Details

Gene Silencing by Methyl-CpG-Binding Proteins (X. Nan, <i>et al.</i>). <p>DNA Methylation, Nucleosomes and the Inheritance of Chromatin Structure and Function (S. Kass & A. Wolffe).</p> <p>Heritable Chromatin States Induced by the Polycomb and Trithorax Group Genes (R. Paro, <i>et al.</i>).</p> <p>The Dynamics of Globin Gene Expression and Position Effects (F. Grosveld, <i>et al.</i>).</p> <p>Multiple Epigenetic Events Regulate Mating-Type Switching of Fission Yeast (A. Klar, <i>et al.</i>).</p> <p>Nuclear Organization and Silencing: Trafficking of Sir Proteins (S. Gasser, <i>et al.</i>).</p> <p>Epigenetic Mechanisms in the Regulation of the Maize <i>Suppressor=mutator</i> transposon (R. Raina, <i>et al.</i>).</p> <p>Transgene-Promoted Epigenetic Switches of Chalcone Synthase Activity in Petunia Plants (R. Flavell, <i>et al.</i>).</p> <p>Gene Silencing in Plants: Relevance for Genome Evolution and the Acquisition of Genomic Methylation Patterns (M. Matzke & A. Matzke).</p> <p>The Host Defence Function of Genomic Methylation Patterns (T. Bestor).</p> <p>Mammalian X Chromosome Inactivation (R. Jaenisch, <i>et al.</i>).</p> <p>Methylation Dynamics, Epigenetic Fidelity and X Chromosome Structure (A. Riggs, <i>et al.</i>).</p> <p>Imprinting and Gene Silencing in Mice and <i>Drosophila</i> (J. Brenton, <i>et al.</i>).</p> <p>Making Sense of Imprinting the Mouse and Human <i>IGF2R Loci</i> (A. Wutz, <i>et al.</i>).</p> <p>Imprinted Genes in the Prader-Willi Deletion (U. Francke).</p> <p>Summary (A. Wolffe).</p> <p>Indexes.</p>

<p><b>Derek J. Chadwick</b> and <b>Gail Cardew</b> are editors for <i>Epigenetics</i> and other scientific titles.</p>

Epigenetic phenomena are increasingly recognized as having significant economic and medical relevance. For instance, certain human disease syndromes may be due to the inheritance of paternal-specific patterns of gene activity that are largely independent of DNA sequence. This book both assesses our current understanding of the molecular mechanisms that direct epigenetic phenomena, and discusses how future work should not only provide solutions for biotechnologists and medical researchers who are seeking to express genes, but should also uncover new and so far unexplored areas of molecular and cell biology. The authors use our extensive knowledge of basic transcriptional control as a foundation to explore the more complex and interesting levels at which genes can be regulated. They discuss the role of chromosomal domains in gene silencing, the parameters that determine the activity of transgenes in plants and animals, the host defence mechanisms that protect organisms from the danger of integrating foreign DNA into their chromosome, and the importance of genomic imprinting in development and human disease.

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