The Structure And Function Of Chromatin

Contemporary views on the structure and function of chromatin are presented and the history of the development of these ideas as well as the nature of the nucleic acid and protein components of chromatin are reviewed. The structure of chromatin is studied at several levels, and its modes of transcription and replication are analyzed. Chromatin provides researchers with a critical evaluation of current knowledge. It combines much information that has never before been assembled, and evaluates and interrelates it in a critical way. This has not been done before so that readers are not only provided with an overview, but with extensive references to the literature (there are about 2000 references in all).

The Novartis Foundation Series is a popular collection of the proceedings from Novartis Foundation Symposia, in which groups of leading scientists from a range of topics across biology, chemistry and medicine assembled to present papers and discuss results. The Novartis Foundation, originally known as the Ciba Foundation, is well known to scientists and clinicians around the world.

The Third Edition of Chromatin: Structure and Function brings the reader up-to-date with the remarkable progress in chromatin research over the past three years. It has been extensively rewritten to cover new material on chromatin remodeling, histone modification, nuclear compartmentalization, DNA methylation, and transcriptional co-activators and co-repressors. The book is written in a clear and concise fashion, with 60 new illustrations. Chromatin: Structure and Function provides the reader with a concise and coherent account of the nature, structure, and assembly of chromatin and its active involvement in the processes of DNA transcription, replication and repair. This book consistently interrelates the structure of eukaryotic DNA with the nuclear processes it undergoes, and will be essential reading for students and molecular biologists who want to really understand how DNA works. Written in a clear and concise fashion Includes 60 new illustrations Extensively rewritten Brings the reader up-to-date with the remarkable progress in chromatin research over the past three years.

​​​​​​​​​​​​​While there has been an increasing number of books on various aspects of epigenetics, there has been a gap over the years in books that provide a comprehensive understanding of the fundamentals of chromatin. ​Chromatin is the combination of DNA and proteins that make up the genetic material of chromosomes. Its primary function is to package DNA to fit into the cell, to strengthen the DNA to prevent damage, to allow mitosis and meiosis, and to control the expression of genes and DNA replication. The audience for this book is mainly newly established scientists ​and graduate students. Rather than going into the more specific areas of recent research on chromatin the chapters in this book give a strong, updated groundwork about the topic. Some the fundamentals that this book will cover include the structure of chromatin and biochemistry and the enzyme complexes that manage it.

This volume is the second part of the book on "Chromatin Structure and Function", which resulted from a NATO-Advanced Study Institute held at Erice during April 1978. In addition to giving an updated and detailed description of various levels of chromatin organization, i. e. octamers, nucleosomes, multimers, solenoid and higher order fibers (including the most recent, yet unpublished, findings), it focuses, in a tutorial and organic format, on the possible mechanisms controlling transcription and on the basic biological phenomena (either genetic or epigenetic) related to cell aging, cell cycle, differentiation, transformation and chemical carcinogenesis. The most significant (sometime spirite~ discussion sessions have been included at the end of every section. Their clarifying nature is further supported by the final section (V), which summarizes and reviews the current state of the art on the genetic apparatus and its constituents. All chapters have selected up-to-date references; quite a few have an extensive bibliography both in terms of basic reference books and most recent findings. A few chapters, dealing at the level of intact cell and/or in classical genetic terms, with aging, differentiation and neoplastic transformation, have been included to furnish a more comprehensive view of fundamental cell functions directly and indirectly related to the structure and function of the genetic apparatus. At the same time it is hoped that interested students and investigators will find in the chapters of this volume the necessary and stimulating introduction to the wide variety of fundamental mechanism and phenomena occurring in higher eukaryotes.

This open access textbook leads the reader from basic concepts of chromatin structure and function and RNA mechanisms to the understanding of epigenetics, imprinting, regeneration and reprogramming. The textbook treats epigenetic phenomena in animals, as well as plants. Written by four internationally known experts and senior lecturers in this field, it provides a valuable tool for Master- and PhD- students who need to comprehend the principles of epigenetics, or wish to gain a deeper knowledge in this field. After reading this book, the student will: Have an understanding of the basic toolbox of epigenetic regulation Know how genetic and epigenetic information layers are interconnected Be able to explain complex epigenetic phenomena by understanding the structures and principles of the underlying molecular mechanisms Understand how misregulated epigenetic mechanisms can lead to disease