The development of agents capable of cleaving RNA and DNA has attracted considerable attention from researchers in the last few years, because of the immediate and very important applications they can find in the emerging fields of biotechnology and pharmacology. There are essentially two classes of these agents - nucleases that occur naturally inside cells and synthetically produced artificial nucleases. The first class includes protein enzyme nucle ases and catalytic RNA structured ribozymes that perform cleavage of the phosphodiester bonds in nucleic acids according to a hydrolytic pathway in the course of different biochemical processes in the cell. A different pathway is used by some antibiotics which cleave DNA via redox-based mechanisms resulting in oxidative damage of nucleotide units and breakage of the DNA backbone. The above molecules are indispensable tools for manipulating nucleic acids and processing RNA; DNA-cleaving antibiotics and cytotoxic ribonucleases have demonstrated utility as chemotherapeutic agents. The second class, artificial nucleases, are rationally designed to imitate the active centers of natural enzymes by simple structures possessing minimal sets of the most important characteristics that are essential for catalysis. A dif ferent approach, in vitro selection, was also used to create artificial RNA and DNA enzymes capable of cleaving RNA. Being less efficient and specific as compared to the natural enzymes, the primitive mimics are smaller and robust and can function in a broad range of conditions.

The development of agents capable of cleaving RNA and DNA has attracted considerable attention from researchers in the last few years, because of the immediate and very important applications they can find in the emerging fields of biotechnology and pharmacology. There are essentially two classes of these agents - nucleases that occur naturally inside cells and synthetically produced artificial nucleases. The first class includes protein enzyme nucle ases and catalytic RNA structured ribozymes that perform cleavage of the phosphodiester bonds in nucleic acids according to a hydrolytic pathway in the course of different biochemical processes in the cell. A different pathway is used by some antibiotics which cleave DNA via redox-based mechanisms resulting in oxidative damage of nucleotide units and breakage of the DNA backbone. The above molecules are indispensable tools for manipulating nucleic acids and processing RNA; DNA-cleaving antibiotics and cytotoxic ribonucleases have demonstrated utility as chemotherapeutic agents. The second class, artificial nucleases, are rationally designed to imitate the active centers of natural enzymes by simple structures possessing minimal sets of the most important characteristics that are essential for catalysis. A dif ferent approach, in vitro selection, was also used to create artificial RNA and DNA enzymes capable of cleaving RNA. Being less efficient and specific as compared to the natural enzymes, the primitive mimics are smaller and robust and can function in a broad range of conditions.

This first book on this fascinating topic is edited by one of today's most famous and internationally respected organic chemists, renowned for his pioneering synthesis of the cyclopropenyl cation. For his part, Ronald Breslow has brought together leading scientists in this expanding area to provide a novel overview of protein-, cyclodextrin-, metal- and porphyrin-based artificial enzymes as well as enzyme-like polymers and dendrimers. A must for all scientists interested in this emerging field.

This volume summarizes recent technological advances in the design and engineering of Solanaceae and Cucurbitaceae crops. It begins with contributions on the tomato and melon genome sequence, databases for Solanaceae and Cucurbitaceae research, DNA markers in the breeding of the two families, and mutant resources and TILLING platforms in tomato research. Subsequent chapters address the use of molecular techniques for the modification of important breeding traits, such as tomato fruit set, growth, ripening, and sugar accumulation, as well as disease and insect resistance in melons. The volume closes with chapters on genome editing using artificial nucleases as a future breeding tool, and on the development of an in silico crop design system. It offers a valuable resource for plant breeders, molecular biologists, and agronomists.

Concise but complete, this mini-encyclopedia contains over 1,500 entries covering all important concepts, compounds, techniques and acronyms for quick and easy reference. Guiding readers through the ever-increasing jungle of nucleic acid science and technology, the book distills the key information out of the large body of primary literature and presents it in a single volume. A first-stop resource for everyone, from students to established researchers, as both a desktop and library reference.

Understanding, identifying and influencing the biological systems are the primary objectives of chemical biology. From this perspective, metal complexes have always been of great assistance to chemical biologists, for example, in structural identification and purification of essential biomolecules, for visualizing cellular organelles or to inhibit specific enzymes. This inorganic side of chemical biology, which continues to receive considerable attention, is referred to as inorganic chemical biology. Inorganic Chemical Biology: Principles, Techniques and Applications provides a comprehensive overview of the current and emerging role of metal complexes in chemical biology. Throughout all of the chapters there is a strong emphasis on fundamental theoretical chemistry and experiments that have been carried out in living cells or organisms. Outlooks for the future applications of metal complexes in chemical biology are also discussed. Topics covered include: • Metal complexes as tools for structural biology • IMAC, AAS, XRF and MS as detection techniques for metals in chemical biology • Cell and organism imaging and probing DNA using metal and metal carbonyl complexes • Detection of metal ions, anions and small molecules using metal complexes • Photo-release of metal ions in living cells • Metal complexes as enzyme inhibitors and catalysts in living cells Written by a team of international experts, Inorganic Chemical Biology: Principles, Techniques and Applications is a must-have for bioinorganic, bioorganometallic and medicinal chemists as well as chemical biologists working in both academia and industry.

This book serves as an introduction to targeted genome editing, beginning with the background of this rapidly developing field and methods for generation of engineered nucleases. Applications of genome editing tools are then described in detail, in iPS cells and diverse organisms such as mice, rats, marine invertebrates, fish, frogs, and plants. Tools that are mentioned include zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs), transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), and CRISPR/Cas9, all of which have received much attention in recent years as breakthrough technologies. Genome editing with engineered nucleases allows us to precisely change the target genome of living cells and is a powerful way to control functional genes. It is feasible in almost all organisms ranging from bacteria to plants and animals, as well as in cultured cells such as ES and iPS cells. Various genome modifications have proven successful, including gene knockout and knock-in experiments with targeting vectors and chromosomal editing. Genome editing technologies hold great promise for the future, for example in biomedical research, clinical medicine, and generation of crops and livestock with desirable traits. A wide range of readers will find this book interesting, and with its focus on applications in a variety of organisms and cells, the book will be valuable for life scientists in all fields.

Several approaches, such as microarray hybridization, have become extremely popular tools for specialists in biochemistry and biomedicine, while the potential of many other advantageous techniques seems to be underestimated. Written by an international team of authors, this book details the current state-of-art in hybridization techniques. Coverage includes experimental protocols along with comprehensive and detailed method descriptions.