This book reviews a novel and exciting field of cellular and molecular biology called epitranscriptomics, which focuses on changes in an organism’s cells resulting from the posttranscriptional modification of cellular RNA. RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) play a crucial role in these posttranscriptional modifications and also support several cellular processes necessary for maintaining RNA homeostasis. Exploring the mechanisms underlying RNA modifications and RBP function is an emerging area of biomedical research, taking the study of gene regulation a step beyond epigenetics. This book reveals that the RNA molecule is not just an information-carrying molecule with some secondary structures. Accordingly, how RNA is modified, regulated, packaged, and controlled is an important aspect. Leading experts address questions such as where the over 170 distinct posttranscriptional RNA modifications are located on the genome, what percentage of mRNAs and noncoding RNAs these modifications include, and how an RNA modification impacts a person’s biology. In closing, the book reviews the role of RNA modifications and RBPs in a variety of diseases and their pathogenesis. Addressing some of the most exciting challenges in epitranscriptomics, this book provides a valuable and engaging resource for researchers in academia and industry studying the phenomena of RNA modification.

This volume details state-of-the-art computational methods designed to manage, analyze, and generally leverage epigenomic and epitranscriptomic data. Chapters guide readers through fine-mapping and quantification of modifications, visual analytics, imputation methods, supervised analysis, and integrative approaches for single-cell data. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Cutting-edge and thorough, Computational Epigenomics and Epitranscriptomics aims to provide an overview of epiomic protocols, making it easier for researchers to extract impactful biological insight from their data.

Following the formulation of the central dogma of molecular biology and the later discovery of classes of non-coding RNAs, the primary focus of Genetics was essentially on variation of DNA aiming at elucidating biological pathways perturbed in diseases. Recently, extensive attention has shifted towards the study of posttranscriptional RNA modifications occurring in both protein-coding as well as non-coding RNAs, revealing a novel and finer layer of complexity in gene regulation. This, in turn, has led to the birth of the novel field of ‘Epitranscriptomics’. The recent increase of applications of high-throughput sequencing technology (HTS) has allowed the unprecedented opportunity to identify on a transcriptome-wide scale, millions of RNA modifications in human genes, counting today more than 140 distinct types such as: methylation (e.g. m6A, m1A, m5C, hm5C, 2’OMe) methylation (e.g. m6A, m1A, m5C, hm5C, 2’OMe), pseudourylation (?), deamination (e.g. A-to-I RNA editing). The scope of this Research Topic was to collect both reviews and research articles addressing the wet lab approaches and bioinformatics methodologies necessary to aid in the identification of novel RNA modifications and characterization of their biological functions. Among the articles embracing the aim of the Research Topic, we have collected four original research and methods articles, five reviews, and a technology article.

Epigenomics deals in detail with the concepts, principles, procedures, developments, limitations, advantages, applications and future prospects of different areas of epigenomics in a comprehensive manner. It provides concise yet complete knowledge on the many aspects of the basic and most recent methods and applications in epigenomics, a branch of epigenetics that deals with the mechanisms such as DNA modifications, histone modifications, RNA modifications, small and long non-coding RNAs, chromatin remodeling, which are involved in epigenetic control of gene expression without involving variations in DNA sequences. These regulatory mechanisms lead to phenotypic variations. These epigenetic mechanisms can be exploited for crop improvement and cure of human diseases. Epigenomics strives to understand the role of epigenetic marks (chemical tags) in the development of phenotype. This understanding provides epigeneticists to apply epigenomics in medicine and agriculture. Self-explanatory adequately labelled figures have been the special emphasis throughout. This book is primarily designed for senior undergraduate and graduate level (M.Sc. and Ph.D.) students studying epigenetics in conventional, agricultural and medicinal universities. This book will be a useful reference text for teachers and researcher in any discipline of life sciences, agricultural sciences, medicine, and biotechnology.