual gaps between bottom-up inferences (from early Earth geological conditions) and top-down extrapolations (from modern life forms to common ancestral states). This book challenges several widely held assumptions and argues for alternative approaches instead. Primal syntheses (literally or figuratively speaking) are called for in at least five major areas. (1) The first RNA-like molecules may have been selected by solar light as being exceptionally photostable. (2) Photosynthetically active minerals and reduced phosphorus compounds could have efficiently coupled the persistent natural energy flows to the primordial metabolism. (3) Stochastic, uncoded peptides may have kick-started an ever-tightening co-evolution of proteins and nucleic acids. (4) The living fossils from the primeval RNA World thrive within modern cells. (5) From the inherently complex protocellular associations preceding the consolidation of integral genomes, eukaryotic cell organization may have evolved more naturally than simple prokaryote-like life forms. – If this book can motivate dedicated researchers to further explore the alternative mechanisms presented, it will have served its purpose well.

Ribonucleases are a ubiquitous and functionally diverse group of enzymes that have a common ability to cleave RNA. Either through scission of internal phosphodiesters, or removal of nucleotides from RNA 5'or 3'ends, ribonucleases perform essential roles in gene expression and regulation, genome replication and maintenance, host defense, stress response, and viral strategies of infection. Ribonucleases have also served as highly informative models to understand virtually every aspect of biomolecular structure and function. The fifteen chapters in this volume are written by recognized researchers in the field, and provide in-depth analyses of the major ribonuclease families. Particular focus is given to the relation of ribonuclease structure and mechanism to biological function, as well as ribonuclease dysfunction in certain disease states. Other topics include the evolutionary genetics and functional diversification of ribonucleases, engineered ribonucleases as anti-cancer agents, the mechanisms of action of artificial ribonucleases, and ribonucleases as models to understand protein folding and stability. This volume should serve as an essential reference for a broad range of researchers and educators with interests in RNA metabolism, enzymology, and gene regulation.

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 recognized to carry critical developmental, stress-response and bodyguard functions be coordinating the expression, protection, stability and inheritance of virtually all eukaryotic genomes. Thus, the ncRNAs encompass a wide set of mechanisms that achieve specialized functions.

Transcription factors are the molecules that the cell uses to interpret the genome: they possess sequence-specific DNA-binding activity, and either directly or indirectly influence the transcription of genes. In aggregate, transcription factors control gene expression and genome organization, and play a pivotal role in many aspects of physiology and evolution. This book provides a reference for major aspects of transcription factor function, encompassing a general catalogue of known transcription factor classes, origins and evolution of specific transcription factor types, methods for studying transcription factor binding sites in vitro, in vivo, and in silico, and mechanisms of interaction with chromatin and RNA polymerase.

Until recently, innate immunity was regarded as a relatively nonspecific system designed to engulf and destroy pathogens. However, new studies show that the innate immune system is highly developed in its ability to discriminate between self and foreign entities. Understanding this mechanism can lead to therapeutic strategies based on manipulation

Progress in Nucleic Acid Research and Molecular Biology provides a forum for discussion of new discoveries, approaches, and ideas in molecular biology. It contains contributions from leaders in their fields and abundant references.

Provides a forum for discussion of new discoveries, approaches, and idea in molecular biology. Contains contributions from leaders in their fields and abundant references.Key Features• Provides a forum for discussion of new discoveries, approaches, and ideas in molecular biology• Features contributions from leaders in their fields• Contains abundant references

Visualization of nucleic acids has become indispensable to studying cells, tissues, and organisms. Certain techniques even permit quantification of DNA and/or RNA distribution in tissues, but few current analytical books cover the numerous methods for DNA and RNA visualization. This book provides insight into several classic techniques, histologica

Progress in Nucleic Acid Research and Molecular Biology provides a forum for discussion of new discoveries, approaches, and ideas in molecular biology. It contains contributions from leaders in their fields and abundant references.

Progress in Nucleic Acid Research and Molecular Biology provides a forum for discussion of new discoveries, approaches, and ideas in molecular biology. It contains contributions from leaders in their fields and abundant references.

Functional Organization of The Nucleus

Photochemistry and Photobiology of Nucleic Acids, Volume I: Chemistry covers the historical developments in the study of photobiology and photochemistry of nucleic acid components. This volume is divided into 12 chapters that deal with the isolation and characterization of ultraviolet photoproducts of pyrimidines. After briefly covering the concepts of photochemistry of nucleic acids, this volume goes on describing the UV-induced physical and chemical alterations in nucleic acid components, such as pyrimidines, purines, their nucleosides and nucleotides, and related compounds. Significant chapters are devoted to mass and nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry and crystal and molecular structure determinations by X-ray diffraction. Together with the pertinent examples, a short discussion on the theory and techniques is also presented in each chapter. This volume also includes a chapter on radiation chemistry to examine the close relationship between the chemical effects of UV-light and X- or gamma-radiation. This volume is of value to researchers who are active in the study of photochemistry and photobiology in nucleic acids as well as to advanced undergraduate and graduate students interested in this field.

Key Features• Provides a forum for discussion of new discoveries, approaches, and ideas in molecular biology• Includes contributions from leaders in their fields• Abundantly referenced

Key Features• Provides a forum for discussion of new discoveries, approaches, and ideas in molecular biology• Contributions from leaders in their fields• Abundantly referenced

Nucleic Acid-Protein Recognition covers the proceedings of a symposium on''Nucleic Acid-Protein Recognition'', held at Arden House, Harriman Campus of Columbia University on May 30-June 1, 1976. The symposium inaugurated the''P & S Biomedical Sciences Symposia''under the sponsorship of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University. This book is organized into nine part encompassing 31 chapters. The opening parts describe the principles of DNA replication and the unique chromatin structure. These parts also examine the physical chemistry of the interactions of melting proteins with nucleic acids. The third part presents the different types of approaches that can be used to study the function of RNA polymerases and the development of a cell-free system that favors Pol II-catalyzed transcription from type 2 adenovirus DNA. Parts IV and V deal with the sequence determination of wild-type and mutant repressor and the restriction and modification of DNA endonucleases, while parts VI and VII focus of the recognition of tRNA. Part VIII discusses some significant studies on the assembly of ribosomes and the principles of ribosomal interactions. Lastly, Part IX considers the role of small RNA template in the reaction mechanism of RNA replicases and ribonucleases. This part also surveys the so-called RNase III cleavage of different types of RNA and the structure of nucleic acid-protein complexes.