Environmental Stressors And Gene Responses

Cell and Molecular Responses to Stress is a new multi-volume book series from Elsevier Science that focuses on how organisms respond at a molecular level to environmental stresses imposed upon them. All organisms deal with variations in multiple environmental factors including temperature, oxygen, salinity, and water availability. Many show amazing tolerances to extreme stress with remarkable biochemical adaptations that allow life to persist under very difficult circumstances. This series explores the molecular mechanisms by which cells and organisms respond to stress, focusing on the variations in metabolic response that allow some cells and organisms to deal with extreme stress, others to endure stress within strict limits, and others to have a very low tolerance for changes in environmental parameters.Articles from within the series highlight the elastic limits of molecular responses in Nature, with examples drawn from animal, plant and bacteria systems.Volume 1, begins by considering some of the roles of environmental stress in determining the geographic distribution of animals and in promoting species divergence and then explores gene expression and metabolic responses to environmental stress with examples of adaptation to high and low temperature, osmotic, anoxia/ischemia, desiccation, high pressure and heavy metal stresses.

Bacteria in various habitats are subject to continuously changing environmental conditions, such as nutrient deprivation, heat and cold stress, UV radiation, oxidative stress, dessication, acid stress, nitrosative stress, cell envelope stress, heavy metal exposure, osmotic stress, and others. In order to survive, they have to respond to these conditions by adapting their physiology through sometimes drastic changes in gene expression. In addition they may adapt by changing their morphology, forming biofilms, fruiting bodies or spores, filaments, Viable But Not Culturable (VBNC) cells or moving away from stress compounds via chemotaxis. Changes in gene expression constitute the main component of the bacterial response to stress and environmental changes, and involve a myriad of different mechanisms, including (alternative) sigma factors, bi- or tri-component regulatory systems, small non-coding RNA’s, chaperones, CHRIS-Cas systems, DNA repair, toxin-antitoxin systems, the stringent response, efflux pumps, alarmones, and modulation of the cell envelope or membranes, to name a few. Many regulatory elements are conserved in different bacteria; however there are endless variations on the theme and novel elements of gene regulation in bacteria inhabiting particular environments are constantly being discovered. Especially in (pathogenic) bacteria colonizing the human body a plethora of bacterial responses to innate stresses such as pH, reactive nitrogen and oxygen species and antibiotic stress are being described. An attempt is made to not only cover model systems but give a broad overview of the stress-responsive regulatory systems in a variety of bacteria, including medically important bacteria, where elucidation of certain aspects of these systems could lead to treatment strategies of the pathogens. Many of the regulatory systems being uncovered are specific, but there is also considerable “cross-talk” between different circuits. Stress and Environmental Regulation of Gene Expression and Adaptation in Bacteria is a comprehensive two-volume work bringing together both review and original research articles on key topics in stress and environmental control of gene expression in bacteria. Volume One contains key overview chapters, as well as content on one/two/three component regulatory systems and stress responses, sigma factors and stress responses, small non-coding RNAs and stress responses, toxin-antitoxin systems and stress responses, stringent response to stress, responses to UV irradiation, SOS and double stranded systems repair systems and stress, adaptation to both oxidative and osmotic stress, and desiccation tolerance and drought stress. Volume Two covers heat shock responses, chaperonins and stress, cold shock responses, adaptation to acid stress, nitrosative stress, and envelope stress, as well as iron homeostasis, metal resistance, quorum sensing, chemotaxis and biofilm formation, and viable but not culturable (VBNC) cells. Covering the full breadth of current stress and environmental control of gene expression studies and expanding it towards future advances in the field, these two volumes are a one-stop reference for (non) medical molecular geneticists interested in gene regulation under stress.

Changes in Eukaryotic Gene Expression in Response to Environmental Stress focuses on various aspects of eukaryotic cell's response to heat stress (shock) and other stress stimuli. This book is organized into two major sections, encompassing 17 chapters that reflect the emphasis on research utilizing Drosophila, a variety of animal systems, and plants. This book first provides a brief introduction to the organization, sequences, and induction of heat shock proteins and related genes. It then describes the control of transcription during heat shock from the standpoint of molecular biology and evolutionary variations of the mechanisms in organisms with diverse metabolic needs. It goes on to discuss the issue of coordinate and noncoordinate responses of heat shock genes. It presents a model for post-transcriptional regulation on certain aspects of coordinate and noncoordinate regulations. Chapters 6-12 discuss heat shock proteins and genes and the effects of stress on gene expression of sea urchin, avian, and mammalian cells. The second part of the book focuses on the physiological role of heat shock proteins and genes in plants and fungi. It includes a discussion on experimental problems encountered during studies of the mechanisms of inhibition of photosynthesis by unfavorable environmental conditions. The changes in transcription and translation of specific mRNAs in the developing embryo during heat shock at various temperatures are described. The concluding chapters deal with heat shock response in plants, particularly the response in soybeans and maize, covering both physiological and molecular analyses. Research scientists, clinicians, and agriculturists will greatly benefit from the information presented in this book.

Not all stress is stressful; instead, it appears that stress in the environment, below the mutation threshold, is essential for many subtle manifestations of population structures and biodiversity, and has played a substantial role in the evolution of life. Intrigued by the behavior of laboratory animals that contradicted our current understanding of stress, the author and his group studied the beneficial effects of stress on animals and plants. The seemingly “crazy” animals demonstrated that several stress paradigms are outdated and have to be reconsidered. The book describes the general stress responses in microorganisms, plants, and animals to abiotic and biotic, to natural and anthropogenic stressors. These stress responses include the activation of oxygen, the biotransformation system, the stress proteins, and the metal-binding proteins. The potential of stress response lies in the transcription of genes, whereas the actual response is manifested by proteins and metabolites. Yet, not all stress responses are in the genes: micro-RNAs and epigenetics play central roles. Multiple stressors, such as environmental realism, do not always act additively; they may even diminish one another. Furthermore, one stressor often prepares the subject for the next one to come and may produce extended lifespans and increased offspring numbers, thus causing shifts in population structures. This book provides the first comprehensive analysis of the ecological and evolutionary effects of stress.

Bacteria in various habitats are subject to continuously changing environmental conditions, such as nutrient deprivation, heat and cold stress, UV radiation, oxidative stress, dessication, acid stress, nitrosative stress, cell envelope stress, heavy metal exposure, osmotic stress, and others. In order to survive, they have to respond to these conditions by adapting their physiology through sometimes drastic changes in gene expression. In addition they may adapt by changing their morphology, forming biofilms, fruiting bodies or spores, filaments, Viable But Not Culturable (VBNC) cells or moving away from stress compounds via chemotaxis. Changes in gene expression constitute the main component of the bacterial response to stress and environmental changes, and involve a myriad of different mechanisms, including (alternative) sigma factors, bi- or tri-component regulatory systems, small non-coding RNA’s, chaperones, CHRIS-Cas systems, DNA repair, toxin-antitoxin systems, the stringent response, efflux pumps, alarmones, and modulation of the cell envelope or membranes, to name a few. Many regulatory elements are conserved in different bacteria; however there are endless variations on the theme and novel elements of gene regulation in bacteria inhabiting particular environments are constantly being discovered. Especially in (pathogenic) bacteria colonizing the human body a plethora of bacterial responses to innate stresses such as pH, reactive nitrogen and oxygen species and antibiotic stress are being described. An attempt is made to not only cover model systems but give a broad overview of the stress-responsive regulatory systems in a variety of bacteria, including medically important bacteria, where elucidation of certain aspects of these systems could lead to treatment strategies of the pathogens. Many of the regulatory systems being uncovered are specific, but there is also considerable “cross-talk” between different circuits. Stress and Environmental Regulation of Gene Expression and Adaptation in Bacteria is a comprehensive two-volume work bringing together both review and original research articles on key topics in stress and environmental control of gene expression in bacteria. Volume One contains key overview chapters, as well as content on one/two/three component regulatory systems and stress responses, sigma factors and stress responses, small non-coding RNAs and stress responses, toxin-antitoxin systems and stress responses, stringent response to stress, responses to UV irradiation, SOS and double stranded systems repair systems and stress, adaptation to both oxidative and osmotic stress, and desiccation tolerance and drought stress. Volume Two covers heat shock responses, chaperonins and stress, cold shock responses, adaptation to acid stress, nitrosative stress, and envelope stress, as well as iron homeostasis, metal resistance, quorum sensing, chemotaxis and biofilm formation, and viable but not culturable (VBNC) cells. Covering the full breadth of current stress and environmental control of gene expression studies and expanding it towards future advances in the field, these two volumes are a one-stop reference for (non) medical molecular geneticists interested in gene regulation under stress.

Environmental physiology and comparative biochemistry are shifting to a new level of focus-the gene. New developments in molecular biology have put simplified techniques for screening and analysis of gene expression into the hands of physiologists and biochemists who are using these for novel explorations of organismal responses to environmental stress. Selected topics cover both animal and plant systems to focus on recent advances in gene expression responses to environmental stresses including low and high temperature, freezing, oxygen limitation, reactive oxygen species, nutrient restriction as well as environmentally-cued programmed cell death. The book highlights the latest techniques and approaches for exploring the regulation of gene expression and illustrates, in selected systems, the interactions between genes and environmental stress that underlie adaptive responses.

While the subject of environmental stress in animals is broad, the available information is fragmentary and lacks an up-to-date overview and analysis. Environmental Stress and Cellular Response in Arthropods fills these knowledge gaps. Written by three experts from the same institution, the chapters have a consistency not often found in mult

New Horizons in Health discusses how the National Institutes of Health (NIH) can integrate research in the social, behavioral, and biomedical sciences to better understand the causes of disease as well as interventions that promote health. It outlines a set of research priorities for consideration by the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR), with particular attention to research that can support and complement the work of the National Institutes of Health. By addressing the range of interactions among social settings, behavioral patterns, and important health concerns, it highlights areas of scientific opportunity where significant investment is most likely to improve nationalâ€"and globalâ€"health outcomes. These opportunities will apply the knowledge and methods of the behavioral and social sciences to contemporary health needs, and give attention to the chief health concerns of the general public.