Encyclopedia of Molecular Biology, 4 Volume Set (Wiley Biotechnology Encyclopedias)

Description

The Wiley Biotechnology Encyclopedias composed of the ‘‘Encyclopedia of Molecular Biology’’, the ‘‘Encyclopedia of Bioprocess Technology: Fermentation, Biocatalysis, and Bioseparation’’, the ‘‘Encyclopedia of Cell Technology’’, and the ‘‘Encyclopedia of Ethical, Legal, and Policy Issues in Biotechnology’’, cover very broadly four major contemporary themes in biotechnology. The series comes at a fascinating time in that as we move into the twenty-first century, the discipline of biotechnology is undergoing striking paradigm changes.Biotechnology is now beginning to be viewed as an informational science. In a simplistic sense, there are three types of biological information:- First, there is the digital or linear information of our chromosomes and genes, with the four-letter alphabet composed of G, C, A, and T (the bases Guanine, Cytosine, Adenine, and Thymine). Variation in the order of these letters in the digital strings of our chromosomes or our expressed genes (or mRNAs) generates information of several distinct types: genes, regulatory machinery, and information that enables chromosomes to carry out their tasks as informational organelles (eg, centromeric and telomeric sequences).- Second, there is the three-dimensional information of proteins, the molecular machines of life.- The third type of biological information arises from complex biological systems and networks.This ‘‘Encyclopedia of Molecular Biology’’ is a valuable resource for undergraduates, graduate students and researchers.