2000 wurde eine erste Rohfassung der vollständigen Sequenz des menschlichen Genoms fertiggestellt. Damit ist ein Großteil der stofflichen Grundlage des menschlichen Lebens entschlüsselt. Dieses Ergebnis demonstriert in einzigartiger Weise die Fortschritte der moderneren Genomforschung, die in Zukunft einen weitreichenden Einfluss auf die Medizin und Gesellschaft haben werden, der sich für viele Menschen mit Hoffnungen aber auch Ängsten verbindet. Albert Jeltsch führt Chancen und Risiken der Genomforschung an.
DNA methyltransferases are important enzymes in a broad range of organisms. Dysfunction of DNA methyltransferases in humans leads to many severe diseases, including cancer. This book focuses on the biochemical properties of these enzymes, describing their structures and mechanisms in bacteria, humans and other species, including plants, and also explains the biological processes of reading of DNA methylation and DNA demethylation. It covers many emerging aspects of the biological roles of DNA methylation functioning as an essential epigenetic mark and describes the role of DNA methylation in diseases. Moreover, the book explains modern technologies, like targeted rewriting of DNA methylation by designed DNA methyltransferases, as well as technological applications of DNA methyltransferases in DNA labelling. Finally, the book summarizes recent methods for the analysis of DNA methylation in human DNA. Overall, this book represents a comprehensive state-of-the-art- work and is a must-havefor advanced researchers in the field of DNA methylation and epigenetics.
