Books published by Caister Academic Press

Five DNA viruses are known to cause cancers in humans. These are human papillomavirus, hepatitis B virus, Epstein-Barr virus, Kaposi sarcoma herpes virus and Merkel cell polyomavirus. It is estimated that, together, these are responsible for well over a million new cases of cancer worldwide annually. Also of interest is adenovirus: although it does not cause cancer in humans, it produces malignant tumours in experimental animals. This makes it a very powerful tool to study the mechanisms of viral oncogenesis. In recent years great strides have been made in our understanding of the molecular biology of these DNA viruses, and the virus-host interactions that drive carcinogenicity. These new data are essential first steps in the development of novel therapeutic strategies.In this timely book, expert authors review the most important current research in this rapidly growing field. Topics covered range from an overview of the contribution of DNA tumour viruses to the cancer burden worldwide, and the molecular pathogenesis of virus driven cancers to vaccine development.This volume will serve as a valuable reference source for everyone working in the field, both experts and students, in academia, government, and biotechnology companies. It is also a must-read for anyone with an interest in viral tumourigenesis and an important acquisition for all microbiology libraries.

Escherichia coli is an important member of the normal healthy microbiome of humans and other mammals. In addition, some strains are thought to be probiotic, and therefore beneficial to the host. However, other strains of E. coli have evolved into highly versatile, and frequently deadly, pathogens: the resultant diseases causing significant economic loss and public health burdens worldwide. Recent studies have shown that the E. coli genome has a high plasticity allowing it to adapt to new niches and survive in stressful conditions and to evolve into new hybrid strains with shared genes, including virulence genes. Omics and whole genome sequencing approaches have transformed research in this field allowing fascinating new insights into the molecular and cellular biology of the bacterium thus paving the way for the development of novel therapeutic strategies. Under the expert guidance of the editors in this book, renowned international authors provide timely and up-to-date reviews of current cutting-edge E. coli omics, molecular- and cellular-biology research. Topics range from E. coli genome plasticity and evolution to the application of omics technologies for in silico modeling to understand stress-triggered physiological responses. This authoritative volume is essential reading for scientists, both experts and students, working on pathogenic E. coli in academia, government, and biotechnology companies. It is also a must-read for anyone with an interest in bacterial pathogenesis and an important acquisition for all microbiology libraries.

The book is recommended to readers seeking an overview on chloroplast biology as well as scientists looking for detailed up-to-date information. This authoritative book reflects the diversity of the research field on chloroplast biology ranging from the biophysical principles of energy conversion over metabolic regulation and ion transport to identification of unique plastid proteins by the systems-biology based green cut project. The chapters are written by renowned experts in their fields and provide state-of-the-art overviews of their current research. Each chapter ends with a section on future trends that projects where the research could be in the next five to ten years.

The field of virus evolution has developed during the past three decades from one considered by many to be esoteric and unimportant for human and agricultural health, to a major driver of our thinking about infectious diseases of plants and animals. The field has been spurred on during the past 30 years by emerging viral diseases such as HIV/AIDS, hantaviruses, SARS, MERS and Ebola, and discoveries of the quasispecies nature and potential for rapid evolution and diversification of RNA virus populations. Over time the focus of research has expanded and developed to encompass a diverse mixture of approaches: from highly theoretical and mechanistic studies of the basic evolutionary mechanisms to detailed research on the molecular host range and virulence changes responsible for emerging viral diseases. This timely book addresses a wide range of current questions and research approaches at the forefront of the field and highlights recent advances in our understanding of the history and mechanisms of virus evolution. Wherever possible authors have integrated information from the study of plant, animal and bacterial viruses. Every effort has been made to unify findings and to highlight the diversity in patterns and modes of virus evolution between systems in order to aid comparative analysis. Essential reading for everyone working on virus evolution and emerging viral diseases, the book is also recommended reading for anyone working in the area of viral pathogenesis.

This illustrated dictionary provides concise definitions and explanations of parasitology terms and related molecular processes presented in an easy-to-use, A-Z order with particular emphasis on terms that are of relevance to parasite biotechnology and molecular biology.With over 4500 entries and more than 170 figures this volume reflects recent, ground-breaking advances in parasitology research. The authors have provided, in a single-volume, an up-to-date glossary of the terminology encountered in contemporary parasitology literature. The dictionary also covers many pertinent terms from related fields of veterinary medicine and life sciences, including microbiology, genetics, biochemistry, biotechnology, infectious diseases, epidemiology, zoonoses, public health, molecular biology, zoology, pharmaceutical science, environmental science, taxonomy and population genetics.This dictionary is highly recommended for students, academic staff, medical and veterinary professionals and life scientists, as well as for members of industrial establishments, governmental agencies and research foundations involved in research activities relating to parasitology and associated scientific fields.

Infectious diseases continue to be a major threat to human health with predictions that these will account for one of five deaths globally over the coming decades. The worrying rise in antibiotic resistance in bacterial pathogens only serves to exacerbate this situation. Many pathogenic bacteria have evolved an array of sophisticated mechanisms to evade the host's immune response: some even exploit host functions to avoid detection by immune cells. Understanding the mechanisms of this subversion is critical for the understanding of bacterial pathogenesis and could be used for the development of novel antibacterial strategies. In this volume expert authors critically review the most important current research in this exciting field. Topics include: the seven most important bacterial secretion systems; within-host envelope remodelling; subversion of macrophages; pathogen manipulation of host autophagy; mechanisms involved in sensing and restriction of bacterial replication; mechanisms of evasion by Salmonella; evasion strategies of mycobacteria; and role of Cyclic di-GMP in virulence and evasion of plant immune systems. This text is essential reading for everyone involved in bacterial pathogenesis research and an invaluable reference work for those working in fields as diverse as medicine, biotechnology, agriculture, food and industry. A recommended acquisition for all microbiology laboratories.

In this collection of reviews, expert authors describe the cutting-edge and emerging conceptual and methodological tools being employed to deal with current issues in metagenomics. Topics covered include the integration of ecology and metagenomics; the organization, classification, analysis and interpretation of the vast amount of data; the new statistical and bioinformatic techniques; sample extraction and processing techniques; and various applications of metagenomics in specific areas.The volume is essential reading for researchers and students commencing projects in this field, for researchers active in metagenomics areas, and for educators interested in the latest developments. The volume is also of value to anyone involved in biotechnology, bioremediation, biodegradation and environmental microbiology.Metagenomics continues to be one of the most dynamic scientific fields due largely to the development of new and cheaper sequencing technologies. The diversity of habitats explored with metagenomics and other meta-omics techniques has increased exponentially in recent years. The resulting cascade of data has led to a new range of methodological problems and solutions.

Next-generation sequencing coupled with high-performance computing methods have revolutionised the field of plant breeding and genetics.In this timely overview of the field, expert scientists review current developments in next-generation sequencing and bioinformatics and discuss their application in understanding and improving agronomic traits such as yield, drought tolerance and disease resistance. The up-to-date reviews cover genome assembly and annotation, omics technologies, structural variations, abnormal chromosome number, chromosomal rearrangement, copy number variation, mobile elements, sequencing of small RNA nucleotides and transcription factor binding sites. Specific topics include the evolution analysis of rice, maize, sorghum and orchids, fruit development and ripening, plant disease resistance, fusarium head blight and stripe rust resistance in wheat and rice, host defence and pathogen virulence, crop design with improved resistance, and biotic and abiotic stress tolerance.This is a useful review of current developments in next-generation sequencing and essential reading for plant geneticists and crop scientists.

Gene regulation at the transcriptional level is central to the process by which organisms convert the constant sensing of environmental changes and intracellular fluxes of metabolites to homeostatic responses. In recent years, a wealth of data from structural studies, sequence analysis, and comparative genomics has led to a greater understanding of bacterial gene regulation and transcriptional networks. Contributors from around the world have joined forces in this book to review and discuss the latest research observations and current theories in this highly topical and important area of microbiology. The book describes the components required for transcriptional regulation, elucidates their complexity, and discusses the genome-scale theories that currently prevail, by investigating a large number of completely sequenced microbial genomes. It discusses how transcriptional regulation and gene circuits can be used by bacteria to sense signals and generate phenotypic variation. It also introduces experimental and computational methods for investigating transcriptional regulatory networks on a genomic scale. Additionally, the book explores the transcriptional complexity of specific organisms, and it discusses the current understanding of the genome-scale regulatory networks and the importance of key transcription factors. The specific organisms covered include Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Helicobacter pylori, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Cyanobacteria. This book constitutes a major work on bacterial gene regulation and is a recommended purchase for all institutions and organizations interested in microbiology.

Systems biology is the study of the dynamic interactions of more than one component in a biological system in order to understand and predict the behavior of the system as a whole. Systems biology is a rapidly expanding discipline fuelled by the 'omics' era and new technological advances that have increased the precision of data. A focus on simple single cell organisms, such as bacteria, aids tractability and means that systems microbiology is a rapidly maturing science. Recommended for all microbiology laboratories, this book contains cutting-edge reviews by world-leading experts on the systems biology of microorganisms. As well as covering theoretical approaches and mathematical modeling, the book includes case studies on single microbial species of bacteria and archaea, and it explores the systems analysis of microbial phenomena, such as chemotaxis and phagocytosis. The topics covered include: the mathematical models for systems biology * systems biology of Escherichia coli metabolism * bacterial chemotaxis * systems biology of infection * host-microbe interactions * phagocytosis * system-level study of metabolism in Mycobacterium tuberculosis * systems biology of Sulfolobus.

As bacterial antibiotic resistance continues to exhaust our supply of effective antibiotics, a global public health disaster appears likely. Poor financial investment in antibiotic research has exacerbated the situation. A call to arms raised by several prestigious scientific organisations a few years ago rallied the scientific community, and now the scope of antibacterial research has broadened considerably. Multi-disciplinary approaches have yielded a wealth of new data on areas ranging from the identification of novel antibacterial targets to the use of biological agents for antibacterial therapy. In this book, respected international experts summarize the most important concepts and pioneering strategies currently being used to develop novel antibacterials. The book opens with chapters on cellular processes that could be used as novel antibacterial targets. Examples include cell division, efflux pumps, metabolite-sensing riboswitches and bacterial secretion systems. These are followed by excellent chapters on the identification of new, naturally occurring antibacterial agents, including phage and biosynthetically engineered compounds. Understanding the host-microbe interaction and microbial communities and how they can be exploited to develop new antibacterial strategies is discussed in subsequent chapters. Other topics included are: antibacterial vaccines adjuvants, host defence peptides, antibodies, within-host models, and diagnostics. A major reference volume on antibacterial research and how it impacts on public health worldwide, the book is essential reading for everyone working in antibacterial research and is a recommended volume for all microbiology libraries.

Paramyxoviruses are a diverse family of non-segmented negative strand RNA viruses that include many important human, animal, and zoonotic pathogens. Despite their enormous importance, the nature of the viral genome had proved an obstacle to research, with the result that paramyxoviral research had lagged behind that of other viruses. The advent of reverse genetics in recent years has changed this, enabling great strides to be made in our understanding of the genomics, molecular biology and viral pathogenesis. This book provides a timely and comprehensive review of current knowledge of all paramyxoviruses and is written by renowned scientists who have made seminal contributions in their respective paramyxovirus fields of expertise. Topics include: mumps virus, simian virus 5, parainfluenza viruses, Newcastle disease and related avian paramyxoviruses, Sendai virus, Hendra virus, Nipah virus, measles virus, canine distemper virus, rinderpest virus, peste des petits ruminants virus, human respiratory syncytial virus, metapneumoviruses, and new and emerging paramyxoviruses. Each chapter covers our current knowledge on history, genome organization, viral proteins, reverse genetics, epidemiology, pathogenesis, immunity, diagnosis, prevention and control and future challenges. This book is an invaluable reference source of timely information for virologists, microbiologists, immunologists, physicians, veterinarians and scientists working on paramyxoviruses. It is also strongly recommended for all medical and veterinary school libraries.

Microorganisms that convert gaseous nitrogen (N2) to a form suitable for use by living organisms are pivotal for life on earth. Another set of microbial reactions utilise the bioavailable nitrogen creating N2 and completing the cycle. This crucial nutrient cycle has long been the subject of extensive research, and recently advances in studying the biochemistry, bioinformatics, cell biology, and the physiology of bacterial nitrogen cycling processes, alongside the advent of the omics age, have had a massive impact, amongst other things, enabling us to fully appreciate the sheer diversity of approaches adapted by individual organisms. Research in this area is at a very exciting stage. This timely book aims to provide comprehensive reviews of current nitrogen cycle research and to give a broader perspective on the state of our understanding of this key biogeochemical cycle. With contributions from expert authors from around the world, topics covered include: the archaean N-cycle; redox complexes N-cycle; organisation of respiratory chains in N-cycle processes; Mo-nitrogenase; nitrogen assimilation in bacteria; alternative routes to dinitrogen; nitrite and nitrous oxide reductases; assembly of respiratory proteins; nitric oxide metabolism; denitrification in legume-associated endosymbiotic bacteria; nitrous oxide production in the terrestrial environment; bacterial nitrogen cycling in humans. This book will serve as a valuable reference work for everyone working in this field and will also be of interest to researchers studying symbioses, environmental microbiology, plant metabolism, infection events and other prokaryote-eukaryote interactions.

Epigenetics is the study of changes in gene expression caused by mechanisms other than changes in the DNA sequence. Epigenetics is a rapidly advancing field with an increasing impact on biological and medical research. The editors of this book have assembled top-quality scientists from diverse fields of epigenetics to produce a major new volume. Comprehensive and cutting-edge, the 26 chapters in this book constitute a key reference manual for everyone involved in epigenetics, DNA methylation, cancer epigenetics, and related fields. Topics include: early life environment * DNA methylation and behavior * histone acetyltransferase biology * transgenerational epigenetic inheritance * mammalian X inactivation * epigenetic memory in plants * polycomb-group regulation * centromeres and telomeres * DNA sequence contribution to nucleosome distribution * macrosatellite epigenetics * histones * cell-fate specification and reprogramming * DNA methylation in cancer * variant histone H2A and cancer development * RNA modification * paramutation in plants * DNMT3L dependent methylation during gametogenesis * non-coding RNA * bisulphite-enabled technologies * rapid analysis of DNA methylation * microarray mapping * DNA methylation profiling * ChIP-sequencing * genome-wide DNA methylation analysis * epigenetics in maize. In addition there are useful chapters on bioinformatics in epigenomics, online resources and tools for epigeneticists, and educational resources for epigenetics. This up-to-date reference manual is an essential book for those working in the field and for scientists in other disciplines. It represents a major information resource on the fascinating and fast-moving field of epigenetics.

Approaches to the teaching of veterinary parasitology face two major challenges. First, the quantity of data describing any given parasite can be overwhelming, if not indigestible, for students. Second is the urge to write more and more about less and less, which is the bane of those who write textbooks intended to be used by students. To meet these challenges the editors of this volume have opted to be selective in the choice of topics in an effort to make the book readable, rather than comprehensive.Essentials of Veterinary Parasitology provides an up-to-date resource for students and practicing veterinarians on how to recognize, diagnose and treat parasitic diseases in livestock and companion animals. Featuring full-colour illustrations and a user friendly layout, it begins with a section dedicated to the fundamentals of veterinary parasitology and ends with a section on the prevention of parasitic infections entailing recent developments in our understanding of the pathogenesis and control of parasitic diseases. In-between are sections on important parasitic infections in livestock organized by the parasite agents - helminths, protozoa and arthropods - plus a section on diagnostic parasitology. This book is an essential reference for veterinary students, practicing veterinarians and researchers in the field of parasitology.

Microbial biodegradation of non-metals pollutants plays a pivotal role in the bioremediation of contaminated soil and groundwater sites. Such pollutants include chloroethenes, steroids, organophosphorus compounds, alkanes, PAHs and PCBs. In this important new book, expert international authors exhaustively review this topic from a biochemical and genetic viewpoint, providing a timely overview of current research. Topics covered include: enzymatic biodegradation reactions; the impact of bioturbation on hydrocarbon dynamics in marine sediments; the structure, function and biodiversity of ring-hydroxylating dioxygenases involved in PAH biodegradation; strategies to engineer PCB-degrading bacteria; PCB-degrading plant-microbe systems strategies; the structure, regulation and diversity of microbial genes encoding biodegradative enzymes. In addition there are excellent reviews detailing the application of the state-of-the-art molecular technologies to study biodegradative processes. Technologies covered are community fingerprinting, molecular detection of degradative genes, and metagenomics for the analysis and monitoring of microorganisms in situ. These are complemented well by the fascinating reviews of the catabolic plasmids and mobile genetic elements involved in bioremediation, including discussions on the origin and evolution of these catabolic pathways to different genera. In addition the best procedures for the evaluation and design of relevant in situ remediation strategies are examined and classical ex-situ technologies such Landfarming, Composting, Biopiling and Slurry-phase bioremediation are described. This book is a vital reference resource for research scientists, graduate students, and other specialists interested on microbial bioremediation of organic pollutants and is recommended reading for environmental microbiologists, chemists and engineers.

Nanotechnology, the engineering and art of manipulating matter at the nanoscale (1-100 nm), offers the potential of novel nanomaterials for the treatment of surface water, groundwater, and wastewater contaminated by toxic metal ions, organic and inorganic solutes, and microorganisms. At the present time, many nanomaterials are under active research and development. This timely volume reviews the current state-of-the-art research and development of different nanomaterials (nanostructured catalytic membranes, nanosorbents, nanocatalysts, and bioactive nanoparticles) and their application in water treatment, purification, and disinfection. The expert authors have contributed chapters focusing on the cutting-edge research in this emerging technology and its applications in microbiology and water treatment. The topics covered include the detection of microbial pathogens, nanofibers, and nanobiocides in water purification; nanozymes for biofilm removal; water and wastewater treatment; and reverse osmosis. Also included is a chapter dedicated to the health and environmental concerns for the use of nanotechnology in water treatment. This book is for all who are interested in nanobiotechnology, bioremediation, biodiagnostics, molecular diagnostics, and environmental microbiology and it is a recommended text for all microbiology laboratories.

Leading bifidobacteria experts from around the world provide a state-of-the art overview of the molecular biology and genomics of this exciting and important microbial genus.

With contributions from a broad range of leading researchers, Environmental Microbiology: Current Technology and Water Applications focuses on current technology and its applications. Although aimed primarily at research scientists and graduate students in water microbiology, the topics and techniques are equally applicable to all branches of environmental microbiology. The initial chapters cover the concentration, detection, and characterization of microbes in drinking water. Other chapters are technology focused and cover topics, such as geochips and microarrays and their applications, Raman microspectroscopy and related single cell techniques, the use of amoebae hosts, bacteria and bacteriophage as bioreporters, viability of detected microbes, and fecal source tracking. Environmental Microbiology: Current Technology and Water Applications includes comparative tables and figures that address detection sensitivity, specificity, ease of use, and other criteria. The value of the book emanates from its explanation of the principles of techniques and the comparison of related techniques. In addition, the reader is introduced to key references and important web sites where further details of the technology can be found. This is an essential book for water microbiologists, environmental microbiologists, and regulators, as well as being recommended reading for other microbiologists and environmental scientists.