Homology Effects

Homology Effects offers contributions from an international panel of researchers whose aim has been both to introduce newcomers to the field of homology effects, and to bring colleagues up to date. Topic coverage includes dosage compensation, X-inactivation, imprinting, paramutation, homology-dependent gene silencing, transvection, pairing-sensitive silencing, nuclear organization of chromosomes, DNA repair, quelling, RIP, RNAi and antisense biology, homology effects in ciliates, prion biology, and a discourse on the evolution of gene duplications.

Advances in Genetics presents an eclectic mix of articles of use to all human and molecular geneticists. They are written and edited by recognized leaders in the field and make this an essential series of books for anyone in the genetics field.

• Homology, the examination of similarity due to shared common ancestry, encompasses a fascinating class of phenomena in mammals, plants, insects, ciliates, nematodes, fungi, and bacteria. Homology effects concern processes that recognize homology at the level of DNA and/or RNA, as well as at the level of protein. Their collective history begins at the turn of the century and includes some of the most puzzling and extraordinary observations in biology. The volume covers phenomena that have often been considered unusual, exceptional to the rule, and "out of the ordinary" and, therefore, not for general study. However, it is now becoming clear that taken together, these phenomena represent a class of regulatory mechanisms that are widespread, as well as exceptionally powerful.

The collective history of homology effects begins at the turn of the century and includes some of the most puzzling and extraordinary observations in biology. Homology Effects describes a fascinating class of phenomena found in mammals, plants, insects, ciliates, nematodes, fungi, and bacteria, including processes at the DNA and/or RNA level as well as at the protein level. Contributions from an international panel of researchers aim both to introduce newcomers to the field of homology effects and to bring their colleagues up to date. Topics include dosage compensation in Drosophila, X-inactivation in mammals, imprinting in mammals and plants, paramutation and homology-dependent gene silencing in plants, trasvection and pairing-sensitive silencing in Drosophila, chromosome organization in fungi, DNA repair in Drosophila, quelling and RIP in fungi, RNAi in namatodes, homology-dependent effects in ciliates, antisense RNA in bacteria, prion biology, and a discourse on the evolution of gene duplications.