Cell Cycle Regulation
The cell cycle is tightly regulated on many different levels to ensure properly controlled proliferation. Deregulation of cell cycle regulation is a hallmark of cancer. In this book, many aspects of cell cycle regulation are discussed, which include G1, S, M phase control, ubiquitin-mediated degradation, DNA damage response, mitotic spindle checkpoint, the centrosome cycle, Retinoblastoma protein family, the Myc oncogene, and mouse models for tumor suppressors, cyclin-dependent kinases, and meiosis. These chapters written by experts provide an updated view on how the cell cycle is regulated in vivo and about the involvement of cell cycle regulators in cancer.
Breast cancer chemosensitivity
In Breast Cancer Chemosensitivity, a group of world leading experts review critical aspects of resistance to systemic therapy in breast cancer patients. Beginning with a clinical overview of the problem Breast Cancer Chemosensitivity moves on to focus on the latest findings of molecular mechanisms of drug resistance. These include in-depth discussions on multidrug resistance by P-glycoprotein and the multidrug resistance protein family, resistance to therapeutic agent-induced apoptosis, cell cycle deregulation, deregulation of DNA repair, loss of tumor suppressor genes, integrin-mediated adhesion, insulin-like growth factors, epidermal growth factor, and ErbB2 in modulating breast cancer response to systemic therapy, especially, certain chemotherapeutic agents. Breast Cancer Chemosensitivity provides an example of using novel approaches for chemosensitization of breast cancer cells that gives readers an idea about the future direction in breast cancer treatment.
Asymmetric Cell Division
Cell biologists have recently become aware that the asymmetry of cell division is an important regulatory phenomenon in the fate of a cell. During development, cell diversity originates through asymmetry; in the adult organism asymmetric divisions regulate the stem cell reservoir and are a source of the drift that contributes to the aging of organisms with renewable cell compartments. Because of the concept of semi-conservative DNA synthesis, it was thought that the distribution of DNA between daughter cells was symmetric. The analysis of the phenomenon in cells during mitosis, however, revealed the asymmetry in the distribution of the genetic material that creates the drift contributing to aging of mammals. On the other hand, cancer cells can originate from a deregulation of asymmetry during mitosis in particular during stem cell expansion. The book describes the phenomenon in different organisms from plants to animals and addresses its implications for the development of the organism, cell differentiation, human aging and the biology of cancers.
25 Years of P53 Research
Communication, awareness and access to information: Given the complexity of the field and the fact that data pertaining to each particular aspects of p53 biology or deregulation are scattered in many different publications, it is extremely difficult to access the full scale of relevant information of any specific p53-related topic. This book may help in this task by putting into perspective both general considerations on the p53 pathway and more specific information on various aspects of p53. In the longer term, however, open access to p53 complexity will require the development of knowledge bases accessible through the web and using simple navigation tools to guide users towards the specific information they need. Several efforts are currently being developed in that direction. They need to be strenghtened and better integrated within the rapidly growing galaxy of web-based information sources on molecular and individual variations in cancer. 2. Reference functional assays and structural analysis: Given the huge diversity of cellular and animal models for wild-type or mutant p53 functions, it will be important to set up standard, universally accepted assays to measure critical p53 protein functions.
Competition Policies in Emerging Economies : Lessons and Challenges from Central America and Mexico
Do small developing economies, or SDEs, need a specific competition policy to create competitive markets? Against the backdrop of globalization, protectionist policies that promote state ownership and heavy regulation of key industries are proving increasingly ineffective for driving growth. Countries around the world are instituting reforms to promote competition and business creation, yet the economic and political concentration of power, feeble judicial systems, and the scarcity of human and financial resources pose special challenges to SDEs. Competition Policies in Emerging Economies features an in-depth analysis of two strategic industries — telecommunications and banking — in several Central American nations which sheds light on the dynamics of the transition to deregulation and trade liberalization. Examining the lessons learned from these experiences and presenting discussion of political, legal, economic, financial, cultural, and organizational issues, the book provides unique perspectives on competition policy and economic development.
Chinese Railways : Reform and Efficiency Improvement Opportunities
Although being huge by any measure, Chinese Railways are a bottleneck for economic growth in China. The state-owned enterprise returns a small profit but is severely capacity constrained and burdened with inefficiency. A comprehensive reform and efficiency improvement program needs to be developed in order to enable Chinese Railways to support further GDP growth in China. Application of industrial economics to the case of Chinese Railways suggests that moderate deregulation of e.g., the freight business could make Chinese Railways fit for future growth. Operational improvements need to complement this development, such as a redesign of the schedule or the introduction of value added services in the freight business. Based on interviews with Chinese experts, benchmarking with railways in the US, Germany, Russia, and Japan as well as broad coverage of Chinese-language sources, the book makes detailed recommendations on how to design a comprehensive turnaround program for Chinese Railways.





