Non-Coding RNAs and Epigenetic Regulation of Gene Expression : Drivers of Natural Selection

Non-coding RNAs potentially play an active role in modulating gene transcription and epigenetic states. Several genes in differentiated cells may be under some form of RNA based transcriptional and epigenetic regulatory control. This form of regulation may be controlled by selective pressures and influence the adaptability of the cell. The concept that RNA can control epigenetic states impacts on our understanding of the basic fabric of the cell and may have therapeutic potential. Many studies have been carried out on the modulation of gene transcription by non-coding RNAs. This book, written by a group of distinguished scientists under the expert guidance of the editor Kevin V. Morris, represents an important overview and summary of the field to date. The thirteen chapters are organized into three sections: Non-coding RNAs: Form, Function and Diversity; Non-coding RNAs: Gene Regulation and Epigenetics; and Non-coding RNAs: Disease and Therapeutics. This up-to-date volume is an essential book for those working in the area and represents a major information resource on current research in the fast-moving fields of epigenetics, the regulation of gene expression, and RNA research. For scientists in other fields it provides a valuable insight into this important and fascinating area of molecular biology.