Chromatin: Structure and Function

by Alan P. Wolffe

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780080926605
Publisher:	Elsevier Science & Technology Books
Publication date:	12/02/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	456
File size:	8 MB

About the Author

Alan P. Wolffe is Chief of the Laboratory of Molecular Embryology and of the Section on Molecular Biology at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. He was educated in the UK, studying biochemistry at Oxford and completing graduate research with the Medical Research Council in London before moving to the United States. After a post-doctoral fellowship funded by the European Molecular Biology Organization at the Carnegie Institution of Washington, Dr. Wolffe joined the National Institutes of Health in 1988. His research interests include the earliest events in vertebrate development, with respect to the mechanisms through which nucleic acid binding proteins influence gene expression.

Table of Contents

Chromatic StructureChromatin and Nuclear AssemblyHow do Nuclear Processes Occur in Chromatin?Future Prospects

Editorial Reviews

4 Stars! from Doody

For almost a decade, this book has been the standard reference on chromatin structure and function. Advances in our understanding of chromatin have been rapid, and as a result, the literature has often been chaotic and conflicted. "In all of the editions, this book has served as an easy to read, reliable guide to the complexities of chromatin. In this third edition the author brings together the advances of the last three years and integrates these discoveries with what is already known in this field. "This book is intended for researchers interested in chromatin, including graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, bench scientists, and clinicians. It could also be used as a teaching resource in advanced undergraduate and graduate courses in biochemistry, cell biology, and molecular biology. "As in previous editions, the author begins with an overview of chromatin structure and function and in subsequent sections focuses on structure, assembly, and the functional organization of chromatin. In the last section he examines work on short and long range chromatin organization and the future development of this area. This edition contains significant revisions to several sections including chromatin remodeling, nuclear compartmentalization, and DNA methylation. The newly discovered role of transcriptional coactivators and repressors on historic modification is covered, which in turn affects gene expression. The recent solution of the crystal structure of the nucleosome core is also discussed. This book has been extensively rewritten; together with the addition of 60 new illustrations, this is almost a new book instead of a new edition. "The book is readable, well organized, andup-to-date. It is an excellent tool that deserves wide circulation.

Michael Cummings

...an excellent book, easy to read and full of new ideas, concepts and elements for future researches.

Cellular and Molecular Biology

...does an excellent job of highlighting specific unresolved questions. One can literally pick a page at random and be almost certain to find mention of a specific question that is worthy of future study. Ohter valualbe aspects of the book include its clear focus on important biological questions and Wolffe's astonishing command of the literature. These aspects make the book particularly valuable for several distinct groups of readers. —Cell

J. Widom

Introduces scientists at the advanced undergraduate level and above to the basic structural matrix of the eukaryotic chromosome, and the features of its structure and function that through light on the mechanisms of gene regulation and the replication and recombination of DNA in higher organisms. The second edition seems to have been published about three years ago. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

"...an excellent book, easy to read and full of new ideas, concepts and elements for future researches." —CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY, 2001

"...does an excellent job of highlighting specific unresolved questions. One can literally pick a page at random and be almost certain to find mention of a specific question that is worthy of future study. Ohter valualbe aspects of the book include its clear focus on important biological questions and Wolffe's astonishing command of the literature. These aspects make the book particularly valuable for several distinct groups of readers." —J.Widom, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, in CELL

Praise for Previous Editions
"...this volume should prove invaluable in encouraging interested students to delve deeper in to the mysteries of chromatin and so entice a new generation of talent into this exciting field." —BIOESSAYS

"It has scope, depth, and balance in interpreting a complex and often conflicting literature. It is a very fine job!" —VINCENT G. ALLFREY

"...Presented in a coherent and integrated manner... a well-constructed and enjoyable text to read. It should prove to be a valuable aid to teaching." —HEREDITY

"...Carefully constructed and both easy and enjoyable to read. The layout is excellent, with nicely balanced sections, ...headed by immediately informative subtitles and rounded off with a short yet decisive summary emphasizing the most important points. ...an ideal starting point for any appropriate advanced undergraduate course or for graduates wishing to delve more deeply into the mysteries of chromatin structure and function." —TRENDS IN CELL BIOLOGY

From the Publisher

Reviewer: Michael Cummings, PhD (University of Illinois at Chicago)
Description: For almost a decade, this book has been the standard reference on chromatin structure and function. Advances in our understanding of chromatin have been rapid, and as a result, the literature has often been chaotic and conflicted.
Purpose: In all of the editions, this book has served as an easy to read, reliable guide to the complexities of chromatin. In this third edition the author brings together the advances of the last three years and integrates these discoveries with what is already known in this field.
Audience: This book is intended for researchers interested in chromatin, including graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, bench scientists, and clinicians. It could also be used as a teaching resource in advanced undergraduate and graduate courses in biochemistry, cell biology, and molecular biology.
Features: As in previous editions, the author begins with an overview of chromatin structure and function and in subsequent sections focuses on structure, assembly, and the functional organization of chromatin. In the last section he examines work on short and long range chromatin organization and the future development of this area. This edition contains significant revisions to several sections including chromatin remodeling, nuclear compartmentalization, and DNA methylation. The newly discovered role of transcriptional coactivators and repressors on historic modification is covered, which in turn affects gene expression. The recent solution of the crystal structure of the nucleosome core is also discussed. This book has been extensively rewritten; together with the addition of 60 new illustrations, this is almost a new book instead of a new edition.
Assessment: The book is readable, well organized, and up-to-date. It is an excellent tool that deserves wide circulation.

Doody's Review Service