Table of contents
March 2007 Vol 8 No 3
From the editors
p165 | doi:10.1038/nrg2070
Research Highlights
Circadian genetics: Central government versus local control
p166 | doi:10.1038/nrg2073
Cancer genetics: Aneuploidy throws up a surprise
p167 | doi:10.1038/nrg2065
In brief
Evolution | Disease genetics | Genetic variation | Evolution
p167 | doi:10.1038/nrg2079
Gene regulation: Transcription and translation get together
p168 | doi:10.1038/nrg2069
Evolution: The genetic code sees off rivals
p168 | doi:10.1038/nrg2076
Evolution: Translation makes a difference
p169 | doi:10.1038/nrg2067
In brief
Chromosome biology | Mouse models | Development | Chromatin
p169 | doi:10.1038/nrg2080
RNA world: Minor RNA takes on major DNA
p170 | doi:10.1038/nrg2074
Epigenetics: 'Paternal' guidance
p170 | doi:10.1038/nrg2075
Evo-devo: Different means to the same end
p171 | doi:10.1038/nrg2068
In the news
New screening method boosts IVF success
p172 | doi:10.1038/nrg2078
Development: Notch mediates the sprouting of tip cells
p172 | doi:10.1038/nrg2081
Reviews
Strategies for silencing human disease using RNA interference
Daniel H. Kim and John J. Rossi
p173 | doi:10.1038/nrg2006
RNA interference is a potentially powerful therapeutic tool, and several clinical trials are already under way. A detailed mechanistic understanding is helping to optimize the efficacy and safety of RNAi-based treatments, and expanding delivery options promise to broaden its range of applications.
The co-evolutionary genetics of ecological communities
Michael J. Wade
p185 | doi:10.1038/nrg2031
The emerging field of community genetics integrates genetics and community ecology. Recently developed tools for studying the genetic bases of the co-adaptive process and co-speciation have the potential to revolutionize how co-evolution is studied, how genes are functionally annotated and how conservation genetics strategies are implemented.
The evolution of epidemic influenza
Martha I. Nelson and Edward C. Holmes
p196 | doi:10.1038/nrg2053
Genome sequencing, antigenic mapping and epidemiological modelling are enhancing our understanding of the evolution of human influenza virus. However, the full picture will require a genomic view of genetic diversity, including the acquisition of polymorphism data from within hosts and from diverse geographical regions.
The evolutionary significance of cis-regulatory mutations
Gregory A. Wray
p206 | doi:10.1038/nrg2063
It has long been thought that mutations in regulatory sequences contribute significantly to adaptive evolution, and now empirical evidence is starting to confirm this. But are there qualitative differences between the contributions of regulatory and coding mutations to phenotypic evolution?
Light-regulated transcriptional networks in higher plants
Yuling Jiao, On Sun Lau and Xing Wang Deng
p217 | doi:10.1038/nrg2049
Light influences plant development through extensive transcriptome remodelling. Recent genetic and genome-wide studies have identified crucial components of the hierarchies of transcription factors that control light-regulated transcriptional networks, providing insights into signal integration and the generation of organ-specific responses.
Perspectives
Essay
100 years on: a century of genetics
Jim M. Dunwell
p231 | doi:10.1038/nrg2064
The first conference on genetics was held by the Royal Horticultural Society in 1906. A close examination of how this event was organized and how genetic research was done at that time reveals many surprisingly familiar themes.
Opinion
Beyond standardization: dynamic software infrastructures for systems biology
Morris A. Swertz and Ritsert C. Jansen
p235 | doi:10.1038/nrg2048
Standardization and mass production have been invaluable in biological software, but what about accommodating the specific needs of different experiments? The authors propose a method for generating such customized software infrastructures from existing parts.