Changes in Eukaryotic Gene Expression in Response to Environmental Stress focuses on various aspects of eukaryotic cell's response to heat stress (shock) and other stress stimuli. This book is organized into two major sections, encompassing 17 chapters that reflect the emphasis on research utilizing Drosophila, a variety of animal systems, and plants. This book first provides a brief introduction to the organization, sequences, and induction of heat shock proteins and related genes. It then describes the control of transcription during heat shock from the standpoint of molecular biology and evolutionary variations of the mechanisms in organisms with diverse metabolic needs. It goes on to discuss the issue of coordinate and noncoordinate responses of heat shock genes. It presents a model for post-transcriptional regulation on certain aspects of coordinate and noncoordinate regulations. Chapters 6-12 discuss heat shock proteins and genes and the effects of stress on gene expression of sea urchin, avian, and mammalian cells. The second part of the book focuses on the physiological role of heat shock proteins and genes in plants and fungi. It includes a discussion on experimental problems encountered during studies of the mechanisms of inhibition of photosynthesis by unfavorable environmental conditions. The changes in transcription and translation of specific mRNAs in the developing embryo during heat shock at various temperatures are described. The concluding chapters deal with heat shock response in plants, particularly the response in soybeans and maize, covering both physiological and molecular analyses. Research scientists, clinicians, and agriculturists will greatly benefit from the information presented in this book.

This book presents an overview of various aspects of chromosome research, written by leading experts of the respective fields, combining classic and recent molecular biological results. The variety and comprehensiveness make it a handbook of chromosome research for all scientists, teachers and graduate students interested in this field. Dieses Buch faßt die unterschiedlichen Aspekte der Chromosomenforschung in Beiträgen von führenden Wissenschaftlern zusammen, wobei die klassischen Erkenntnisse mit neuesten Forschungsdaten zu einem umfassenden Überblick über das Gebiet kombiniert werden.

In this book leading researchers in the field discuss the state-of-the-art of many aspects of SAPK signaling in various systems from yeast to mammals. These include various chapters on regulatory mechanisms as well as the contribution of the SAPK signaling pathways to processes such as gene expression, metabolism, cell cycle regulation, immune responses and tumorigenesis. Written by international experts, the book will appeal to cell biologists and biochemists.

There is now compelling evidence that the complexity of higher organisms correlates with the relative amount of non-coding RNA rather than the number of protein-coding genes. Previously dismissed as “junk DNA”, it is the non-coding regions of the genome that are responsible for regulation, facilitating complex temporal and spatial gene expression through the combinatorial effect of numerous mechanisms and interactions working together to fine-tune gene expression. The major regions involved in regulation of a particular gene are the 5’ and 3’ untranslated regions and introns. In addition, pervasive transcription of complex genomes produces a variety of non-coding transcripts that interact with these regions and contribute to regulation. This book discusses recent insights into the regulatory roles of the untranslated gene regions and non-coding RNAs in the control of complex gene expression, as well as the implications of this in terms of organism complexity and evolution.​

The discovery of stress-induced mutagenesis has changed ideas about mutation and evolution, and revealed mutagenic programs that differ from standard spontaneous mutagenesis in rapidly proliferating cells. The stress-induced mutations occur during growth-limiting stress, and can include adaptive mutations that allow growth in the otherwise growth-limiting environment. The stress responses increase mutagenesis specifically when cells are maladapted to their environments, i.e. are stressed, potentially accelerating evolution then. The mutation mechanism also includes temporary suspension of post-synthesis mismatch repair, resembling mutagenesis characteristic of some cancers. Stress-induced mutation mechanisms may provide important models for genome instability underlying some cancers and genetic diseases, resistance to chemotherapeutic and antibiotic drugs, pathogenicity of microbes, and many other important evolutionary processes. This book covers pathways of stress-induced mutagenesis in all systems. The principle focus is mammalian systems, but much of what is known of these pathways comes from non-mammalian systems.

Many inheritable changes in gene function are not explained by changes in the DNA sequence. Such epigenetic mechanisms are known to influence gene function in most complex organisms and include effects such as transposon function, chromosome imprinting, yeast mating type switching and telomeric silencing. In recent years, epigenetic effects have become a major focus of research activity. This monograph, edited by three well-known biologists from different specialties, is the first to review and synthesize what is known about these effects across all species, particularly from a molecular perspective, and will be of interest to everyone in the fields of molecular biology and genetics.

A much-needed guide through the overwhelming amount of literature in the field. Comprehensive and detailed, this book combines background information with the most recentinsights. It introduces current concepts, emphasizing the transcriptional control of genetic information. Moreover, it links data on the structure of regulatory proteins with basic cellular processes. Both advanced students and experts will find answers to such intriguing questions as: - How are programs of specific gene repertoires activated and controlled? - Which genes drive and control morphogenesis? - Which genes govern tissue-specific tasks? - How do hormones control gene expression in coordinating the activities of different tissues? An abundant number of clearly presented glossary terms facilitates understanding of the biological background. Speacial feature: over 2200 (!) literature references.