In the last few years the major effect that RNAi has had in invertebrate systems like C.elegans and drosophila is beginning to take hold in mammalian systems through both single gene knockdown experiments and genome-scale screens. In the next decade, there will no doubt be both notable successes and failures as we attempt to apply this genetic tool to various biological problems for the first time in academia and industry. Through the introduction of RNAi, mammalian systems have finally gained admittance to the pantheon of model genetic systems.

PI3K has become a very intense area of research, with over 2000 publications on PI3K in PubMed for 2009 alone. The expectations for a therapeutic impact of intervention with PI3K activity are high, and progress in the clinical arena is being monitored by many. However, targeted therapies almost invariably encounter roadblocks, often exposing unresolved questions in the basic understanding of the target

The newest volume in the Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology series edited by Dr. Vogt and dealing with oncogenes and retroviruses contains four review articles by international authorities in the field. These articles presenting the latest research results continue the tradition of excellence for which the series is so well known.

This book gives a synthesis of current knowledge on ret- rovirology. Each chapter deals with a different step in the virus life cycle, detailing the molecular aspects of virus replication. The comparison of different retroviruses exemplifies variations. Specific topics include the evolution of retrovirus genomes, integration of the provirus, viral DNA transcriptional and translational control of viral gene expression, processing of viral proteins, and packaging of virion RNA. Data on HIV and HTLV-1 are covered as well as research on animal retrovirus sys- tems.

Regulation of gene expression at the level of transcription is one of the major determinants of proper cellular proliferation and differentiation. The key players in these processes are sequence-specific DNA binding transcription factor proteins which coordinate programs of gene expression in the nucleus. The articles in this volume document the myriad of genetic and biochemical alterations sustained by human proto-oncogenic transcription factors which result in diverse neoplastic processes. This volume gives insights into how normal programs of gene expression can be subverted by the action...

From humble beginnings over 25 years ago as a lipid kinase activity associated with certain oncoproteins, PI3K (phosphoinositide 3-kinase) has been catapulted to the forefront of drug development in cancer, immunity and thrombosis, with the first clinical trials of PI3K pathway inhibitors now in progress. Here we give a brief overview of some key discoveries in the PI3K area and their impact, and include thoughts on the current state of the field, and where it could go from here

PI3K has become a very intense area of research, with over 2000 publications on PI3K in PubMed for 2009 alone. The expectations for a therapeutic impact of intervention with PI3K activity are high, and progress in the clinical arena is being monitored by many. However, targeted therapies almost invariably encounter roadblocks, often exposing unresolved questions in the basic understanding of the target

The nine chapters presented in this book provide contemporary reviews of research on defective RNAs, satellite RNA viruses, and dependent RNA viruses that require the presence of a helper virus in order to establish productive infections. Since their initial identification nearly four decades ago, fundamental analyses of pathogenic and interdependent interactions involving these agents have contributed enormously to our appreciation of virus structure, RNA replication, and processes leading to disease. Findings arising from these studies have also advanced numerous ancillary areas, including...