Epigenetics - Hardcover

The historical accounts of the rise of epigenetics as a field of study, combined with the inclusion of cutting-edging epigenetics research in various biological processes and model organisms, provide the reader with a clear sense of what epigenetics research is about, where it came from, where it is now, and where it is headed. It will prove to be the book that everyone with an interest in epigenetics would want to have and read. --Cell

In addition to the cutting edge epigenetic research that is highlighted in this book by eminent scientists in the field, the summaries at the beginning of each chapter, and the multiple tables and colourful illustrations used throughout the book will prove useful in guiding the reader through a discussion of complex biological processes. Undoubtedly, some of these illustrations will be widely used by students and teacher of epigenetics. It is evident that the importance of epigenetics has become widely recognized and this book will be an excellent read for beginners as well as experts in this field. --Nature Cell Biology

What is epigenetics? Asking that question will likely return a number of answers that are all some variation of heredity that is not due to changes in DNA sequence. In other words, epigenetics is not genetics. That seems a definition as indistinct as U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart s statement, I know it when I see it, about obscenity. The recent volume, Epigenetics, provides well-needed clarity by setting down the fundamental concepts and principles of this emerging science... With the publication of Epigenetics, this fascinating scientific field no longer needs to be defined by what it is not. --The Quarterly Review of Biology

The regulation of gene expression in many biological processes involves epigenetic mechanisms. In this new volume, 25 chapters written by experts in the field discuss epigenetic effects from many perspectives. There are chapters on the basic molecular mechanisms underpinning epigenetic regulation, discussion of cellular processes that rely on this kind of regulation, and surveys of organisms in which it has been most studied. Topics covered include histone and DNA methylation, siRNAs and gene silencing; X–chromosome inactivation, dosage compensation and imprinting; and discussion of epigenetics in microbes, plants, insects, and mammals. The last part of the book looks at how epigenetic mechanisms act in cell division and differentiation, and how errors in these pathways contribute to cancer and other human diseases. Also discussed are epigenetic effects in attempts to clone animals. This book is a major resource for those working in the field, as well as being a suitable text for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses on gene regulation.