This book will focus on the molecular basis of oxidative stress induced by toxicants or stresses and various molecular signalling pathways in regulating the toxicity of toxicants or stresses in Caenorhabditis elegans. It will also cover the discussion on the aspects of response signals, G-protein coupled receptors and ion channels, specific molecular signals, and epigenetic signals involved in the regulation of toxicity from toxicants or stresses. The molecular basis for adaptive response for transgenerational toxicity of environmental toxicants or stresses will be further discussed. Nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is a classic model animal with well-described genetic and developmental backgrounds based on the study of life science, and has been further successfully and widely used in both toxicity assessment and toxicological study of various environmental toxicants or stresses. Based on related available data, this book aims at providing a systematic understanding of the knowledge system of molecular toxicology in C. elegans.

This book focuses on exposure toxicology in C. elegans. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is sensitive to various environmental toxicants and stresses, and has proven to be an important animal model in both molecular and target-organ toxicology. As a result, over the past 30 years, there has been extensive research on the exposure to environmental toxicants or stresses in nematodes. Based on the available data, the book offers an introduction to the exposure system established in nematodes, discussing various aspects of endpoints that can potentially be used to assess the toxicity of environmental toxicants or stresses. Also exploring various factors affecting toxicity induction, and exposure to environmental toxicants and stresses, it allows readers to gain a systematic understanding of exposure toxicology in C. elegans.

Nematodes are small multicellular organisms that have been used as biological models since the 1960s. For example, Caenorhabditis elegans is a free-living nematode worm, about 1mm in length, that lives in temperate soil environments. It is made up of about 1000 cells, and has a short life cycle of only two weeks. It was the first multicellular organism to have its whole genome sequenced. The book summarizes the importance of nematodes as model organisms in the fields of genetics, developmental biology, neurobiology, pharmacology, nutrition, ecology and parasitology. Of interest to a broad audience across a wide spectrum of disciplines, this book is useful for biologists working on comparative studies to investigate biological processes across organisms; medical scientists and pharmacologists for exploration of drugs and medicine (including the use of genome editing to eliminate diseases); ecologists considering nematodes as indicators for environment changes; and parasitologists for host-parasite interactions. Many other researchers can use this book as a benchmark for the broad implications of nematology research on other aspects of science.

This book introduces readers to intestinal and epidermal barriers, and to toxicity induction of environmental toxicants or stresses in the intestine, epidermis, neurons, muscle, and reproductive organs in Caenorhabditis elegans. In addition, it discusses the protective responses of various organs and nematodes’ avoidance behaviour with regard to environmental toxicants or stresses. The intestinal, epidermal, neuronal, and germline signalling pathways required for the regulation of toxicity of environmental toxicants or stresses are also introduced and discussed. As a classic model animal with well-described genetic and developmental backgrounds, the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has been successfully and widely used in both toxicity assessments and toxicological studies on various environmental toxicants and stresses. Once exposure to certain environmental toxicants has occurred, the toxicants can enter into the primary targeted organs (such as intestinal cells), and even be translocated into secondary targeted organs (such as reproductive organs and neurons). Based on related available data, this book provides a systematic understanding of target organ toxicology in C. elegans.

“This book uses Caenorhabditis elegans as model animal to introduce the toxicity induction of toxicants at environmentally relevant concentrations under different conditions. It also discusses the systematic introduction of different molecular signaling pathways, as well as G protein coupled receptors and ion channels, in regulating the toxicity of toxicants at environmentally relevant concentrations. The intestinal, neuronal, and germline molecular networks required for the regulation of toxicity of toxicants at environmentally relevant concentrations is further introduced and discussed. This book aims at providing a systematic understanding of the knowledge system on toxicology at environmentally relevant concentrations in Caenorhabditis elegans. ”

Volume 14 in the series Comprehensive Toxicology extends and complements the previously published 13-volume set. This volume will be available separately. Toxicology is the study of the nature and actions of chemicals on biological systems. In more primitive times, it really was the study of poisons. However, in the early 1500s, it was apparent to Paracelsus that "the dose differentiates a poison and a remedy". Clearly, the two most important tenets of toxicology were established during that time. The level of exposure (dose) and the duration of exposure (time) will determine the degree and nature of a toxicological response. Since that time the discipline of toxicology has made major advances in identifying and characterizing toxicants. The growth of toxicology as a scientific discipline has been driven to a large extent by the use of extremely powerful molecular and cell biology techniques. The overall aim of this volume is to demonstrate how these advances are being used to elucidate causal pathways (or linkages) for potential adverse health consequences of human exposure to environmental chemicals or radiation. A unique feature of this volume is its illustration of how carefully-designed studies of the molecular mechanisms of chemical action provide not only understanding of the potential toxicity of the chemical under investigation, but also new insights into the functioning of the biological system used as an experimental model. Each chapter contains a listing of major peer-reviewed articles and reviews and useful web-sites. In addition, each chapter contains a broad introductory section that outlines the subsequent sections. These Introductory and Overview sections are designed to be stand alone chapters, and may be packaged as a textbook in graduate level courses.

Molecular Toxicology is a concise introduction to the subject, taking the reader through the theoretical principles of toxicology followed by specific examples. In the first section, the concepts behind possible mechanisms of toxicity are described (e.g. the specific enzyme or receptor system) using examples where appropriate. Following this a series of examples are used to show the extension of concept into the real world, in an organ specific manner. The book concludes with a section outlining toxicity assessment methods, where the impact of molecular biology is having a considerable impact, including DNA microarrays, proteomics and bioinformatics.

The science of toxicology has progressed considerably since Molecular Toxicology was first published in 1997. New advances in biochemical and molecular biological experimental techniques have helped researchers understand the precise effects of toxins and foreign compounds on living things atthe molecular, cellular, and organismal levels. Breakthrough research has recently been completed illuminating the human genome and the role of enzymes in toxic biochemical reaction mechanisms. Toxicology now covers drug metabolism and design, carcinogenesis, programmed cell death, and DNA repair,among other subjects. The second edition captures these and other advances, and broadens its scope to address the experimental science of toxicology. The first edition of Molecular Toxicology has become an indispensable resource for graduate students in molecular and biochemical toxicology courses,as well as academic researchers and industrial researchers in toxicology. Rigorously updated and revised, the new edition commands an unrivaled authority in the field of molecular toxicology.

This glossary expands upon the Comprehensive Glossary of Terms Used in Toxicology. Like its predecessor, it addresses the need for harmonized toxicology terminology, and has undergone a full, comprehensive and rigorous review by IUPAC Committees. It serves as the reference glossary for students and researchers studying the chemical and molecular biological bases of toxicology, and for those involved in chemicals legislation, regulation and risk assessment. Toxicology uses terminology from many disciplines that have been revolutionized by recent developments in molecular biology and biochemistry, and this glossary provides a compilation of definitions of molecular entities that impact on toxicology. Extensive Notes are included to provide context for many of the proteins and important genes defined, with disambiguation where entities are referred to by different names in the literature. We hope that this will be helpful to students and professionals alike.

Molecular toxicology is on the way to setting a new standard in toxic risk assessment, with the powerful help of concepts and methods developed in the fields of molecular and cellular biology. The methods of molecular toxicology are endowed with qualities not always secured in more traditional approaches to toxicity assessment. These methods are easily standardized, reliable, reproducible and require only tiny amounts of the xenobiotic. They are much simpler, faster and less costly than current tests on animals and can be implemented with modest laboratory resources. This volume of Advances in Molecular Toxicology represents a collection of invited papers presented at the First European Workshop on Molecular Toxicology in Sophia Antipolis, France, The book covers 8 selected topics in molecular toxicology. The first two are devoted to ''physics'', dealing respectively with advanced instrumentation enabling location and quantification of xenobiotics in cells and organs with ultimate precision, and computer-assisted assessment of risk (QSAR). A comprehensive and up-to-date survey of molecular toxicology in the pharmaceutical industry is contributed by a pioneer in this field. The third section addresses the effect of xenobiotics on cell-cycle actors. Sections 4--6 deal with molecular toxicology in skin, kidney, nerve, liver and pancreatic cells. The last two sections describe methods to probe DNA damage and repair, and immunotoxicity.