Books in the Methods in Molecular Biology series

Since the initial discovery of the claudins, the field of tight junctions and cell polarity has become increasingly energized, mainly due to the fact that the claudins have provided an opportunity to understand the molecular basis of the tight junction function and their tissue specific roles.

Classical methods for microbial strain engineering, used to improve the production of bioproducts, have serious drawbacks and have been found to be unsuitable for complex strain development applications.

In Chloroplast Research in Arabidopsis: Methods and Protocols, expert researchers bring together some of the most important, modern techniques and approaches for chloroplast research, with the unifying theme of Arabidopsis as the model system.

These include methods and technique for using different organisms for cardiovascular developmental research, using cell and molecular biology methods to study cardiovascular development, as well as other available techniques for cardiovascular development research.

These methods and techniques include resources for microarray bioinformatics, microarray data analysis, microarray bioinformatics in systems biology, next generation sequencing data analysis, and emerging applications of microarray and next generation sequencing.

Recent outbreaks of swine influenza and avian influenza, along with the remaining and in some cases expanding threats from HIV, dengue virus, and the viruses causing hepatitis, have reinforced the need for rapid, accurate and cost-effective diagnosis of viral disease.

Despite considerable variability within the scientific community, allosteric regulation can best be defined functionally as how a macromolecule binds one ligand differently when a second ligand is or is not pre-bound to the macromolecule, which constitutes a vital aspect of protein structure/function.

While protein identification is an almost routine requirement nowadays, reliable techniques for quantifying unmodified proteins (including those that escape detection under standard conditions, such as protein isoforms and membrane proteins) is not routine.

Lipases are the most applied enzymes in organic synthesis due to their broad substrate acceptance and because of the availability of the molecular, biochemical, themodynamical and solvent engineering tools, which allows the optimization of lipases and lipase-catalyzed reactions.

In, Homology Modelling: Methods and Protocols experts in the field describe each homology modeling step from first principles, provide case studies for challenging modeling targets and describe methods for the prediction of how other molecules such as drugs can interact with the protein.

These include methods and techniques of the manipulation of physical forces that shape progenitor cell behavior, studying progenitor cells in vivo, using non-mammalian and mammalian model systems, and investigating human progenitor cells, including their isolation, characterization and application in cell-based therapies.

Sexually transmitted infections (STI) continue to be a major cause of morbidity and mortality, both in developed industrial countries as well as in the developing world. Human immunodeficiency virus infections and the ensuing opportunistic infections are a major drain on the human and financial resources of many countries in the developing world and even with the availability of effective treatment the epidemic is not yet contained. Screening in developing worlds is difficult and there is a need for simple reliable cheap diagnostic methods that can be performed at the point of care, on the same day and by staff with limited training. Molecular biological methods are very attractive for the diagnosis of STI since a well defined range of pathogens is responsible for the infection. Diagnosis of Sexually Transmitted Diseases: Methods and Protocols strives to cover the full range of molecular testing for STI. Chapters cover a variety of topics such as aspects of DNA extraction from small volume samples or difficult tissues, simple, nested or multiplex PCR, use of duplex primers or other modifications of primers and PCR conditions, sequence analysis for genotyping, denaturing gel analysis, microarrays using liquid beads or microspheres and silicon nanoparticle-enhanced microcantilever detection of DNA. Written in the successful Methods in Molecular Biology¿ series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible protocols, and notes on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and easily accessible, Diagnosis of Sexually Transmitted Diseases: Methods and Protocols will be a valuable reference for the scientist looking to establish molecular methodologies for the diagnosis of STI tests intheir own lab.

Amino Acid Analysis: Methods and Protocols presents a broad spectrum of all available methods allowing for readers to choose the method that most suits their particular laboratory set-up and analytical needs.

Our understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms that control skeletal muscle development, regeneration, and adaptive responses to activity has increased dramatically in recent years, fostered by innovative techniques and approaches that are either specifically designed or adapted for research in skeletal muscle biology.

Over the past 40 years the field of molecular simulations has evolved from picosecond studies of isolated macromolecules in vacuum to studies of complex, chemically heterogeneous biological systems consisting of millions of atoms, with the simulation time scales spanning up to milliseconds.

Recent advances in genetics over the last quarter of a century, especially in molecular techniques, have dramatically reduced the cost of determining genetic markers and hence opened up a field of research that is increasingly helping to detect, prevent and/or cure many diseases that afflict humans.

Divided into five convenient sections, Rho GTPase: Methods and Protocols provides an historical overview of the field and an account of the phylogenetics of the Rho family, general biochemical methods, and functional assays that allow monitoring the consequences of manipulating Rho GTPases in a variety of contexts.