Introducing Molecular Biology of Head and Neck Cancer
John C Watkinson, Raymond W Clarke, Terry M Jones, Vinidh Paleri, Nicholas White, Tim Woolford in Head & Neck Surgery Plastic Surgery, 2018
What is molecular biology? More importantly, why should a clinician or surgeon be interested in it—indeed, should they be at all? The Oxford English Dictionary defines molecular biology as ‘the branch of science concerned with the formation, organization, and activity of macromolecules essential to life (nucleic acids, proteins, etc.)’. Many diseases arise from errors in biochemical processes (diabetes, for example), and many of these are due to genetic changes or inherited polymorphisms or mutations (cystic fibrosis, for example). (Polymorphism is a common (> 1%) variant allele, cf. mutation or mutant allele: a rare < 1% or acquired somatic change in nucleic sequence, usually but not always in the coding sequence of a gene.) Moreover, many of the modern treatments for disease, such as some of the monoclonal antibody drugs (mAbs), such as cetuximab (Erbitux®), nivolumab (OPDIVO®) and adalimumab (HUMIRA®) used to treat diseases including cancer and rheumatoid arthritis,1–3 have been generated using molecular biological techniques (DNA cloning and sequencing). Thus it seems obvious that to understand disease, and to understand many of the treatment options, requires some level of understanding of molecular biology.
Analysis of DNA Microarrays in Clinical Trials
Ding-Geng (Din) Chen, Karl E. Peace, Pinggao Zhang in Clinical Trial Data Analysis Using R and SAS, 2017
We begin with some basic concepts in molecular biology such as DNA, RNA, and gene. The basic genetic material is known as deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) which consists of nucleotides. Each nucleotide has three components: a base, a sugar, and a phosphate that are joined together to form long chains. The fundamental structure of these chains is formed by the sugar and phosphates with individual bases tied to each sugar. There are four different bases known as adenine, cytosine, guanine, and thymine. These are commonly denoted by the letters A, C, G, and T in molecular biology where the bases A and T bind together as do C and G. DNA strands have a typical length of millions of nucleotides. Each strand has polarities with the 5’-hydroxyl group at the beginning and 3’-hydroxyl group at the end of the nucleotide in the strand. A strand of DNA encloses many different genes with each gene containing a sequence of DNA to code a protein. The protein in turn controls a trait of the biological cell such as eye or hair color in humans.
Methods in Molecular Biology
Martin G. Pomper, Juri G. Gelovani, Benjamin Tsui, Kathleen Gabrielson, Richard Wahl, S. Sam Gambhir, Jeff Bulte, Raymond Gibson, William C. Eckelman in Molecular Imaging in Oncology, 2008
In 1972, Cohen et al. developed a recombinant DNA technology that allowed DNA from one organism to be cloned into a carrier DNA molecule and be replicated and expressed in a new host (3). This technique, called molecular cloning, has revolutionized the field of molecular biology. DNA molecule used to carry a foreign DNA fragment into a bacterial or eukaryotic host organism is called cloning vector. There are several different types of vectors. The simplest and most commonly used DNA vector is derived from viral chromosomes and called plasmid. Plasmids are extrachromosomal, doubled-stranded circular molecules of DNA present in microorganisms, especially bacteria. They range from about 1 kilobase (kb) to over 200 kb in size, with an average 15 kb, and replicate autonomously. Other types of cloning vectors include cosmids, bacteriophages, bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs), and yeast artificial chromosomes (YACs).
Investigating the role of EGF-CFC gene family in recurrent pregnancy loss through bioinformatics and molecular approaches
Published in Systems Biology in Reproductive Medicine, 2021
João Matheus Bremm, Juliano André Boquett, Marcus Silva Michels, Thayne Woycinck Kowalski, Flávia Gobetti Gomes, Fernanda Sales Luiz Vianna, Maria Teresa Vieira Sanseverino, Lucas Rosa Fraga
To the best of our knowledge, this was the first study to evaluate the EGF-CFC family in RPL. This study included multiple approaches, such as expression analysis, case-control, network, and ontology analysis. The use of computational biology combined with molecular biology are complementary approaches that can help to a better understanding of a given biological condition. Even though the precise molecular mechanisms are still unknown, the gene expression data here presented suggest that TDGF1 and CFC1 genes might play a role in RPL. Since TDGF1 and CFC1 are highly conserved genes, analysis in their upstream/promoter regions or in their regulatory pathways could help to better understand their regulation and, hence, their role in RPL. Further studies on these genes, as well as in genes in related signaling pathways are necessary to elucidate the mechanisms that could lead to the RPL.
Polygenic and Network-based studies in risk identification and demystification of cancer
Published in Expert Review of Molecular Diagnostics, 2022
Christopher El Hadi, Georges Ayoub, Yara Bachir, Michèle Haykal, Nadine Jalkh, Hampig Raphael Kourie
Network analysis in cancer genomics has begun to be used in the last five years, with strong growth in the last two years [6]. The field of ‘functional genomics’ is concerned with the study of this complexity, and it is still in its infancy [7]. It integrates studies of molecular and cellular biology and deals with the structure, function, and regulation of groups of genes rather than individual genes, thus moving beyond classical molecular biology. Moreover, these molecular networks show remarkable conservation across species, both in their architecture and in their internal properties [8], suggesting the existence of a fundamental law governing them. Therefore, using gene networks as a unit of study instead of single genes could help understand, treat, and prevent all complex diseases, which is the ultimate goal of modern medicine.
Identification of benzimidazole containing 4H–chromen–4–one derivative as potential MAP kinase inhibitors by in-silico approaches
Published in Journal of Receptors and Signal Transduction, 2021
Kaviarasan Lakshmanan, Gowramma Byran
The area of drug research, headed by chemistry, pharmacology, and clinical sciences, has been a major contributor in shaping up and development of medicine during the past hundred. The arrival of molecular biology and genomic sciences has had a heavy consequence on this area. The procedure of drug discovery and development are both very laborious and time-consuming. Therefore, the application of computational resources to chemical and biological space for streamlining the procedure is under extensive research. In order to intensify the processes of hit identification, lead selection and optimization, analysis of ADMET (absorption, distribution, metabolism, elimination and toxicity) profile for lead compound, computer-aided, or in silico drug discovery are employed. Hence, we are planning to incorporate both the nucleus by using adorable chemical reaction. The proposed scheme and structure of the designed compound were represented in Figure 1 and Table 1 respectively. The designed compound was evaluated for their molecular properties by the ‘Lipinski’s rule of 5’ and further their ability to bind the active site region of MAP Kinase identified using molecular docking approach.
Related Knowledge Centers
- Biomolecule
- Cell Biology
- DNA
- Gene Therapy
- Heredity
- Molecule
- Cell
- Nucleic Acid Double Helix
- Drug
- Molecular Medicine