Bøger i SpringerBriefs in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology serien

Gene therapy was conceived during the early and mid part of the 20th century. At first, it was considered a revolutionary biomedical procedure, which could potentially cure any disease for which the molecular bases were understood. Since then, gene therapy has gone through many stages and has evolved from a nearly unrealistic perspective to a real life application. Clinical efficacy in humans was demonstrated at the beginning of this century after its successful application in small-scale clinical trials to cure severe immunodeficiency in children. However, their successes were overshadowed some time later by the occurrence of vector-related leukaemia in a number of treated children. It is in this context that lentiviral vectors have appeared, with improved efficiency and, possibly, increased biosafety. Very recently, the first clinical trials with lentivectors have been carried out with some success. This Brief firstly defines gene therapy, and places lentivectors within this fascinating therapeutic strategy. Then follows a comprehensive description of the development of retroviral and lentiviral vectors and how to specifically target distinct cell types and tissues. The authors also discuss the application of lentivector gene therapy for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases, ending with the application of lentivectors in human gene therapy clinical trials.

This SpringerBrief explores unconventional functions of eight different transcription factors and concludes with a discussion of their biological significance and impact, including effects on processes within the cell nucleaus during development and in adult organisms. Chapter One details unconventional functions of the transcription factors GAGA, HP1, Rb, STAT, ATF-2 and NF-kB. Surprisingly, all of these transcription factors can be found in association with heterochromatin as well as euchromatin, and in some cases unconventional functions have been demonstrated for these heterochromatin-associated factors. Chapter Two focuses on the unconventional functions of STAT and HP1 and discusses their roles in the promotion of longevity, and in protection from cancer and DNA damage. Chapter Three explores the biological significance of the findings presented in the first two chapters and considers how global changes in the epigenome brought about by factors such as STAT and HP1 might affect processes within the cell nucleus during development and in adult organisms. This succinct yet thorough SpringerBrief is essential for researchers studying epigenetics, and to instructors of the subject. It should also appeal to people interested in the control of gene transcription and other processes in the cell nucleus, and to those interested in development.

This book summarizes the emerging experimental evidence on hair-cell mechanotransduction, and covers hair's cellular structure, biophysical properties, molecular components and functions.

This book explores key applications of phage biotechnology and reviews recent advances in phage display technologies. Recent studies combine the genomic flexibility of phages with phage display systems in order to generate modified phages for targeted delivery.

Designed for accessibility, it follows a simple five-chapter structure, beginning with a general introduction to mechanotransduction in physiology (Chapter 1) and some basic considerations on the principles behind mechanotransduction processes (Chapter 2).

In this book, the authors discuss the biophysical characteristics of Dendritic cells (DCs) at various differentiation stages and in tumor microenvironments in detail.

It shows that studying patient-related pathologies affecting the components of the NF-KB signaling pathway offers the opportunity to understand the various functions of NF-KB in humans, complementing studies performed with mouse models.

This book reviews the main concepts concerning DNA damage due to environmental carcinogens, the effects of DNA damage on DNA replication using a single DNA polymerase or DNA replisome, and the effects of carcinogens on various cell activities.

This book not only provides readers with an overview of the whole biochemical process involved in beer fermentation, but also reviews the latest findings in this delightful field, making it essential reading for both scientists and brewing enthusiasts

The book will discuss classes of proteins and their folding, as well as the involvement of bioinformatics in solving the protein folding problem. In vivo and in vitro folding mechanisms are examined, as well as the failures of in vitro folding, a mechanism helpful in understanding disease caused by misfolding.

Gamma-Glutamyl Transpeptidases (y-GTs) are members of the N-terminal nucleophile hydrolase superfamily, enzymes that cleave the y-glutamyl amide bond of glutathione to liberate cysteinylglycine. The released y-glutamyl group can be transferred to water (hydrolysis) or to amino acids or short peptides (transpeptidation). y-GT plays a key role in the gamma glutamyl cycle by regulating the cellular levels of the antioxidant glutathione, hence it is a critical enzyme in maintaining cellular redox homeostasis.y-GT is upregulated during inflammation and in several human tumors, and it is involved in many physiological disorders related to oxidative stress, such as Parkinson's disease and diabetes. Furthermore, this enzyme is used as a marker of liver disease and cancer. This book covers current knowledge about the structure-function relationship of y-GTs and gives information about applications of y-GTs in different fields ranging from clinical biochemistry to biotechnology and biomedicine.

There is now compelling evidence that the complexity of higher organisms correlates with the relative amount of non-coding RNA rather than the number of protein-coding genes. Previously dismissed as "e;junk DNA"e;, it is the non-coding regions of the genome that are responsible for regulation, facilitating complex temporal and spatial gene expression through the combinatorial effect of numerous mechanisms and interactions working together to fine-tune gene expression. The major regions involved in regulation of a particular gene are the 5' and 3' untranslated regions and introns. In addition, pervasive transcription of complex genomes produces a variety of non-coding transcripts that interact with these regions and contribute to regulation. This book discusses recent insights into the regulatory roles of the untranslated gene regions and non-coding RNAs in the control of complex gene expression, as well as the implications of this in terms of organism complexity and evolution.

This book is intended as a reference guide for graduate students, postgraduate students and researchers with a basic knowledge of protein chemistry who would like to know more about the biomedical applications of natural proteins to promote healthier lives.

Gap-junction proteins, connexins are important cellular entities that regulate various facets of cellular physiology. The present book provides basic overview about various aspects of connexin proteins. The reference section at the end of the book will be helpful for those who seek to know deeper details about this family of proteins.

Synthetic Biology (SB) is a revolutionary discipline with a vast range of practical applications, but is SB research really based on engineering principles?

This book explores the double coding property of DNA, which is manifested in the digital and analog information types as two interdependent codes. This double coding principle can be applied to all living systems, from the level of the individual cell to entire social systems, seen as systems of communication.

The essential question that fractal dimensions attempt to answer is about the scales in Nature. For a system as non-idealistic and complex as a protein, studying scale-invariance becomes particularly important.Fractal Symmetry of Protein Exterior investigates the diverse facets of the various scales at which we describe protein biophysical and biochemical phenomena. Although these ideas are entirely mathematical, mathematical expositions have been avoided, unless the use of some expressions becomes absolutely obligatory. A first chapter introduce into fractal dimensions, protein exteriors and to methods to study the roughness of surfaces. The main topics covered in the following chapters include: protein-protein interaction interfaces; protein surface-roughness and local shape as well as adhesion on protein and other rough biomolecular surfaces.

The essential question that fractal dimensions attempt to answer is about the scales in Nature. For a system as non-idealistic and complex as a protein, studying scale-invariance becomes particularly important.Fractal Symmetry of Protein Interior investigates the diverse facets of the various scales at which we describe protein biophysical and biochemical phenomena. Following a thorough introduction to fractal dimensions, fractal-dimension-based approaches, that have been employed to study protein interior biophysical properties, are described. The focus is on the question "e;which scales are scale-invariant?"e; Investigations related to scaling of biophysical and biochemical behaviors may one day help us to formulate a fundamental theory about protein biophysics; which, in turn, may help us to understand fundamental principles of proteins.

This Brief provides a concise review of chaperonopathies, i.e., diseases in which molecular chaperones play an etiologic-pathogenic role. Introductory chapters deal with the chaperoning system and chaperoning teams and networks, HSP-chaperone subpopulations, the locations and functions of chaperones, and chaperone genes in humans.

This book intends to be an easy and concise introduction to the field of nuclear magnetic resonance or NMR, which has revolutionized life sciences in the last twenty years.

Biological O2 sensing probes and measurement techniques were first introduced in the late 80s. In the last 3-5 years they have undergone major development that have made them available and affordable for a broad range of applications in various disciplines of the life and biomedical sciences. These new chemistries and technologies, which are significantly different from the majority of other fluorescence-based probes and detection techniques, have already demonstrated their high utility. This book will provide a systematic overview of the existing and emerging O2 sensing technologies in their different modifications, a practical guide to their rational selection and use, and examples of biological applications/case studies, including details on how to set up and conduct such experiments, troubleshoot and interpret the data.

For each step, it also shows corresponding web-based tools in detail and provides practical examples of their use.All tools and databases mentioned in the examples are available free of charge, platform-independent, web-based, user-friendly and do not require a prior IT background to be fully used.

This succinct volume addresses the production of inactive, potentially toxic proteins in the absence of correct protein folding and the resultant neurodegenerative diseases.

This book has been conceives as a brief introduction to biomembranes physical chemistry for undergraduate students of sciences, and it is particularly dedicated to the lipid-protein membrane interactions.