Nonsense-Mediated mRNA Decay is the first book devoted to nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD). The rationale for such a book is the enormous information that studies of NMD have provided on the intricacies of post-transcriptional gene expression. The first five sections of the book are divided according to organism and begin with chapters on S. cerevisiae and mammals, from which most NMD data derive. Chapters within these sections discuss the two basic ways cells differentiate between a termination codon that elicits NMD and one that does not. Nonsense-Mediated mRNA Decay makes clear that studies of NMD provide a unique opportunity to examine the coupling of mRNA translation and decay, and relationships between mRNP structure and function. The importance of NMD is evident from descriptions of its influence on the expression of genes that are essential for many cellular processes, including cell differentiation, cell maintenance and cell death. This book is, essentially, meant to be a one-stop source of information that fuels the fires of future experimentation.
Biography
Lynne E. Maquat Ph.D, is Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in Rochester, New York. She has studied nonsense-mediated mRNA decay since 1980, beginning with characterizations of patients having the hemolytic anemias ß°-thalassemia and triosephosphate isomerase deficiency. She is currently President of the RNA Society and member of the Public Information Committee of the American Society for Cell Biology.