| C. Elegans: Methods and Applications 2006 Edition Contributor(s): Strange, Kevin (Editor) |
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ISBN: 1588295974 ISBN-13: 9781588295972 Publisher: Humana OUR PRICE: $104.49 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: August 2006 Annotation: Nonmammalian model organisms have become a cornerstone of systems biology research. Like the Rosetta Stone, which enabled modern scholars to decode ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, model organisms enable biologists to decipher the genetic code underlying the complex physiological processes common to all life. C. elegans provides a particularly striking example of the experimental utility of model organisms. Genetic, molecular and systems biological characterization of this organism is greatly facilitated by its short life cycle and high rate reproduction, and by the ease with which it can be cultured in the laboratory. C. elegans also has a fully sequenced and well-annotated genome, which is assembled in readily accessible public databases along with virtually all other biological data on this organism. C. elegans: Methods and Applications aims to enhance the readily available methodologies for the study of C. elegans by providing overviews and concise, step-by-step descriptions of the most state-of-the-art methods currently being utilized in the field. Some of the methods presented include forward and reverse genetic analysis, data mining and comparative genomics strategies, electron and fluorescence microscopy methods, automated imaging methods for worm behavioral analysis, functional genomics strategies, and cutting-edge methods for physiological analyses. This comprehensive collection of methods, written by experts in the field, endeavors to serve as a roadmap for researchers, illustrating the type or research that is possible with C. elegans, and illuminating its potential as a vehicle for future discovery. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Science | Life Sciences - Biochemistry |
| Dewey: 572.812 |
| LCCN: 2006000939 |
| Series: Methods in Molecular Biology |
| Physical Information: 0.97" H x 6.32" W x 9.3" (1.37 lbs) 308 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Molecular biology has driven a powerful reductionist, or "molecule-c- tric," approach to biological research in the last half of the 20th century. Red- tionism is the attempt to explain complex phenomena by defining the functional properties of the individual components of the system. Bloom (1) has referred to the post-genome sequencing era as the end of "na ve reductionism. " Red- tionist methods will continue to be an essential element of all biological research efforts, but "na ve reductionism," the belief that reductionism alone can lead to a complete understanding of living organisms, is not tenable. Organisms are clearly much more than the sum of their parts, and the behavior of complex physiological processes cannot be understood simply by knowing how the parts work in isolation. Systems biology has emerged in the wake of genome sequencing as the s- cessor to reductionism (2-5). The "systems" of systems biology are defined over a wide span of complexity ranging from two macromolecules that interact to carry out a specific task to whole organisms. Systems biology is integrative and seeks to understand and predict the behavior or "emergent" properties of complex, multicomponent biological processes. A systems-level characteri- tion of a biological process addresses the following three main questions: (1) What are the parts of the system (i. e. |
