Genome Chaos: Rethinking Genetics, Evolution, and Molecular Medicine, Second Edition transports readers from Mendelian genetics to 4D genomics, building a case for genes and genomes as distinct biological entities where the genome, rather than individual genes, defines system-level inheritance and represents a clear unit of selection for macroevolution. In this thought-provoking text, Dr. Henry Heng invigorates fresh discussions in Genome Architecture Theory and helps readers reevaluate their current understanding of human genetics, evolution, and new pathways for advancing molecular and precision medicine.In this timely new edition, Dr. Heng fully embraces the integration of system information with genome-mediated evolutionary mechanisms, and supports this framework with recent findings and growing, interdisciplinary research. Ten evidence-based chapters discuss 4D genomics, genes and genomes as distinct biological entities, genome chaos and cellular macroevolution, karyotype coding and fuzzy inheritance, as well as an entirely novel model of evolution driven by information flow, and more. Brand-new chapters consider the creation and maintenance of system information for complexity and biodiversity, as well as modes of analyzing information-based and historically contingent evolutionary framework. This synthesis offers a revolutionary paradigm of evolutionary theory. It also hypothesizes about how information flow, matter arrangement, and energy interact.
Site Specific and Global Epigenomic Editing: Principles and Applications, Volume 33 highlights the expanding role that epigenetics plays in pathogenesis, the full range of sites for possible epigenetic modification, and the potential to target these sites to modulate disease progression. The book answers key questions, including which of the hundreds of epigenomic marks and features are relevant, and which are likely to serve a role in regulating gene expression, cell behavior and phenotypic outcomes. This volume is the first to provide a thorough, conceptual introduction to epigenetic regulation and a thorough accounting of sites for possible epigenetic edits and disease modulation. Included protocols and applied case studies examine early disease targets and likely pathways of therapeutic significance while also outlining common challenges in the field. The book addresses its topic in a comprehensive, but accessible manner, highlighting practical tools and burning questions remaining in the field to enable fresh research.
Lifestyle Epigenomics, a new volume in the Translational Epigenetics series, comprehensively details the interplay between lifestyle factors and epigenetic modifications associated with the onset of noncommunicable diseases and aging, shedding light on potential preventive and therapeutic strategies for disease from an epigenomics perspective. Here, more than 35 international experts in the field consider how lifestyle choices or habits can condition or prevent disease, along with tools for new research, from bioinformatics methodology to non-invasive sampling.Early, foundational chapters are followed by all-inclusive sections on epigenetic machinery in health and disease; dietary factors and epigenetics; adiposity and physical activity and epigenetics; psychological stress, social environment, toxins and contaminants exposure effects on epigenetics; and transgenerational and childhood epigenetics. To support understanding, each chapter includes a summary and key points lists, terms and definition, as well as research case studies outlining core components of recent studies, detailing their conditions, research techniques involved, and outcomes.
Metagenomics: Perspectives, Methods, and Applications, second edition, provides thorough coverage of the growing field of metagenomics. A diverse range of chapters from international experts offer an introduction to the field and examine methods for metagenomic analysis of microbiota, metagenomic computational tools, and recent metagenomic studies in various environments and clinical settings. The emphasis on application makes this text particularly useful for applied researchers, practitioners, clinicians, and students seeking to employ metagenomic approaches to advance knowledge in the biomedical and life sciences. Case study-based application chapters include topics ranging from metagenome tools, metagenomics in oral disease and health, metagenomic insights into the human gut microbiome and metabolic syndromes, and more. This new edition has been fully updated to address the rapid growth and development of metagenomics applications, featuring expert discussion of recent developments and fresh case studies. Newly added chapters instruct in methods and implications of metagenomics in areas of growing focus, such as microbiome research, clinical diagnosis, metagenomic epidemiology, and plant microbe interaction. Data analysis is explained in simple terms for effective use of computational tools, software, and sequencing pipelines.
Personalized Epigenetics, Second Edition discusses the core translatability of epigenetics to health management of individuals who have unique variations in their epigenetic signatures that can guide both disorder and disease prevention and therapy. Fully updated and revised, this new edition details inter-individual variability in the major epigenetic process in humans consisting of DNA methylation, histone modifications, noncoding RNA, and the diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic potential of the field. It also reviews the impact of the environment on epigenetic variations among individuals and the role of pharmacology and drug development in personalized epigenetics.Most importantly, the text covers personalized epigenetics from a disease-oriented perspective, presenting chapters that provide advances in widespread disorders or diseases, including diabetes, cancer, autoimmune disorders, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, neurological disorders, and pain management.
On Epigenetics and Evolution, a new volume in the Translational Epigenetics series, introduces key themes from current epigenetic evolution research, with contributions from leading scientists around the world that investigate the role of epigenetic mechanisms in evolution from a variety of different angles, with each contribution combining theory, current research overviews, and applications. This book gives researchers, students, and clinicians a better understanding of the origin of genotypic and phenotypic variability, the role of epigenetics in development and inheritance, how epigenetics may affect speciation, and the evolution of epigenetic mechanisms in different taxa, and helps them apply their learnings across new research. Other modalities and subtopics explored include epigenetics in neutral and also adaptive evolution; epigenetic evolution in plants, invertebrates, and vertebrates; and the role of epigenetics in human evolution and its societal impact.
Phylogenomics: Foundations, Methods, and Pathogen Analysis offers a deep overview of phylogenomics as a field, compelling recent developments, and detailed methods and approaches for conducting new research. Early chapters introduce phylogenomic analysis of viruses and bacteria, deciphering bacterial outbreaks, and evolution of drug resistance and virulence, with a second section on methods offering instruction in tools for SNP calling and dealing with big datasets, use of Bayesian approach in molecular epidemiology, bacterial evolution modeling and evolutionary reconstruction in the presence of mosaic sequences. Part 3 offers various examples of phylogenomic analysis across medically significant bacteria and viruses, including Yersinia pestis, Salmonella, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, HIV-1, measles virus as well as ancient pathogens research.
Clinical Genomics: A Guide to Clinical Next Generation Sequencing, Second Edition provides a full overview of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies that are currently used in clinical diagnostic laboratories. The book presents key bioinformatic challenges and solutions that must be addressed by clinical genomicists and genomic pathologists, such as specific pipelines for identification of the full range of variants that are clinically important. It focuses on the challenges of diagnostic interpretation of NGS results in a clinical setting, with later sections devoted to emerging regulatory issues governing the clinical use of NGS and reimbursement paradigms that will affect the way in which laboratory professionals get compensated for testing.Following the wide use of the current edition by clinicians and researchers alike, this fully revised, new edition addresses the evolving landscape of genomics medicine, along with recent advances in our understanding of molecular mechanisms of human diseases and developmental biology. In addition, the book updates on sequencing chemistry and platforms, bioinformatics algorithms, clinical informatics, IT infrastructure and emerging applications of artificial intelligence in genomics.
Applications of Metagenomics: Agriculture, Environment, and Health examines current metagenomics methods and their applications in soil, polluted environment sites, agriculture production, and health care, with separate sections dedicated to each application area. Special attention is paid to the biotechnological study of novel microbial resources for social welfare. Beyond applications, the book discusses evolving next generation technology and techniques used for carrying out metagenomics studies, and in doing so highlights the latest research and advances in the field, along with ways to adapt these approaches for different study types across the biological sciences.Chapter topics range from metagenomics for studying root microbial communities to microbial diversity of the rhizosphere, fungal diversity, microbial biodiversity in forest environments, the human microbiome, and disease epidemiology, with one chapter dedicated to Covid-19 metagenomics.
Epigenetics in Human Disease, Third Edition examines the diseases and conditions on which we have advanced knowledge of epigenetic mechanisms, such as cancer, autoimmune disorders, aging, metabolic disorders, neurobiological disorders and cardiovascular disease. From molecular mechanisms and epigenetic technology to clinical translation of recent research, the nature and applications of the science is presented for those with interests ranging from the fundamental basis of epigenetics to therapeutic interventions for epigenetic-based disorders, with an emphasis throughout on understanding and application of key concepts in new research and clinical practice. Fully revised and up-to-date, this Third Edition discusses topics of current interest in epigenetic disease research, including stem cell epigenetic therapy, bioinformatic analysis of NGS data, epigenetic mechanisms of imprinting disorders, microRNA in cancer, epigenetic approaches to control obesity, epigenetics and airway disease, and epigenetics in cardiovascular disease. Further sections explore online epigenetic tools and datasets; early-life programming of epigenetics in age-related diseases; the epigenetics of addiction and suicide, and epigenetic approaches to regulating and preventing diabetes, cardiac disease, allergic disorders, Alzheimer’s disease, respiratory diseases, and many other human maladies. In addition, each chapter now includes chapter summaries, definitions, and vibrant imagery and figures to reinforce understanding, as well as step-by-step methods and disease research case studies.