LITMIR.BIZ

Microbial responses to acidic and alkaline pH are important in many areas of bacteriology. For example, the mechanisms of resistance to acidic pH are important in the understanding of the passage of human pathogens through the acid of the stomach; and an understanding of microbial degradation of alkaline industrial waste is important for the environment. Bringing together contributions from an international and interdisciplinary group of experts working on the many aspects of bacterial cellular responses to pH, this stimulating volume draws together new and innovative work in this area. It delineates both similarities and differences between mechanisms of tolerance and response, providing readers with an invaluable resource on the subject.

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This up-to-the-minute account examines how radionuclides affect human health. It explores how radionuclides travel through various food chains and how they are transported throughout the terrestrial and aquatic environments.

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Asthma is a growing health problem throughout the developed world. This volume presents a critical review of all the possible factors for this rising trend and includes research that has not yet been published in the scientific literature. Discusses the basic biology of asthma and addresses genetic influences. Surveys the epidemiological evidence for the worldwide trends in morbidity and mortality.

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Epigenetics pertains to the development of an organism from an undifferential cell, resulting in the successive formation and development of organs and parts that did not pre-exist in the fertilized egg. An exciting and stimulating volume which used the extensive knowledge of basic transcriptional control as a foundation to explore the more complex and interesting level at which genes can be regulated.

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'Homology' as a concept became increasingly elusive during the course of the 20th century. The central debates and controversies concern both fundamental definitions and the nature of the criteria by which homology is judged. Attempts to move away from comparative morphology to ideas based on developmental pathways have tended to founder on the fact that developmental pathways evolve and that similar cells or tissues or structures in animals will often have different developmental origins. The use of information about conserved molecules in seemingly conserved developmental processes has also proven controversial. In molecular biology, the use of the term 'homology' has given rise to more debate, although here the issue seems to involve primarily the criteria for assessing whether parts of genes are the same because of shared descent or for other reasons. The contributions to the book explore these topics systematically. There are chapters on the historical development of the concept of homology and its use in population studies. Other chapters deal with issues of homology in morphological and developmental studies, in behavioural studies, and especially in studies at the level of molecular genetics.

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This new work contains the first integrated discussion of the role of olfaction in mosquito-host interactions. It covers the practical applications of this knowledge in attempting to control malaria as a problem for world health. The volume begins with a general overview of mosquito life cycle styles and how odour-mediated host location fits into the repertoire of behaviours that a specific species may exhibit. Certain aspects of insect olfaction and its underlying physiological mechanisms are incorporated within the book.

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The mapping of human genes is proceeding rapidly. Genes associated with specific inherited diseases are being identified, often providing insight into the molecular cause of the disease. At the moment, however, little consideration is being given to the variation present in different human populations. Variation in the Human Genome discusses methods of analysing population genetic data and how contemporary genetic heterogeneity arises during the evolution and migration of human populations. Specific disorders such as cystic fibrosis, beta-thalassaemia, fragile X, phenylketonuria and tumour development susceptibility are used to illustrate this genetic variability and mechanisms of gene mutation and evolution.

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Gap junctions are key elements in communication between cells in multicellular organisms. It is clear that their activity is essential for normal embryonic development and normal function in adult organs, although the individual roles of the proteins that form the channels (connexins) are not yet fully understood. The last few years have seen considerable progress in this field and exciting new issues concerning gap junctional intercellular communication are being raised. Perturbed gap junction activity is beginning to be linked to certain pathologies, e.g. mutations in the major connexin of the heart have been found in human patients suffering from visceroatrial heterotaxia syndrome and mutations in the gene encoding another connexin have been found in patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. This book is the first to highlight the recent progress in understanding gap junction structure and to discuss the specific roles of individual connexins. It features contributions from an interdisciplinary group of experts who review the role of gap junctions in the heart, the retina and lens, the auditory system, the reproductive system, and in cell proliferation and cancer. The book will appeal to people interested in cell and molecular biology, embryonic development, neurobiology, cardiology, gynaecology and oncology.

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T cells are a specialized population of immune cells that aid the immune system in combating various types of invading pathogens. This book presents up-to-the-minute data on the role of T cells in autoimmune diseases.

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Telomeres and Telomerase Chairman: Sydney Brenner, 1997 Telomeres are the protective genetic elements located at the ends of chromosomes and are essential for correct chromosomal structure and function. They are not fully replicated by the conventional DNA polymerase system because DNA synthesis occurs only in the 5' to 3' direction and requires an RNA primer for initiation. Consequently, cells require a special enzyme to maintain the telomeric ends of chromosomes during each round of replication. This enzyme, telomerase, is a ribonucleoprotein that extends chromosome ends by adding short stretches of nucleotide repeats using a portion of its integral RNA component as the template. Recently, much excitement has been generated by the suggestion that telomerase, or rather the absence of telomerase and the resultant loss of terminal DNA, is a cause of human ageing. The evidence for this is twofold: the telomeres of certain cells in culture shorten during their lifespan; and immortalization of cells is associated, at least in some cases, with the maintenance of telomeres and telomerase activity. The latter observation prompted the analysis of clinical samples from patients with cancer and the demonstration that, in contrast to normal somatic cells, malignant cells possess telomerase activity. This is a unique book. Not only does it contain the latest experimental results from an international group of experts, but it also includes critical examinations of the current evidence, and discussions that attempt to identify the central and underlying concepts of this rapidly expanding field.

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