The Molecular Biology of Photorhabdus Bacteria


Book Description

This book provides an essential update on the startling array of novel insecticidal toxins and drugs produced by the fascinating bacterium Photorhabdus. The respective chapters describe everything from the detailed molecular biology of the ‘Toxin complexes’ or Tc’s to the complexity of insect immune response in relation to both the bacterium and its nematode vector. The volume covers both primary (toxin production and regulation) and secondary (natural product synthesis and regulation) metabolism and emphasises the potential use of toxins and drugs in both agriculture and medicine. It also discusses in detail two totally novel quorum sensing mechanisms and the likely role of LuxR solos in sensing the presence of different bacterial hosts. Lastly, the book explores the unique case of P. asymbiotica, which seems to have evolved the ability to infect both insects and humans. This synthesis proves that Photorhabdus truly does offer a ‘gold mine’ for the discovery of novel insecticidal proteins and novel natural products with potential uses in agriculture and medicine alike.




Scientific Frontiers in Developmental Toxicology and Risk Assessment


Book Description

Scientific Frontiers in Developmental Toxicology and Risk Assessment reviews advances made during the last 10-15 years in fields such as developmental biology, molecular biology, and genetics. It describes a novel approach for how these advances might be used in combination with existing methodologies to further the understanding of mechanisms of developmental toxicity, to improve the assessment of chemicals for their ability to cause developmental toxicity, and to improve risk assessment for developmental defects. For example, based on the recent advances, even the smallest, simplest laboratory animals such as the fruit fly, roundworm, and zebrafish might be able to serve as developmental toxicological models for human biological systems. Use of such organisms might allow for rapid and inexpensive testing of large numbers of chemicals for their potential to cause developmental toxicity; presently, there are little or no developmental toxicity data available for the majority of natural and manufactured chemicals in use. This new approach to developmental toxicology and risk assessment will require simultaneous research on several fronts by experts from multiple scientific disciplines, including developmental toxicologists, developmental biologists, geneticists, epidemiologists, and biostatisticians.




Microbial Evolution


Book Description

Bacteria have been the dominant forms of life on Earth for the past 3.5 billion years. They rapidly evolve, constantly changing their genetic architecture through horizontal DNA transfer and other mechanisms. Consequently, it can be difficult to define individual species and determine how they are related. Written and edited by experts in the field, this collection from Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology examines how bacteria and other microbes evolve, focusing on insights from genomics-based studies. Contributors discuss the origins of new microbial populations, the evolutionary and ecological mechanisms that keep species separate once they have diverged, and the challenges of constructing phylogenetic trees that accurately reflect their relationships. They describe the organization of microbial genomes, the various mutations that occur, including the birth of new genes de novo and by duplication, and how natural selection acts on those changes. The role of horizontal gene transfer as a strong driver of microbial evolution is emphasized throughout. The authors also explore the geologic evidence for early microbial evolution and describe the use of microbial evolution experiments to examine phenomena like natural selection. This volume will thus be essential reading for all microbial ecologists, population geneticists, and evolutionary biologists.




Snyder and Champness Molecular Genetics of Bacteria


Book Description

The single most comprehensive and authoritative textbook on bacterial molecular genetics Snyder & Champness Molecular Genetics of Bacteria is a new edition of a classic text, updated to address the massive advances in the field of bacterial molecular genetics and retitled as homage to the founding authors. In an era experiencing an avalanche of new genetic sequence information, this updated edition presents important experiments and advanced material relevant to current applications of molecular genetics, including conclusions from and applications of genomics; the relationships among recombination, replication, and repair and the importance of organizing sequences in DNA; the mechanisms of regulation of gene expression; the newest advances in bacterial cell biology; and the coordination of cellular processes during the bacterial cell cycle. The topics are integrated throughout with biochemical, genomic, and structural information, allowing readers to gain a deeper understanding of modern bacterial molecular genetics and its relationship to other fields of modern biology. Although the text is centered on the most-studied bacteria, Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis, many examples are drawn from other bacteria of experimental, medical, ecological, and biotechnological importance. The book's many useful features include Text boxes to help students make connections to relevant topics related to other organisms, including humans A summary of main points at the end of each chapter Questions for discussion and independent thought A list of suggested readings for background and further investigation in each chapter Fully illustrated with detailed diagrams and photos in full color A glossary of terms highlighted in the text While intended as an undergraduate or beginning graduate textbook, Molecular Genetics of Bacteria is an invaluable reference for anyone working in the fields of microbiology, genetics, biochemistry, bioengineering, medicine, molecular biology, and biotechnology. "This is a marvelous textbook that is completely up-to-date and comprehensive, but not overwhelming. The clear prose and excellent figures make it ideal for use in teaching bacterial molecular genetics." —Caroline Harwood, University of Washington




Developmental Biology of Prokaryotes


Book Description




Size Control in Biology


Book Description

Size is a primary feature of living things. From egg to adult, the various organs, tissues, cells, and subcellular structures that make up an organism grow to appropriate sizes so that they effectively fit and function together. The misregulation of this growth can lead to diseases such as cancer. Written and edited by experts in the field, this collection from Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology examines our current understanding of the intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms that precisely regulate the sizes of biological structures so that they can function efficiently in their cellular, organismal, or ecological context. Contributors discuss the various genetic, hormonal, and environmental inputs that trigger cells to grow, divide, or die, the various signaling pathways involved, and how these determine the final body size of an organism and the proportions of its component tissues and organs. Size-sensing mechanisms that enable cells to maintain their optimal sizes are reviewed, as are the scaling mechanisms that organelles use to adjust their sizes in response to changes in cell size. Examples from across the tree of life--from bacteria to humans--are provided. The authors also describe the mysteries that still remain about cell size and its control, including the nature of the intriguing relationship between nuclear DNA content and cell size. This volume will therefore be fascinating reading for all cell, developmental, and evolutionary biologists.




Molecular Genetics of Bacteria


Book Description

Presenting the basic concepts and most exciting developments, this textbook provides an introduction to the molecular genetics of bacteria in a form suitable for the needs of students studying microbiology, biotechnology, molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics and related biomedical sciences.







The Rhizobiaceae


Book Description

The Rhizobiaceae, Molecular Biology of Model Plant-Associated Bacteria. This book gives a comprehensive overview on our present molecular biological knowledge about the Rhizobiaceae, which currently can be called the best-studied family of soil bacteria. For many centuries they have attracted the attention of scientists because of their capacity to associate with plants and as a consequence also to specifically modify plant development. Some of these associations are beneficial for the plant, as is the case for the Rhizobiaceae subgroups collectively called rhizobia, which are able to fix nitrogen in a symbiosis with the plant hosts. This symbiosis results in the fonnation of root or stem nodules, as illustrated on the front cover. In contrast, several Rhizobiaceae subgroups can negatively affect plant development and evoke plant diseases. Examples are Agrobacterium tumefaciens andA. rhizogenes which induce the formation of crown galls or hairy roots on the stems of their host plants, respectively (bottom panels on front cover). In addition to the obvious importance of studies on the Rhizobiaceae for agronomy, this research field has resulted in the discovery of many fundamental scientific principles of general interest, which are highlighted in this book. To mention three examples: (i) the discovery of DNA transfer of A.