The goal of this volume is to provide a comprehensive mechanistic and quantitative view of the processes that mediate or influence the quality control in translation. In addition to discussing processes with direct contribution to translation fidelity, such as aminoacylation of tRNAs and translation elongation itself, special attention is given to other processes with impact on quality control: detection and elimination of defective mRNAs, recycling and translation re-initiation, mRNA editing, and translational recoding through programmed frame-shifting. - Provides a comprehensive mechanistic and quantitative view of the processes that mediate or influence the quality control in translation - Special attention is given to other processes with impact on quality control: detection and elimination of defective mRNAs, recycling and translation re-initiation, mRNA editing, and translational recoding through programmed frame-shifting

A fresh, distinctive approach to the teaching of molecular biology. With its focus on key principles, its emphasis on the commonalities that exist between the three kingdoms of life, and its integrated coverage of experimental methods and approaches, Molecular Biology is the perfect companion to any molecular biology course.

Geneticists and molecular biologists have been interested in quantifying genes and their products for many years and for various reasons (Bishop, 1974). Early molecular methods were based on molecular hybridization, and were devised shortly after Marmur and Doty (1961) first showed that denaturation of the double helix could be reversed - that the process of molecular reassociation was exquisitely sequence dependent. Gillespie and Spiegelman (1965) developed a way of using the method to titrate the number of copies of a probe within a target sequence in which the target sequence was fixed to a membrane support prior to hybridization with the probe - typically a RNA. Thus, this was a precursor to many of the methods still in use, and indeed under development, today. Early examples of the application of these methods included the measurement of the copy numbers in gene families such as the ribosomal genes and the immunoglo bulin family. Amplification of genes in tumors and in response to drug treatment was discovered by this method. In the same period, methods were invented for estimating gene num bers based on the kinetics of the reassociation process - the so-called Cot analysis. This method, which exploits the dependence of the rate of reassociation on the concentration of the two strands, revealed the presence of repeated sequences in the DNA of higher eukaryotes (Britten and Kohne, 1968). An adaptation to RNA, Rot analysis (Melli and Bishop, 1969), was used to measure the abundance of RNAs in a mixed population.

By virtue of their role as catalysts of the aminoacylation reaction, the aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases ensure that the first step of translation is performed quickly and accurately. In this volume of 36 separate chapters, the many facets of this ancient and ubiquitous family are reviewed, including their surprising structural diversity, enzymology, tRNA interaction properties, and curious alternative functions. These chapters illustrate the degree to which the aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases employ a variety of mechanisms to carry out both the standard functions related to the synthesis of aminoacylated tRNA for protein synthesis, as well as the surprising functions associated with amino acid biosynthesis, cytokine function, and even the processivity of DNA replication. Other chapters explore the regulation of their synthesis, their role in disease, and their prospects as targets for antibacterial therapeutics. This monograph will be a valuable resource for all scientists interested in the fundamentals of protein synthesis from both a basic research and clinical perspective, as well as the relation of translational components to the evolution of the genetic code.

Handbook of Pharmacogenomics and Stratified Medicine is a comprehensive resource to understand this rapidly advancing field aiming to deliver the right drug at the right dose to the right patient at the right time. It is designed to provide a detailed, but accessible review of the entire field from basic principles to applications in various diseases. The chapters are written by international experts to allow readers from a wide variety of backgrounds, clinical and non-clinical (basic geneticists, pharmacologists, clinicians, trialists, industry personnel, ethicists) to understand the principles underpinning the progress in this area, the successes, failures and the challenges ahead. To be accessible to the widest range of readers, the clinical application section introduces the disease process, existing therapies, followed by pharmacogenomics and stratified medicine details.Medicine is the cornerstone of modern therapeutics prescribed on the basis that its benefit should outweigh its risk. It is well known that people respond differently to medications and in many cases the risk-benefit ratio for a particular drug may be a gray area. The last decade has seen a revolution in genomics both in terms of technological innovation and discovering genetic markers associated with disease. In parallel there has been steady progress in trying to make medicines safer and tailored to the individual. This has occurred across the whole spectrum of medicine, some more than others. In addition there is burgeoning interest from the pharmaceutical industry to leverage pharmacogenomics for more effective and efficient clinical drug development. - Provides clinical and non-clinical researchers with practical information normally beyond their usual areas of research or expertise - Includes an basic principles section explaining concepts of basic genetics, genetic epidemiology, bioinformatics, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics - Covers newer technologies– next generation sequencing, proteomics, metabolomics - Provides information on animal models, lymphoblastoid cell lines, stem cells - Provides detailed chapters on a wide range of disease conditions, implementation and regulatory issues - Includes chapters on the global implications of pharmacogenomics

Nonsense-Mediated mRNA Decay is the first book devoted to nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD). The rationale for such a book is the enormous information that studies of NMD have provided on the intricacies of post-transcriptional gene expression. The first five sections of the book are divided according to organism and begin with chapters on S. cere