In the last few years, technologies that allow for monitoring and manipulating neuronal networks at a single cell resolution have been rapidly expanding.
Serial Analysis of Gene Expression (SAGE): Digital Gene Expression Profiling facilitates the introduction of SAGE into the laboratory, and provides a framework for interpreting and comparing data derived from SAGE experiments.
In recent years, single nucleotide polymorphisms have received increased and special attention in a rapidly developing field of personalized medicine and drug treatment.
Not only is the quantity of life science data expanding, but new types of biological data continue to be introduced as a result of technological development and a growing understanding of biological systems.
Arthritis Research: Methods and Protocols is a compendium of data pertinent to the methods and protocols that have contributed to recent advances in molecular medicine in general, but to the molecular basis of rheumatic disease in particular.
In the early years of microarray technology, efforts were directed mainly at profiling expressed genes, while recently the microarray platform has been adapted into diverse applications directed toward the investigation of the physical genome.
A DNA barcode in its simplest definition is one or more short gene sequences taken from a standardized portion of the genome that is used to identify species through reference to DNA sequence libraries or databases.
Known for flexibility and robustness, PCR techniques continue to improve through numerous developments, including the identification of thermostable DNA polymerases which exhibit a range of properties to suit given applications.
Forensic DNA profiling procedures are mainly based on high resolution and high throughput capillary electrophoresis separation and detection systems of PCR amplicons obtained from DNA genomic markers with different inheritance patterns.
Current knowledge of the mechanisms that regulate DNA repair has grown significantly over the past years with technology advances such as RNA interference, advanced proteomics and microscopy as well as high throughput screens.
In Functional Analysis of DNA and Chromatin, expert researchers in the field provide an overview of standard and more recent methods for the functional analysis of the genetic material.
Once a tedious, highly skilled operation, reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) has become a routine and invaluable technique used in most laboratories.
Despite the many milestones in cystic fibrosis (CF) research, progress towards curing the disease has been slow, and it is increasingly difficult to grasp and use the already wide and still growing range of diverse methods currently employed to study CF so as to understand it in its multidisciplinary nature.
Microchip-Based Assay Systems explores recent progress in the microelectronics arena, the resultant miniaturization of component device features to nanometer size particles, and the ensuing growth in the development and use of microchip-based techniques in leading laboratories around the world.
Fluorescence in situ Hybridization (FISH) belongs to that special category of well-established molecular biology techniques that, since their inception a few decades ago, have succeeded in keeping a prominent position within the constantly expanding list of laboratory pro- dures for biomedical research and clinical diagnostics.
We are entering a particularly fruitful period in evolutionary genetics, as rapid technological progress transforms the investigation of genetic variation within and between species.
With the detailed genomic information that is now becoming available, we have a plethora of data that allows researchers to address questions in a variety of areas.
Metagenomics has proven to be a powerful tool for exploring the ecology, metabolic profiling, and comparison of complex microbial communities as well as its important applications in the mining of metagenomes for genes encoding novel biocatalysts and drug molecules for bioindustries.
Chemogenomics aims toward the systematic identification of small molecules that interact with the products of the genome and modulate their biological function.
Together with early theoretical work in population genetics, the debate on sources of genetic makeup initiated by proponents of the neutral theory made a solid contribution to the spectacular growth in statistical methodologies for molecular evolution.
Due to their novel concepts and extraordinary high-throughput sequencing capacity, the "e;next generation sequencing"e; methods allow scientists to grasp system-wide landscapes of the complex molecular events taking place in various biological systems, including microorganisms and microbial communities.
Patch Clamp Methods and Protocols surveys the typical patch clamp applications and advises scientists on identifying problems and selecting the best technique in each instance.
Plants are amazing organisms to study, some are important sources for pharmaceuticals, and others can help to elucidate molecular mechanisms required for a plant's development and its interactions with the biotic or abiotic environment.
The discovery of catalytic RNAs in the mid-1980s marked the beginning of a new era in RNA biology and an ever increasing appreciation of the diverse and critical roles played by this fascinating molecule.
Over the past two decades, spectacular advances have been made in our understanding of the molecular genetics of cancer, leading to the pursuit of identifying genes that, when mutated, result in an increased susceptibility to the disease.
The discovery of wide-spread RNA-based regulation in bacteria has led to new evaluations of the importance of bacterial regulatory RNA in every aspect of bacterial physiology.
In DNA Electrophoresis: Methods and Protocols, expert researchers in the field detail many of the methods which are now commonly used to study DNA using electrophoresis as the major approach.
Since the publication of the first edition, the number of unique heritable mtDNA mutations recognized as being associated with bioenergetic dysfunction, cell death and disease has grown.
Biolistic transfection represents a direct physical gene transfer approach in which nucleic acids are precipitated on biologically inert high-density microparticles (usually gold or tungsten) and delivered directly through cell walls and/or membranes into the nucleus of target cells by high-velocity acceleration using a ballistic device such as the gene gun.
The existence of genes for RNA molecules not coding for proteins (ncRNAs) has been recognized since the 1950's, but until recently, aside from the critically important ribosomal and transfer RNA genes, most focus has been on protein coding genes.
The goal of the characterization and discovery of G protein-coupled receptors, arguably the most important class of signaling molecules in humans and other vertebrates, has spawned numerous vital methodologies.
Over the past twenty years, the development of chromatin immunoprecipitation, or ChIP, assays has immensely enhanced the biological significance of the multifaceted DNA-binding proteins.
