Table of contents
August 2008 Vol 9 No 8
From the editors
p567 | doi:10.1038/nrg2421
Research Highlights
Transcriptomics: Digging deep with RNA-Seq | PDF (125 KB)
p568 | doi:10.1038/nrg2423
Development: Ticking off new segments | PDF (126 KB)
p569 | doi:10.1038/nrg2424
In brief
Gene regulation | Epigenetics | Evolution | Genomics | PDF (105 KB)
p569 | doi:10.1038/nrg2426
Small RNAs: Roundworm joins the piRNA club | PDF (152 KB)
p570 | doi:10.1038/nrg2418
Genomics: Chordate origins | PDF (129 KB)
p570 | doi:10.1038/nrg2419
In brief
Population genetics | Development | Functional genomics | PDF (100 KB)
p571 | doi:10.1038/nrg2427
Epigenetics: Getting to the roots of mammalian imprinting | PDF (169 KB)
p572 | doi:10.1038/nrg2422
Human disease: Keeping risk in the family | PDF (162 KB)
p572 | doi:10.1038/nrg2425
Comparative genomics: Lining up is hard to do | PDF (151 KB)
p573 | doi:10.1038/nrg2420
Progress
The environmental contribution to gene expression profiles
Greg Gibson
p575 | doi:10.1038/nrg2383
It is now feasible to dissect the influence of the environment on gene function in many species — a desirable goal from a biomedical, agricultural and evolutionary perspective. This article describes the progress made so far, and the analytical challenges to be overcome.
Reviews
Tuning gene expression to changing environments: from rapid responses to evolutionary adaptation
Luis López-Maury, Samuel Marguerat & Jürg Bähler
p583 | doi:10.1038/nrg2398
In contrast to growth control, gene expression responses to stress involve distinctive regulatory mechanisms that are characterized by high levels of noise. These features allow organisms to respond quickly to unpredictable environmental changes, and recent studies suggest that they also promote the evolvability of gene regulation.
There is an Erratum (January 2009) associated with this article.
DNA polymerases and human disease
Lawrence A. Loeb & Raymond J. Monnat, Jr
p594 | doi:10.1038/nrg2345
There are now 14 DNA polymerases in the human genome. This article explores the function of these molecules in replicating DNA, their regulation and involvement in disease, and how specific properties of each polymerase might be targeted for therapeutic ends.
Horizontal gene transfer in eukaryotic evolution
Patrick J. Keeling & Jeffrey D. Palmer
p605 | doi:10.1038/nrg2386
It is well known that prokaryotes regularly exchange genes by horizontal transfer, but there is increasing evidence that such processes also have an important role in eukaryotic evolution, although the extent of this differs widely between lineages.
Single-strand break repair and genetic disease
Keith W. Caldecott
p619 | doi:10.1038/nrg2380
Single-strand breaks are the most common type of DNA damage that arise in cells. Keith Caldecott discusses the molecular mechanisms and organization of the pathways that repair these lesions and the link between defects in these pathways and hereditary neurodegenerative disease.
The genetics of vertebrate myogenesis
Robert J. Bryson-Richardson & Peter D. Currie
p632 | doi:10.1038/nrg2369
Studies in the chick, mouse, zebrafish and other vertebrate model systems are beginning to uncover the complexities of skeletal muscle development. Distinct sets of precursor cells and various different gene regulatory networks are responsible for the spatial and temporal heterogeneity of the process.
