Written by an international team of experts, Somatic Genome Variation presents a timely summary of the latest understanding of somatic genome development and variation in plants, animals, and microorganisms. Wide-ranging in coverage, the authors provide an updated view of somatic genomes and genetic theories while also offering interpretations of somatic genome variation. The text provides geneticists, bioinformaticians, biologist, plant scientists, crop scientists, and microbiologists with a valuable overview of this fascinating field of research.
List of Contributors xv
Preface and Introduction xix
Acknowledgments xxi
About the Editor xxiii
Part I Somatic Genome Variation in Animals and Humans 1
1 Polyploidy in Animal Development and Disease 3
Jennifer L. Bandura and Norman Zielke
1.1 Introduction 3
1.2 Mechanisms Inducing Somatic Polyploidy 4
1.3 The Core Cell Cycle Machinery 8
1.4 Genomic Organization of Polyploid Cells 9
1.5 Endoreplication: An Effective Tool for Post-Mitotic Growth and Tissue Regeneration 10
1.6 Initiation of Endoreplication in Drosophila 11
1.7 Mechanisms of Endocycle Oscillations in Drosophila 15
1.8 Gene Amplification in Drosophila Follicle Cells 17
1.9 Endocycle Entry in the Trophoblast Lineage 19
1.10 Mechanisms of Endocycle Oscillations in Trophoblast Giant Cells 22
1.11 Cardiomyocytes 23
1.12 Hepatocytes 25
1.13 Megakaryocytes 28
1.14 Concluding Remarks 30
Acknowledgments 31
References 31