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E-book The Hidden Relay : How the Germline Connects Generations

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Penilaian

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A semi-popular science book on reproductive genetics: why, you may ask? Because reproduc-tion is the central theme in both biology and evolutionary biology.How can a species persist? The relay baton in the form of the fusion of the egg and sperm cell creates a new generation that gets to run another lap and pass on the baton. What lies behind this metaphor, and how does it work? What are the implications of this relay race for a species? The field of reproductive genetics seeks answers to these questions.The themes of reproductive genetics are at the heart of the big questions of life: where do I come from, who am I, and where am I going? Issues that are not only relevant for any particular individual in the present but that also greatly involve past and future generations. The thought that the germline has never been interrupted in the time that came before us can truly make your head spin; in a way, we are as old as life itself.In reproductive genetics, several disciplines within biology come together, including cell biol-ogy, molecular biology, genetics, cell genetics, molecular genetics, but also quantitative and population genetics. Expanding the scope slightly will also bring anatomy, endocrinology and behavioural biology into the picture. Here, we aim to map the field in such a way that high school biology knowledge (in the Netherlands: at VWO level) combined with interest, curiosity and (probably or most likely) professional involvement should be enough to read this book.The first part (chapters 1-6), serves to refresh some basic knowledge. For this, we have drawn from textbooks such as Essential cell biology by Alberts et al., (2022) and Introduction to genetic analysis by Griffith et al., (2020).The book then takes you on a journey through the germline, from the fertilised egg through the first embryonic cleavage divisions, to the segregation of the cells that will later give rise to mature eggs and sperm (chapters 7-18). The acquired insights are based on a range of research techniques. Our understanding of the production of egg and sperm cells, the gametes, has greatly improved in the last ten years. In this field, analyses at the single-cell level have become increasingly important. It is another area where technological development drives research. Our understanding of what needs to happen in the germline to activate and, in particular after fertilis-ation, deactivate genes will continue to improve, as well as our understanding of the involvement of specific genes in these processes.How are the characteristics of both parents combined after the fusion of the egg and sperm and the subsequent development of the embryo? How often do changes occur in the DNA and possibly in the factors controlling genetic material? What causes these changes, and is this normal? How does the clock reset with the creation of each new generation? What are the influences of artificial reproduction (IVF) on these changes in and around DNA? In order to get a grasp on all these subfields of reproductive genetics, I have extensively reviewed literature from the past ten years. Not comprehensively, which is simply not feasible, but rather guided by over 40 years of teaching and research experience in this field. The literature is an integral part of that.

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Ketersediaan

Informasi Detail

Judul Seri

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No. Panggil

571.6 DEB t

Penerbit

Netherlands : Radboud University Press., 2024

Deskripsi Fisik

441 hlm

Bahasa

English

ISBN/ISSN

9789493296527

Klasifikasi

571.6

Tipe Isi

text

Tipe Media

computer

Tipe Pembawa

online resource

Edisi

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Subjek

Cell Biologi, Cytology

Info Detail Spesifik

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Pernyataan Tanggungjawab

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Versi lain/terkait

Lampiran Berkas

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