Books published by Humana Press Inc.

Chapters focus on in-vivo recordings, voltage-gated channel recording and analysis, dendritic and axonal recordings, synaptic current recording and analysis, advanced fluorescent techniques, optogenetics and voltage-sensitive dye imaging, and finally channel and neuronal modeling.

This volume assembles a broad spectrum of methods used in long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA) research, ranging from computational annotation of lncRNA genes to molecular and cellular analyses of the function of individual lncRNA.

This volume covers the latest protocols designed to identify and characterize TEs in genomes, ancient or recently inserted. Additionally, this book includes a series of protocols designed to understand how host genomes act to regulate the activity of TEs, from elegant genetic mobilization assays to key biochemical methods. Finally, this book also includes chapters that describe how TEs can be used for biotechnological applications. Written for the Methods in Molecular Biology series, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Transposons and Retrotransposons: Methods and Protocols aims to ensure successful results in the further study of this vital field.

This volume presents an overview of nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) and polyketide synthase (PKS) structure and function.  It then continues with methods for the analysis of these pathways including conventional enzymological assays, contemporary mass spectrometric analysis techniques, specialized molecular biological approaches applicable to NRPSs and PKSs, and small molecule analysis tools tailored to this very special class of natural products, and concludes by examining bioinformatics tools for the analysis of these enzymes, pathways, and molecules. Written for the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Nonribosomal Peptide and Polyketide Biosynthesis: Methods and Protocols serves as a valuable reference for those experienced in studying NRPS and PKS enzymes, pathways, and natural products as well as a gateway for those just entering the field.

This volume seeks to understand how organisms and gene functions are influenced by environmental cues while accounting for variation that takes place within and among environmental populations and communities. Microbial Environmental Genomics (MEG) guides readers through methods to analyse the diversity of different organism types (archaea, bacteria, fungi, protists and microfauna), interactions between fungi and trees, and methods to identify and characterize functions and functional diversity of both pro- and eukaryotes. Written for the Methods in Molecular Biology series, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.  Authoritative and practical, Microbial Environmental Genomics (MEG) will serve as a primary research reference for researchers and research managers in environmental microbiology working in the expanding field of molecular ecology and environmental genomics.

This volume describes different up-to-date methodological approaches, ranging from physiological assays to imaging and molecular techniques, to study a wide variety of plant responses to environmental cues. Environmental Responses in Plants: Methods and Protocols is divided into four sections: Tropisms, Photoperiodism and Circadian Rhythms, Abiotic Stress Responses, and Plant-Pathogen Interactions. The chapters in these sections include detailed protocols to investigate some of the many key biological processes underlying plant environmental responses, mostly in the model organism Arabidopsis thaliana, but also in Physcomitrella patens and in different crop species such as rice, potato, barley, or tomato. Written in the highly 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 laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.Authoritative and practical, Environmental Responses in Plants: Methods and Protocols, is a great resource for plant physiologists, biochemists, and cell and molecular scientists interested in this exciting and fast-growing research topic.

This updated volume explores a wide variety of clinical applications of PCR such as detecting DNA methylation, detection of viruses and protozoa in infectious diseases, estimation of gene copy number aberrations, primer extension coupled with mass spectroscopy, and high throughput NGS techniques.

This second edition volume expands on the first edition with new developments on Toll-Like Receptors (TLRs) controlling events such as cross-priming of associated pattern recognition receptors, post-transcriptional regulation, interaction with other cellular and biologic systems, and cancer progression.

The aim of this book is to improve pyrosequencing protocols as well as instrumentation for better clinical use by describing improvements and novel applications of pyrosequencing technology.

The third edition of this volume expands upon the previous two editions with new and up-to-date methods and protocols. Chapters include step-by-step procedures involved in quantifying cell growth, baculovirus infection and cell metabolism, methods to isolate new cell lines and develop your own serum-free medium, and routine maintenance and storage of insect cell lines and baculoviruses, small- and large-scale recombinant protein production with the BEVS in both insect and mammalian cell culture and in insect larvae, production and characterization of baculoviruses, green fluorescent protein, tubular reactors and RNAi, and baculovirus/insect cell system to study apoptosis and generating envelop-modified baculovirus for gene delivery into mammalian cells. Written in the highly 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 laboratory protocols, and key tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.Authoritative and practical, Baculovirus and Insect Cell Expression Protocols, Third Edition aims to not only aid the user in successfully completing the tasks described, but also stimulate the development of improved techniques and new applications of baculoviruses and insect cell culture.

The chapters compiled in this detailed collection outline a number of methods used to study plant mitochondria today, starting from the isolation of mitochondria to detailed analyses of RNA, protein and enzymatic activities.

Lipid-Protein Interactions: Methods and Protocols provides a selection of protocols to examine protein-lipid interactions, membrane and membrane protein structure, how membrane proteins affect lipids and how they are in turn affected by the lipid bilayer and lipid properties.

The receptor-associated JAK protein kinases and their substrates, the STAT transcriptional activators, transmit signals following cytokine and growth factor binding to receptors expressed on the cell surface, to result in specific transcriptional and cellular responses.

The role of Bioactive Dietary Factors and Plant Extracts in Preventive Dermatology provides current and concise scientific appraisal of the efficacy of foods, nutrients, herbs, and dietary supplements in preventing dermal damage and cancer as well as improving skin health.

Genomic imprinting, the process by which the non-equivalence of the paternal and maternal genomes is established, has been fascinating us for over three decades and has provided many emerging scientists with the chance to hit their stride in a frontier posing many unexpected questions and even more surprising answers.

Biomass conversion research is a combination of basic science, applied science, and engineering testing and analysis. In Biomass Conversion: Methods and Protocols, expert researchers in the field detail methods which are now commonly used to study biomass conversion.

Nanotechnology and nucleic acid based therapies are two emerging fields in science whose combination has the potential to improve quality of life for patients suffering from various diseases that can so far only be treated in an unsatisfactory way.

Some of the topics explored in this book are: migration in confined environments, microfluidic devices, optogenetics, chemotaxis, electrotaxis, detection of migrasomes, migration of Q cells in Caenorhabditis elegans, of Drosophila macrophages, optogenetics of cell migration, intravital imaging.

This volume looks at the latest methodologies used to study cellular metabolism with in silico approaches. The chapters in this book are divided into 3 parts: part I discusses tools and methods used for metabolic reconstructions and basic constraint-based metabolic modeling (CBMM); Part II explores protocols for the generation of experimental data for metabolic reconstruction and modeling, including transcriptomics, proteomics, and mutant generations; and Part III cover advanced techniques for quantitative modeling of cellular metabolism, including dynamic Flux Balance Analysis and multi-objective optimization. Written in the highly 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 laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.Cutting-edge and thorough, MetabolicNetwork Reconstruction and Modeling: Methods and Protocols is a valuable resource for qualified investigators studying cellular metabolism, and novice researchers who want to start working with CBMM.

This detailed volume explores the latest methods that can be used to probe mRNA decay pathways and identify mRNA-binding protein targets as well as miRNA targets.

This detailed volume explores the use of Sertoli cells as models in male reproductive biology or as supporters for other cell types, and it answers the need for standardized protocols for their in vitro culture.

This volume provides protocol references covering recent developments in the aptamer field. Within the last decade, aptamers have become more and more popular, and their sophisticated biophysical properties together with their ability to be easily modified and, thus, adapted to various regimens makes them a very promising class of compounds. Divided into three sections, the book covers selection, a series of analytical methods to assess biophysical properties of aptamer-target interactions, as well as various applications of aptamers. Written for the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.Practical and easy to follow, Nucleic Acid Aptamers: Selection, Characterization, and Application provides a state-of-the-art summary of recent developments in the aptamer field and will be a helpful resource for scientists in the life sciences working with aptamers as tools to elucidate biological systems.

This volume focuses on procedures for the development and application of several research animal models and in vitro methods that allow researchers to gain insight into the underlying cellular, biochemical, and physiological mechanisms involved in traumatic and ischemic injury.

Rather than an exhaustive review of all the pathologic conditions of the female breast, Breast Cancer and its Precursor Lesions focuses on the current knowledge, understanding and issues related to breast cancer and its benign lesions that are associated with an increased risk for the subsequent development of cancer.