MicroRNAs: Important Epigenetic Regulators in Osteoarthritis

Author(s): Tomasz Trzeciak and Malwina Czarny-RatajczakPages 481-484 (4) Abstract: Multiple mechanisms are implicated in the development of primary osteoarthritis (OA), in which genetic and epigenetic factors appear to interact with environmental factors and age to initiate the disease and stimulate its progression. Changes in expression of microRNAs (miRs) contribute to development of osteoarthritis. Numerous miRs are involved in cartilage development, homeostasis and degradation through targeting genes expressed in this tissue. An important...

Read More

Changing Faces of Transcriptional Regulation Reflected by Zic3

Author(s): Cecilia Lanny Winata, Igor Kondrychyn and Vladimir KorzhPages 117-127 (11) Abstract: The advent of genomics in the study of developmental mechanisms has brought a trove of information on gene datasets and regulation during development, where the Zic family of zinc-finger proteins plays an important role. Genomic analysis of the modes of action of Zic3 in pluripotent cells demonstrated its requirement for maintenance of stem cells...

Read More

RNA Silencing in Plants: Mechanisms, Technologies and Applications in Horticultural Crops

Author(s): Qigao Guo, Qing Liu, Neil A. Smith, Guolu Liang and Ming-Bo WangPages 1-14 (14) Abstract: Understanding the fundamental nature of a molecular process or a biological pathway is often a catalyst for the development of new technologies in biology. Indeed, studies from late 1990s to early 2000s have uncovered multiple overlapping but functionally distinct RNA silencing pathways in plants, including the posttranscriptional microRNA and small interfering RNA pathways and the transcriptional RNA-directed DNA methylation pathway. These findings...

Read More

Genome-assisted Breeding For Drought Resistance

Author(s): Awais Khan, Valpuri Sovero and Dorcus GemenetPages 330-342 (13) Abstract: Drought stress caused by unpredictable precipitation poses a major threat to food production worldwide, and its impact is only expected to increase with the further onset of climate change. Understanding the effect of drought stress on crops and plants' response is critical for developing improved varieties with stable high yield to fill a growing food gap from...

Read More

Exploring Genetic Diversity in Plants Using High-Throughput Sequencing Techniques

Author(s): Yoshihiko Onda and Keiichi MochidaPages 358-367 (10) Abstract: Food security has emerged as an urgent concern because of the rising world population. To meet the food demands of the near future, it is required to improve the productivity of various crops, not just of staple food crops. The genetic diversity among plant populations in a given species allows the plants to adapt to various environmental conditions. Such diversity could...

Read More