Encyclopedia of Life Sciences (ELS) - What's New
WHAT'S NEW
The Encyclopedia of Life Sciences (ELS) features over 4,600 specially commissioned, peer-reviewed and citable articles spanning the entire spectrum of the life sciences. It is an essential read for life scientists and a valued resource for undergraduates, graduate students and researchers. ELS articles are written by leaders in the field to provide comprehensive and authoritative coverage of each subject area. ELS is updated by approximately 400 articles per year, new articles publishing on a monthly basis. Take a guided tour by visiting our online tutorial.
ELS was updated with 34 new articles on 17th June 2010. To browse the abstracts, click on the article titles below.
BIOCHEMISTRY
CELL BIOLOGY
Protein Folding and Chaperones
DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
Heart Development: Gene Control
Photoreceptor Cell Development Regulation
ECOLOGY
GENETICS AND DISEASE
Genetic Susceptibility to Autoimmune Disorders
Genetics of Athletic Performance
MicroRNAs in Cardiovascular Disease
Small Silencing RNAs and Gene Therapy
IMMUNOLOGY
Antibiotic Molecules: Intracellular
Dendritic Cells (T-lymphocyte Stimulating)
Endothelial Cells: Immunological Aspects
Immunological Discrimination between Self and Nonself
Immunology of Invertebrates: Humoral
NEUROSCIENCE
Aggression and Criminal Behaviour
Animal Models of Human Behaviour
Motor Neurons and Spinal Control of Movement
PLANT SCIENCE
Plant Chloroplasts and Other Plastids
Plant Exocytosis, Endocytosis and Membrane Recycling in Turgid Cells
Plant- Fungal Interactions in Mycorrhizas
STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY
Helical Imperative: Paradigm of Growth, Form and Function
Protein Motifs for DNA Binding
VIROLOGY
Bacteriophages: Lipid-containing
RECENTLY ON WHAT'S NEW
Research Suggests Australia’s Marsupials Came from the Americas
Australia's marsupials appear to share a common ancestor that migrated from the Americas, according to research published in the Public Library of Science (PLoS) Biology journal.
A team from the University of Muenster in Germany has analysed the recently sequenced genomes of two marsupials, the grey short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis domestica) from South America, and the Australian tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii), screening for retroposons. Results suggest the American opossum separated from the main lineage first, and that the ancestors of today's Australian marsupials then migrated from America.
Read more about the marsupial genome in Evolution and Characteristics of the Opossum Genome. Find out more about transposons, retroposons and retrotransposons in Transposons. Discover what genome analysis can tell us about the evolution of mammals in Genome Analysis of the Platypus.
New Articles Added to ELS in June 2010
ELS was updated with 34 new articles on 17th June 2010. New ELS articles are published on a monthly basis. For more information on the latest additions, click on the title above. Read moreFocus on Neuroscience
Wiley-Blackwell has published 29 articles in the ELS Neuroscience section in the last year, expanding the section to 284 articles, of which 81 include updates.
p>Professor Irwin B Levitan, Chair of the Department of Neurosciences at Thomas Jefferson University and Director of the Farber Institute for Neurosciences, is ELS's Scientific Editor for Neuroscience. He leads a team of three Editorial Advisors: Drs Tanya Ferguson (Temple University), Minghong Ma (University of Pennsylvania) and David J Perkel (University of Washington).
As cognitive neuroscience continues to develop and excite neuroscientists around the world, Professor Levitan and team have been keen to add or update articles in this area. Recent examples include Sleep and Memory, Memory: Mechanisms Other than LTP, and Learning Disorders: Beyond Dyslexia.
The team has also worked to expand and update coverage on neurological disorders and diseases, reflecting ongoing work by scientists to understand the neural bases of, for example, Bell's Palsy, Epilepsy, Frontotemporal Dementia (Pick Disease), Movement Disorders, and Multiple Sclerosis. See also the article on Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis featured on this homepage.
With an archive of peer-reviewed content developed over ten years, the ELS Neuroscience section covers much of this broad field, spanning behavioural, developmental and cognitive neuroscience, neuroimaging and neurology. There are Introductory articles aimed at junior undergraduates and Advanced papers for senior undergraduates, graduate students and researchers reading outside their field of expertise. As such, ELS is a comprehensive reference work for all scientists interested in Neuroscience.
Eating Nuts May Lower Cholesterol
Researchers from Loma Linda University in the USA recently published a review, in Archives of Internal Medicine, suggesting that eating nuts may lower cholesterol levels. The team believes the nuts may help prevent the absorption of cholesterol. Read more about cholesterol management in ELS articles Cholesterol-lowering Agents and their Use and Cholesterol Metabolism and Vascular Disease.Yvette Latchman Joins Advisory Team for Immunology
We are delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Yvette Latchman as Editorial Advisory Board Member for Immunology.
Dr Latchman is based at the Puget Sound Blood Center in Seattle and is Adjunct Assistant Professor of Immunology at the University of Washington. Her laboratory focuses on the role of co-stimulatory pathways in autoimmunity and tumor immunity. In particular, her team is investigating negative pathways and anti-tumour response, and the function of the SLAM family members.
Dr Latchman received her PhD in Immunology from University College London in 1996. Her postdoctoral training was at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School (ICSM), London, and the Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston.
New Editorial Advisory Board Member for Biochemistry
ELS is delighted to announce the appointment of Professor Volker Dötsch as Editorial Advisory Board member for the Biochemistry Section.
Professor Dötsch has been a Professor in Biophysical Chemistry at the University of Frankfurt since 2003. He previously held the post of Assistant Professor at the University of California San Francisco from 1998 to 2003.
Professor Dötsch's lab is currently working on projects involving structural and functional characterization of members of the p53 tumor suppressor family, in particular p63, of domain-domain interactions in non-ribosomal peptid synthetases and of membrane proteins such as presenilin. The main techniques are liquid state NMR spectroscopy, In-cell NMR and Cell-free expression of membrane proteins. He is the author of over 60 publications.
Alessandro Finazzi Agrò appointed Scientific Editor for Biochemistry
ELS is delighted to announce the appointment of Professor Alessandro Finazzi Agrò as Scientific Editor for the Biochemistry Section.
Dr Finazzi Agrò (MD, PhD) has been Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Rome ‘Tor Vergata’ since 1984, where he has also served as Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Rector. He is author of more than 200 papers, mainly on the physicochemical properties of redox metalloproteins, on the physiological role of hydrogen peroxide and on the biochemistry of endocannabinoids.
Professor Finazzi Agrò previously held posts in Applied Biochemistry at the University of Cagliari, in Molecular Biology at the University of L’Aquila and in Biochemistry at Rome’s ‘La Sapienza’ university . He has worked as a visiting scientist at Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill (N.J.,USA) and at the Royal Marsden Hospital (Sutton,UK).
UK’s Home Office Limits DNA Record Retention for the Innocent to Six Years
The UK's Home Office has announced it will not keep the DNA records of most innocent people arrested in England, Wales and Northern Ireland for more than six years. An estimated 850,000 people who have never been charged with an offence have their DNA records stored in the UK's national database. In 2008, the European Court of Human Rights challenged the practice of retaining DNA records for those who had been arrested but never charged of an offence. Last year 17,614 offences were prosecuted in the UK using a DNA match. Find out more about the role of genetic databanks both for crime prevention and in research. Read articles on DNA databanks and genomics research: forensic and military (ab)uses and Stored Genetic Material: Use in Research in the United Kingdom.Science and Society within ELS
Science and Society is the largest single section in ELS. It covers both the history and philosophy of the life sciences, as well as the rapidly developing field of bioethics. These latter articles in particular are regularly updated, as new knowledge and technologies throw up ethical and legal ramifications.
A new keynote article examines the uses and abuses of DNA databanks and genomics research in both its legal and military contexts: DNA databanks and genomics research: forensic and military (ab)uses. Other recently updated bioethics articles include: Newborn Screening Programs; the regulation of insurance in relation to genetic knowledge: Insurance and Human Genetics: Approaches to Regulation and Patent Issues in Biotechnology.
Genetics gets its fair share of historical coverage, too, with a biography of the American pioneer of clinical genetics, Victor McKusick (himself a twin), and a history of the John Innes Centre in Norwich, UK, a centre of plant-breeding and agricultural genetics since its foundation in 1910.
Other major historical articles include a survey of the History of Neuroscience; and a History of the Optical Microscope in Cell Biology and Medicine.
Science never exists in a social or cultural vacuum, and the extensive coverage of this field in ELS reflects the commitment of the publishers and the editorial team to keep this important dimension of the life sciences up-to-date and vibrant.
From the depths of the ocean to outer space …
Over 300 articles have been published in the Microbiology section of ELS and a number of these deal with those microorganisms which have an ability to thrive in extreme habitats: from hypersaline lakes to alkaline ones, and hydrothermal vents to the cold deep ocean. The unique biochemical features of each has important potential for exploitation in biotechnological industries. Read more: Extremophiles and Biotechnology. The applications of Alkaliphiles (extremophiles that thrive in alkaline environments with a pH of 9 to 11) have been investigated extensively and several enzymes have been put to use on an industrial scale.
Furthermore, research on Piezophiles (which have their maximum rate of growth at a high pressure) offers the best opportunity, not only for learning about biochemical and molecular biological adaptations essential for all life in the deep sea, but also possibly in extraterrestrial settings.
HIV Vaccine Approaches
On 24th September 2009, the phase 3 RV144 trial of two vaccine candidates used in a prime-boost combination in Thailand reported the most positive results yet seen for an HIV vaccine. The combination of a live recombinant canary pox vector containing three HIV genes followed by a boost with recombinant HIV glycoproteins appears to show real promise. The trial involved 16,294 people, split between vaccine and placebo groups. The results show a clear reduction in HIV infection in the vaccinated group during a three year period.
In the treated group, 51 of 8,197 people became infected with HIV during the following three years, against 74 in the placebo group (who received an inert placebo instead of the vaccine). This 31.2% decrease in infections represents the best result yet for an HIV vaccine. Serious issues remain, since the reduction in infection was less than a third and those vaccine recipients who did become infected showed no apparent reduction in virus levels. The outcome is not ideal, but does represent a major step forward in the quest for effective vaccination against HIV.
In HIV Vaccine Approaches, a timely review of the field, McKnight and Pennington have produced an informed and detailed review for the Encyclopedia of Life Sciences which sets this achievement against the backdrop of previous efforts and the wide range of techniques that have been used in an attempt to control this most elusive of viruses. The article provides a full background to this latest result, placing it in context and providing the information needed to understand just what has been achieved.
Non-Coding DNA
In a recent paper, published in Genome Research, researchers have provided evidence for the human specific evolution of three novel genes arising from non-coding ancestral regions of primate DNA. Whilst their protein functions currently remain unknown, it is hoped that further investigation will provide clues into what makes humans unique to other species.
A significant amount of non-coding DNA has been shown to be highly conserved through millions of years of evolution suggesting that this DNA, previously regarded as 'Junk DNA', also contains large amounts of functional regulatory elements.
ELS reviews, written by leaders in the field, provide an array of fascinating insights into the phenomenon of non-coding DNA. See articles on Evolutionary Conserved Noncoding DNA, The Biological Significance of Conserved Nongenic DNA, Human-specific Accelerated Evolution of Noncoding Sequences, and Ultraconserved DNA Sequence Elements in the Human Genome.
José M Valpuesta appointed Scientific Editor for Structural Biology
ELS is delighted to announce the appointment of Dr José Valpuesta as Scientific Editor for the Structural Biology section.
Dr Valpuesta is Director of the National Centre for Biotechnology in Madrid where his research, for a number of years, has focused on the structural and functional characterisation of large macromolecular complexes, and in particular of molecular chaperones, using as main tools electron microscopy and image processing techniques. He has been President of the Spanish Microscopy Society since 2005, and has taught in several universities in Spain.
Dr Valpuesta obtained his PhD in Biological Sciences from the University of the Basque Country and took a post-doctoral placement at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge. He is author of over 100 scholarly articles and has recently published a history of molecular biology "A la Búsqueda del Secreto de la Vida: Una Breve Historia de la Biología Molecular" (2008 Madrid, Hélice).
Genome-Wide Association Studies
Citations to primary research papers using new technologies to identify specific mutations in complex diseases are at an all time high. In a series of related reviews, ELS authors explain how advances in genomic resources, genotyping technologies and statistical tools have led to increased activity in this research front. Read articles on Genome Wide Association Studies, Molecular Genetics of Autism, Molecular Genetics of Crohns Disease and Genotype-Phenotype RelationshipsCervical Cancer: Vaccines and Viruses
As debate continues over the merits of providing cervical cancer screening for women under 25 and over 50, ELS subscribers can find out more about the human papillomaviruses (HPVs) associated with cervical cancer in Dr Neil Christensen's article Papillomaviruses. The article explains how HPVs assemble in the nucleus of the infected cell and outlines the differences between the DNA of HPVs considered high-risk for cervical cancer, and that of low-risk HPV types. It describes the progress that has been made to determine the DNA sequence of nearly 200 human and animal papillomaviruses, and the viral proteins associated with oncogenesis. It also looks at HPV infection and disease controls, ranging from prevention (vaccines), to early detection (PAP smear testing) and ablative pre-cancer treatments. For further reading on antigen-specific immunotherapies and the protection from cervical cancer offered by candidate prophylactic HPV vaccines, see Tumours: Immunotherapy and Antiviral Drugs. For a summary of the social and ethical issues surrounding screening programmes, see Genetic Screening Programmes.Cancer Stem Cells
There is growing evidence that tumours display a hierarchy similar to normal tissues. A small population of cancer stem cells is supposed to perpetuate tumour growth. These cells self-renew and are highly tumourigenic upon injection into immunocompromised animals, yielding tumours largely identical to those from which they were derived. In a recent article, Jiri Hatana and Wolfgang Shultz describe how a number of tumours with tumour stem cells have now been identified, including tumours derived from breast, brain, colon and prostate cancers, as well as leukaemias. Read moreInfluenza
Want to find out accurate scientific information on influenza viruses, epidemics, and antivirals? A wealth of information can be found by searching ELS. Read articles on Influenza Viruses, Influenza Epidemics, Avian Influenza Viruses, Antiviral Drugs, RNA Virus Genomes, and Pathogenic Viruses: Clinical Detection.Focus on Genes & Disease
Wiley has published over 41 new articles in the Genes and Disease section over the last 12 months. There are now some 394 ELS articles devoted to Genes & Disease.
David N. Cooper, from the Cardiff University School of Medicine (UK) edits the Genes and Disease Section and leads a team of four Editorial Advisors: Hildegard Kehrer-Sawatzki from the Universität Ulm (Germany), Michael Krawczak from the Universität Kiel (Germany), Jian-Min Chen from the Université de Bretagne Occidentale, Brest (France), and Meena Upadhyaya from Cardiff University (UK).
The Section Editor and his team have introduced a wide range of new and exciting topics to the Genes & Disease section, while systematically updating the comprehensive base of essential material. The focus has however been placed on the molecular genetics of specific diseases or groups of diseases, mechanisms of mutagenesis, disease mechanisms, the genotype-phenotype relationship, analytical techniques and approaches, and gene therapy. With the aim of emphasising the very latest advances in this subject area (for example, the relevance of copy number variation or small non-coding RNAs to our understanding of genetic disease), new contributions have been solicited from human geneticists at the cutting edge of their disciplines.
Recent article titles have included Molecular Genetics of Autism, Genome-wide Association Studies, Genetics of Alzheimer Disease, Non-coding RNAs in Biology and Disease, Molecular Genetics of Susceptibility to Coronary Heart Disease, among others.
ELS represents an important source of information on the molecular genetics of inherited disease and cancer. Articles provide an excellent and uniquely comprehensive overview of each topic. Some articles are intended to be introductory, others are overviews that address topics of broad interest and importance, while still others focus on quite specialized topics. Each article is richly supplied with website information to allow access to relevant data sources over the internet.
Professor Cooper and his editorial advisors are excited by the potential of ELS to disseminate the very latest information on the molecular genetics of inherited and acquired disease in an easily accessible form. It is hoped that this will provide a navigational aid for those exploring the subject, whether amateur or professional, novice or expert, thereby promoting a much better public understanding of the molecular basis of inherited disease and cancer.
Ecology Advances
Ecology is advancing rapidly, as a number of new ELS articles show. We are gaining a better understanding of the many ways in which organisms interact in ecosystems, including the effects of predators, parasites and pathogens (1, 2). Species may also transform entire ecosystems by their actions, from elephants uprooting trees to the soil-creating labour of earth worms. One article describes the consequences of such ecosystem engineers (3). Ecology, meanwhile, has become a truly interdisciplinary science. Biochemistry and physiology are vital for the field of "biological stoichiometry" (4), which considers how organisms use energy and elements to grow, reproduce and maintain themselves. Progress in genetics has opened new perspectives for ecological studies, as described in an article on "ecological genetics" (5). Large-scale ecological patterns and processes are the focus in the new field of "macroecology" (6) which addresses questions such as why the number of species and individuals varies across the globe and borrows methods and concepts from geography. Humans are rapidly changing the biosphere in numerous ways (7). The flora and fauna of different regions, for example, are becoming increasingly similar, as species unique to specific regions become extinct, while other species are moved to new areas, intentionally or by accident (8). Ecology considers ways to reduce the impact of humans, as described in articles on restoration of terrestrial communities (9) and on sustainable harvesting of alternative species, for instance, through hunting and fishing (10).Asthma: Genetics
Asthma affects around 155 million individuals worldwide. Environmental factors contribute to disease progress, but genetic factors are also now being identified. Scientists are using this information to improve disease taxonomy and diagnosis. In this article, Saffron Willis-Owen describes the identification of genes contributing to asthma brought about by recent improvements using genotyping technology. She also considers the correlation between the development of asthma and simultaneous development of other atopic diseases such as eczema and allergic rhinitis. Read moreSEARCH ELS
