RNA plays a central, and until recently, somewhat underestimated role in the genetics underlying all forms of life on earth. This versatile molecule not only plays a crucial part in the synthesis of proteins from a DNA template, but is also intrinsically involved in the regulation of gene expression, and can even act as a catalyst in the form of a ribozyme. This latter property has led to the hypothesis that RNA - rather than DNA - could have played an essential part in the origin of life itself. This landmark text provides a systematic overview of the exciting and rapidly moving field of RNA biology. Key pioneering experiments, which provided the underlying evidence for what we now know, are described throughout, while the relevance of the subject to human disease is highlighted via frequent boxes. For the second edition of Molecular Biology of RNA, more introductory material has been incorporated at the beginning of the text, to aid students studying the subject for the first time. Throughout the text, new material has been included - particularly in relation to RNA binding domains, non-coding RNAs, and the connection between RNA biology and epigenetics. Finally, a new closing chapter discusses how exciting new technologies are being used to explore current topical areas of research.

International Review of Cytology presents current advances and comprehensive reviews in cell biology – both plant and animal. Authored by some of the foremost scientists in the field, each volume provides up-to-date information and directions for future research. Articles in this volume include Adhesion Molecules and Other Secreted Host-interaction Determinants in Apicomplexa: Insights from Comparative Genomics; Cell Responses to Biomimetic Protein Scaffold Used in Tissue Repair and Engineering; New Insights into Glycosphingolipid Function – Storage, Lipid Rafts and Translocators; Microscopic Morphology and the Origins of the Membrane Maturation Model of Golgi Apparatus Function; New Insights into the Macronuclear Development in Cilliates; Polarity Regulators and the Control of Epithelial Architecture, Cell Migration and Tumourigenesis.

This is the first coherent description of all levels of communication of ciliates. Ciliates are highly sensitive organisms that actively compete for environmental resources. They assess their surroundings, estimate how much energy they need for particular goals, and then realise the optimum variant. They take measures to control certain environmental resources. They perceive themselves and can distinguish between ‘self’ and ‘non-self’. They process and evaluate information and then modify their behaviour accordingly. These highly diverse competences show us that this is possible owing to sign(aling)-mediated communication processes within ciliates (intra-organismic), between the same, related and different ciliate species (inter-organismic), and between ciliates and non-ciliate organisms (trans-organismic). This is crucial in coordinating growth and development, shape and dynamics. This book further serves as a learning tool for research aspects in biocommunication in ciliates. It will guide scientists in further investigations on ciliate behavior, how they mediate signaling processes between themselves and the environment.

RNAs form complexes with proteins and other RNAs. The RNA‐infrastructure represents the spatiotemporal interaction of these proteins and RNAs in a cell‐wide network. RNA Infrastructure and Networks brings together these ideas to illustrate the scope of RNA‐based biology, and how connecting RNA mechanisms is a powerful tool to investigate regulatory pathways. This book is but a taste of the wide range of RNA‐based mechanisms that connect in the RNA infrastructure.

The Molecular Biology of Ciliated Protozoa covers topics that are unique to ciliates, including major molecular progress, genetics, life history, and development of ciliates. Organized into 11 chapters, it focuses on the importance of ciliated protozoa as experimental organisms. The introductory chapter traces the ups and downs of ciliate biology, emphasizing the prominent role of the ciliates in early studies of cell structure, reproduction, and heredity. The book goes on to discuss ciliate genetics and conjugation, providing the basic biological framework for molecular studies of ciliate. Chapters 4 and 5 cover the nuclear DNA content, sequence, and arrangement of holotrichous and hypotrich ciliates. Chapters 6 to 9 examine the characterization of chromosomal telomeres, ribosomal gene amplification, and chromatin and histone structure using ciliated protozoa as experimental organisms. The final two chapters describe the mating mechanism of two ciliates, Blepharisma japonicum and Euplotes raikovi, and the function of surface antigens of Paramecium ciliate. The book is intended for students and investigators who want to learn more about the ciliated protozoa, particularly, in areas that cover fundamental features of eukaryotic biology.

Theoretical tools and insights from discrete mathematics, theoretical computer science, and topology now play essential roles in our understanding of vital biomolecular processes. The related methods are now employed in various fields of mathematical biology as instruments to "zoom in" on processes at a molecular level. This book contains expository chapters on how contemporary models from discrete mathematics – in domains such as algebra, combinatorics, and graph and knot theories – can provide perspective on biomolecular problems ranging from data analysis, molecular and gene arrangements and structures, and knotted DNA embeddings via spatial graph models to the dynamics and kinetics of molecular interactions. The contributing authors are among the leading scientists in this field and the book is a reference for researchers in mathematics and theoretical computer science who are engaged with modeling molecular and biological phenomena using discrete methods. It may also serve as a guide and supplement for graduate courses in mathematical biology or bioinformatics, introducing nontraditional aspects of mathematical biology.