Single molecules and single cells are the fundamental building blocks in biology. Facilitated by the advancement of technology, quantitative single-molecule and single-cell measurements provide a unique perspective toward many biological systems by revealing individual stochasticity and population heterogeneity. Taking advantage of these approaches, we studied chromosome organization and gene expression in bacteria and discovered new biophysical mechanisms: chromosome organization by a nucleoid-associated protein in live bacteria, and transcriptional bursting by the regulation of DNA supercoiling in bacteria.
Biology has entered an era in which interdisciplinary cooperation is at an all-time high, practical applications follow basic discoveries more quickly than ever before, and new technologiesâ€"recombinant DNA, scanning tunneling microscopes, and moreâ€"are revolutionizing the way science is conducted. The potential for scientific breakthroughs with significant implications for society has never been greater. Opportunities in Biology reports on the state of the new biology, taking a detailed look at the disciplines of biology; examining the advances made in medicine, agriculture, and other fields; and pointing out promising research opportunities. Authored by an expert panel representing a variety of viewpoints, this volume also offers recommendations on how to meet the infrastructure needsâ€"for funding, effective information systems, and other supportâ€"of future biology research. Exploring what has been accomplished and what is on the horizon, Opportunities in Biology is an indispensable resource for students, teachers, and researchers in all subdisciplines of biology as well as for research administrators and those in funding agencies.
This book presents the latest advances concerning the regulation of chromosome segregation during cell division by means of centromeres and kinetochores. The authors cover both state-of-the-art techniques and a range of species and model systems, shedding new light on the molecular mechanisms controlling the transmission of genetic material between cell divisions and from parent to offspring. The chapters cover five major areas related to the current study of centromeres and kinetochores: 1) their genetic and epigenetic features, 2) key breakthroughs at the molecular, proteomic, imaging and biochemical level, 3) the constitutive centromere proteins, 4) the role of centromere proteins in the physical process of chromosome segregation and its careful orchestration through elaborate regulation, and 5) intersections with reproductive biology, human health and disease, as well as chromosome evolution. The book offers an informative and provocative guide for newcomers as well as those already acquainted with the field.
Biophysics is a new way of looking at living matter. It uses quantitative experimental and theoretical methods to open a new window for studying and understanding life processes. This textbook gives compact introductions to the basics of the field, including molecular cell biology and statistical physics. It then presents in-depth discussions of more advanced biophysics subjects, progressing to state-of-the-art experiments and their theoretical interpretations. The book is unique by offering a general introduction to biophysics, yet at the same time restricting itself to processes that occur inside the cell nucleus and that involve biopolymers (DNA, RNA, and proteins). This allows for an accessible read for beginners and a springboard for specialists who wish to continue their study in more detail.
Technologies collectively called omics enable simultaneous measurement of an enormous number of biomolecules; for example, genomics investigates thousands of DNA sequences, and proteomics examines large numbers of proteins. Scientists are using these technologies to develop innovative tests to detect disease and to predict a patient's likelihood of responding to specific drugs. Following a recent case involving premature use of omics-based tests in cancer clinical trials at Duke University, the NCI requested that the IOM establish a committee to recommend ways to strengthen omics-based test development and evaluation. This report identifies best practices to enhance development, evaluation, and translation of omics-based tests while simultaneously reinforcing steps to ensure that these tests are appropriately assessed for scientific validity before they are used to guide patient treatment in clinical trials.
Single-cell omics is a progressing frontier that stems from the sequencing of the human genome and the development of omics technologies, particularly genomics, transcriptomics, epigenomics and proteomics, but the sensitivity is now improved to single-cell level. The new generation of methodologies, especially the next generation sequencing (NGS) technology, plays a leading role in genomics related fields; however, the conventional techniques of omics require number of cells to be large, usually on the order of millions of cells, which is hardly accessible in some cases. More importantly, harnessing the power of omics technologies and applying those at the single-cell level are crucial since every cell is specific and unique, and almost every cell population in every systems, derived in either vivo or in vitro, is heterogeneous. Deciphering the heterogeneity of the cell population hence becomes critical for recognizing the mechanism and significance of the system. However, without an extensive examination of individual cells, a massive analysis of cell population would only give an average output of the cells, but neglect the differences among cells. Single-cell omics seeks to study a number of individual cells in parallel for their different dimensions of molecular profile on genome-wide scale, providing unprecedented resolution for the interpretation of both the structure and function of an organ, tissue or other system, as well as the interaction (and communication) and dynamics of single cells or subpopulations of cells and their lineages. Importantly single-cell omics enables the identification of a minor subpopulation of cells that may play a critical role in biological process over a dominant subpolulation such as a cancer and a developing organ. It provides an ultra-sensitive tool for us to clarify specific molecular mechanisms and pathways and reveal the nature of cell heterogeneity. Besides, it also empowers the clinical investigation of patients when facing a very low quantity of cell available for analysis, such as noninvasive cancer screening with circulating tumor cells (CTC), noninvasive prenatal diagnostics (NIPD) and preimplantation genetic test (PGT) for in vitro fertilization. Single-cell omics greatly promotes the understanding of life at a more fundamental level, bring vast applications in medicine. Accordingly, single-cell omics is also called as single-cell analysis or single-cell biology. Within only a couple of years, single-cell omics, especially transcriptomic sequencing (scRNA-seq), whole genome and exome sequencing (scWGS, scWES), has become robust and broadly accessible. Besides the existing technologies, recently, multiplexing barcode design and combinatorial indexing technology, in combination with microfluidic platform exampled by Drop-seq, or even being independent of microfluidic platform but using a regular PCR-plate, enable us a greater capacity of single cell analysis, switching from one single cell to thousands of single cells in a single test. The unique molecular identifiers (UMIs) allow the amplification bias among the original molecules to be corrected faithfully, resulting in a reliable quantitative measurement of omics in single cells. Of late, a variety of single-cell epigenomics analyses are becoming sophisticated, particularly single cell chromatin accessibility (scATAC-seq) and CpG methylation profiling (scBS-seq, scRRBS-seq). High resolution single molecular Fluorescence in situ hybridization (smFISH) and its revolutionary versions (ex. seqFISH, MERFISH, and so on), in addition to the spatial transcriptome sequencing, make the native relationship of the individual cells of a tissue to be in 3D or 4D format visually and quantitatively clarified. On the other hand, CRISPR/cas9 editing-based In vivo lineage tracing methods enable dynamic profile of a whole developmental process to be accurately displayed. Multi-omics analysis facilitates the study of multi-dimensional regulation and relationship of different elements of the central dogma in a single cell, as well as permitting a clear dissection of the complicated omics heterogeneity of a system. Last but not the least, the technology, biological noise, sequence dropout, and batch effect bring a huge challenge to the bioinformatics of single cell omics. While significant progress in the data analysis has been made since then, revolutionary theory and algorithm logics for single cell omics are expected. Indeed, single-cell analysis exert considerable impacts on the fields of biological studies, particularly cancers, neuron and neural system, stem cells, embryo development and immune system; other than that, it also tremendously motivates pharmaceutic RD, clinical diagnosis and monitoring, as well as precision medicine. This book hereby summarizes the recent developments and general considerations of single-cell analysis, with a detailed presentation on selected technologies and applications. Starting with the experimental design on single-cell omics, the book then emphasizes the consideration on heterogeneity of cancer and other systems. It also gives an introduction of the basic methods and key facts for bioinformatics analysis. Secondary, this book provides a summary of two types of popular technologies, the fundamental tools on single-cell isolation, and the developments of single cell multi-omics, followed by descriptions of FISH technologies, though other popular technologies are not covered here due to the fact that they are intensively described here and there recently. Finally, the book illustrates an elastomer-based integrated fluidic circuit that allows a connection between single cell functional studies combining stimulation, response, imaging and measurement, and corresponding single cell sequencing. This is a model system for single cell functional genomics. In addition, it reports a pipeline for single-cell proteomics with an analysis of the early development of Xenopus embryo, a single-cell qRT-PCR application that defined the subpopulations related to cell cycling, and a new method for synergistic assembly of single cell genome with sequencing of amplification product by phi29 DNA polymerase. Due to the tremendous progresses of single-cell omics in recent years, the topics covered here are incomplete, but each individual topic is excellently addressed, significantly interesting and beneficial to scientists working in or affiliated with this field.
Precision Medicine for Investigators, Practitioners and Providers addresses the needs of investigators by covering the topic as an umbrella concept, from new drug trials to wearable diagnostic devices, and from pediatrics to psychiatry in a manner that is up-to-date and authoritative. Sections include broad coverage of concerning disease groups and ancillary information about techniques, resources and consequences. Moreover, each chapter follows a structured blueprint, so that multiple, essential items are not overlooked. Instead of simply concentrating on a limited number of extensive and pedantic coverages, scholarly diagrams are also included. Provides a three-pronged approach to precision medicine that is focused on investigators, practitioners and healthcare providers Covers disease groups and ancillary information about techniques, resources and consequences Follows a structured blueprint, ensuring essential chapters items are not overlooked
"The present book is intended as a progress report on [the] synthetic approach to evolution as it applies to the plant kingdom." With this simple statement, G. Ledyard Stebbins formulated the objectives of Variation and Evolution in Plants, published in 1950, setting forth for plants what became known as the "synthetic theory of evolution" or "the modern synthesis." The pervading conceit of the book was the molding of Darwin's evolution by natural selection within the framework of rapidly advancing genetic knowledge. At the time, Variation and Evolution in Plants significantly extended the scope of the science of plants. Plants, with their unique genetic, physiological, and evolutionary features, had all but been left completely out of the synthesis until that point. Fifty years later, the National Academy of Sciences convened a colloquium to update the advances made by Stebbins. This collection of 17 papers marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of Stebbins' classic. Organized into five sections, the book covers: early evolution and the origin of cells, virus and bacterial models, protoctist models, population variation, and trends and patterns in plant evolution.
This book will serve as a primer for both laboratory and field scientists who are shaping the emerging field of molecular epidemiology. Molecular epidemiology utilizes the same paradigm as traditional epidemiology but uses biological markers to identify exposure, disease or susceptibility. Schulte and Perera present the epidemiologic methods pertinent to biological markers. The book is also designed to enumerate the considerations necessary for valid field research and provide a resource on the salient and subtle features of biological indicators.
