Interpreting the non-coding Genome in Health and Disease

There is an increasing awareness that, far from being composed of junk DNA, the non–coding human genome is packed with information that controls where, when and by how much genes are expressed. Indeed, much of the information essential to normal gene expression, embryonic development and health are contained within this vast component of the human genome. It is now accepted that individual susceptibility to many common diseases stem directly from non–coding polymorphisms that compromise normal gene expression mechanisms.

This unique, accessible introduction  to the field will guide advanced undergraduate students and Phd and Post–doctoral researchers through the most up–to date information available on the mechanisms within the non–coding genome that control the expression of genes at the levels of transcription, RNA processing and translation. It will go on to describe how highly conserved sequences within the genome can interact with each other to support the expression of genes in specific tissues and how this process may be compromised in disease.  Interpreting the non–coding Genome in Health and Disease will also allow the student to gain an understanding of the biology and architecture of the non–coding genome in a way that can only currently be gained through the reading of multiple specialist reviews.