Brave Genomes

Auteur

Silvia Bulgheresi is Associate Professor in Environmental Cell Biology and independent researcher at the University of Vienna. Her research on the molecular mechanisms underlying symbiont growth, division and chromosome segregation challenged long-established bacterial cell biology tenets. Since 2008, she has been teaching environmental cell biology, microbial symbioses, as well as microbial genome plasticity to Bachelor, Master ad PhD students. It is in the effort of collecting the notes, thoughts and students' questions that arose over two decades that this book was born.

Texte du rabat

Brave Genomes: Microbial Genome Plasticity in the Face of Environmental Challenge covers the molecular and genome evolution of both eukaryotes and bacteria, while also elucidating on how global or segmental mutations, epigenetic mechanisms, and symbiosis change prokaryotic chromatin and how these changes may allow prokaryotes to survive. The book narrates, through a colloquial style and real life” examples, how microorganisms cope with environmental changes, including unanticipated ones. Although it does comprise eukaryotes, it focuses on bacteria and (as much as possible) on archaea and the genetic and epigenetic strategies they evolved to endure environmental instability and the attacks of alien nucleic acids.

Contenu

1. DNA main facts across the three domains of life
   
   2. DNA fun facts: how, when and where it may change a bit
   3. Bacterial and archaeal DNA very fun facts: how, when and where it may change a lot
   4. On top of the DNA and beyond
   5. Biophyisical sources of phenotypic heterogeneity in bacteria
   6. The microbes and the host epigenome (and vice versa)