Cell Cycle Regulation


Book Description

This book is a state-of-the-art summary of the latest achievements in cell cycle control research with an outlook on the effect of these findings on cancer research. The chapters are written by internationally leading experts in the field. They provide an updated view on how the cell cycle is regulated in vivo, and about the involvement of cell cycle regulators in cancer.







Systems Biology of Cancer


Book Description

An overview of the current systems biology-based knowledge and the experimental approaches for deciphering the biological basis of cancer.







Cell Cycle Deregulation in Cancer


Book Description

Cancer is fundamentally a disease of abnormal cell proliferation: Cancer cells multiply when and where they should not. This proliferation entails escape from normal bounds imposed by the tissue environment, the internal biology of the cell (DNA damage, chromosomal imbalances, disorganized mitotic spindles), and the proliferative history of the cell (normal generational times). Some of the key oncogenic events in cancer directly perturb proteins that regulate progression through the cell division cycle, others alter cell cycle progression indirectly, through effects on signaling pathway that impinge on the cell cycle. This biology is fundamentally important in cancer therapy. Many of the workhorse treatments for cancer rely on killing proliferating cells. Furthermore, there is growing recognition that stem cell-transit amplifying cell hierarchies may persist or be generated during tumorigenesis, generating important functional heterogeneity in cell cycle control among tumor cells, with far-reaching scientific and clinical implications. This volume outlines major cell cycle perturbations that drive tumorigenesis and considers the prospects for using such knowledge in cancer therapy.




Microtubule Dynamics


Book Description

Microtubules are at the heart of cellular self-organization, and their dynamic nature allows them to explore the intracellular space and mediate the transport of cargoes from the nucleus to the outer edges of the cell and back. In Microtubule Dynamics: Methods and Protocols, experts in the field provide an up-to-date collection of methods and approaches that are used to investigate microtubule dynamics in vitro and in cells. Beginning with the question of how to analyze microtubule dynamics, the volume continues with detailed descriptions of how to isolate tubulin from different sources and with different posttranslational modifications, methods used to study microtubule dynamics and microtubule interactions in vitro, techniques to investigate the ultrastructure of microtubules and associated proteins, assays to study microtubule nucleation, turnover, and force production in cells, as well as approaches to isolate novel microtubule-associated proteins and their interacting proteins. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular BiologyTM 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. Definitive and practical, Microtubule Dynamics: Methods and Protocols provides the key protocols needed by novices and experts on how to perform a broad range of well-established and newly-emerging techniques in this vital field.




The Eukaryotic Cell Cycle


Book Description

Written by respected researchers, this is an excellent account of the eukaryotic cell cycle that is suitable for graduate and postdoctoral researchers. It discusses important experiments, organisms of interest and research findings connected to the different stages of the cycle and the components involved.




Concepts of Biology


Book Description

Black & white print. Concepts of Biology is designed for the typical introductory biology course for nonmajors, covering standard scope and sequence requirements. The text includes interesting applications and conveys the major themes of biology, with content that is meaningful and easy to understand. The book is designed to demonstrate biology concepts and to promote scientific literacy.




Genome Stability


Book Description

Genome Stability: From Virus to Human Application, Second Edition, a volume in the Translational Epigenetics series, explores how various species maintain genome stability and genome diversification in response to environmental factors. Here, across thirty-eight chapters, leading researchers provide a deep analysis of genome stability in DNA/RNA viruses, prokaryotes, single cell eukaryotes, lower multicellular eukaryotes, and mammals, examining how epigenetic factors contribute to genome stability and how these species pass memories of encounters to progeny. Topics also include major DNA repair mechanisms, the role of chromatin in genome stability, human diseases associated with genome instability, and genome stability in response to aging. This second edition has been fully revised to address evolving research trends, including CRISPRs/Cas9 genome editing; conventional versus transgenic genome instability; breeding and genetic diseases associated with abnormal DNA repair; RNA and extrachromosomal DNA; cloning, stem cells, and embryo development; programmed genome instability; and conserved and divergent features of repair. This volume is an essential resource for geneticists, epigeneticists, and molecular biologists who are looking to gain a deeper understanding of this rapidly expanding field, and can also be of great use to advanced students who are looking to gain additional expertise in genome stability. - A deep analysis of genome stability research from various kingdoms, including epigenetics and transgenerational effects - Provides comprehensive coverage of mechanisms utilized by different organisms to maintain genomic stability - Contains applications of genome instability research and outcomes for human disease - Features all-new chapters on evolving areas of genome stability research, including CRISPRs/Cas9 genome editing, RNA and extrachromosomal DNA, programmed genome instability, and conserved and divergent features of repair




Cell Cycle Checkpoint Control Protocols


Book Description

The field of cell cycle regulation is based on the observation that the life cycle of a cell progresses through several distinct phases, G1, M, S, and G2, occurring in a well-defined temporal order. Details of the mechanisms involved are rapidly emerging and appear extraordinarily complex. Furthermore, not only is the order of the phases important, but in normal eukaryotic cells one phase will not begin unless the prior phase is completed successfully. Che- point control mechanisms are essentially surveillance systems that monitor the events in each phase, and assure that the cell does not progress prematurely to the next phase. If conditions are such that the cell is not ready to progress—for example, because of incomplete DNA replication in S or DNA damage that may interfere with chromosome segregation in M—a transient delay in cell cycle progression will occur. Once the inducing event is properly handled— for example, DNA replication is no longer blocked or damaged DNA is repaired—cell cycle progression continues. Checkpoint controls have recently been the focus of intense study by investigators interested in mechanisms that regulate the cell cycle. Furthermore, the relationship between checkpoint c- trol and carcinogenesis has additionally enhanced interest in these cell cycle regulatory pathways. It is clear that cancer cells often lack these checkpoints and exhibit genomic instability as a result. Moreover, several tumor suppressor genes participate in checkpoint control, and alterations in these genes are as- ciated with genomic instability as well as the development of cancer.