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This eBook is a collection of articles from a Frontiers Research Topic. Frontiers Research Topics are very popular trademarks of the Frontiers Journals Series: they are collections of at least ten articles, all centered on a particular subject. With their unique mix of varied contributions from Original Research to Review Articles, Frontiers Research Topics unify the most influential researchers, the latest key findings and historical advances in a hot research area! Find out more on how to host your own Frontiers Research Topic or contribute to one as an author by contacting the Frontiers Editorial Office: frontiersin.org/about/contact

natural compound --- EMT --- fibrosis --- epigenetics --- non-coding RNAs --- therapeutic targets

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Epigenetics is a new field that explains gene expression at the chromatin structure and organization level. Three principal epigenetic mechanisms are known and hundreds of combinations among them can develop different phenotypic characteristics. DNA methylation, histone modifications and small RNAs have been identified, and their functions are being studied in order to understand the mechanisms of interaction and regulation among the different biological processes in plants. Although, fundamental epigenetic mechanisms in crop plants are beginning to be elucidated, the comprehension of the different epigenetic mechanisms, by which plant gene regulation and phenotype are modified, is a major topic to develop in the near future in order to increase crop productivity. Thus, the importance of epigenetics in improving crop productivity is undoubtedly growing. Current research on epigenetics suggest that DNA methylation, histone modifications and small RNAs are involved in almost every aspect of plant life including agronomically important traits such as flowering time, fruit development, responses to environmental factors, defense response and plant growth. The aim of this Research Topic is to explore the recent advances concerning the role of epigenetics in crop biotechnology, as well as to enhance and promote interactions among high quality researchers from different disciplines such as genetics, cell biology, pathology, microbiology, and evolutionary biology in order to join forces and decipher the epigenetic mechanisms in crop productivity.

Biotechnology --- DNA Methylation --- small non-coding RNAs --- crop --- epigenetics --- Histone posttranslational modifications

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Epigenetics is a new field that explains gene expression at the chromatin structure and organization level. Three principal epigenetic mechanisms are known and hundreds of combinations among them can develop different phenotypic characteristics. DNA methylation, histone modifications and small RNAs have been identified, and their functions are being studied in order to understand the mechanisms of interaction and regulation among the different biological processes in plants. Although, fundamental epigenetic mechanisms in crop plants are beginning to be elucidated, the comprehension of the different epigenetic mechanisms, by which plant gene regulation and phenotype are modified, is a major topic to develop in the near future in order to increase crop productivity. Thus, the importance of epigenetics in improving crop productivity is undoubtedly growing. Current research on epigenetics suggest that DNA methylation, histone modifications and small RNAs are involved in almost every aspect of plant life including agronomically important traits such as flowering time, fruit development, responses to environmental factors, defense response and plant growth. The aim of this Research Topic is to explore the recent advances concerning the role of epigenetics in crop biotechnology, as well as to enhance and promote interactions among high quality researchers from different disciplines such as genetics, cell biology, pathology, microbiology, and evolutionary biology in order to join forces and decipher the epigenetic mechanisms in crop productivity.

Biotechnology --- DNA Methylation --- small non-coding RNAs --- crop --- epigenetics --- Histone posttranslational modifications

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This book presents the latest cutting-edge research on phase separation. It discusses the benefits and risks of phase separation for living cells from the perspectives of physics, chemistry, biology, and medicine. Phase separation is a physico-chemical process that induces a single solution of solvent and intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) to separate into two phases, one phase containing only solvent and the other containing IDPs in the solvent. A key molecule in phase separation is the intrinsically disordered region (IDR) proteins (IDPs), mostly comprised of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs). One of the major roles of phase separation is to generate condensates, membrane-less organelles including stress granule, Cajal body, and nucleolus. Biological actions of phase separation in various aspects of science have received increasing attention in recent years. The book consists of four parts; Part I on physics and chemistry includes topics on structural biology of RBP FUS/TLS and chaperone for phase separation, computational approach of phase separation, and chemistry of G-quadruplex of DNA and RNA. Part II on molecular biology presents molecular mechanism of IDR sequence phase separation and potential cellular function of these labile fibers, formation of membrane-less organelles, and roles of noncoding RNAs in phase separation. Part III on biology covers topics from nuclear pore complex, developmental biology regarding force-dependent remodeling, and neurobiology and higher order brain functions. Finally, Part IV on medicine presents condensates and cancer therapy, pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases based on IDPs, and responses of microglia to amyloid. The last chapter highlights the latest topic on how the SARS-Cov-2 virus takes advantage of phase separation for its infections. This book brings together the studies of phase separation in each area in a single volume. The comprehensive approach provides new insights to the research and will benefit the readers by responding to the emerging needs for understanding phase separation.

Molecular biology. --- Biophysics. --- Medicine --- Biology --- Cytology. --- Biochemistry. --- Non-coding RNA. --- Molecular Biology. --- Biomedical Research. --- Cell Biology. --- Non-coding RNAs. --- Research.

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Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) are a heterogeneous group of disorders affecting the central nervous system. Despite significant differences in their causes, neuropathological abnormalities, and clinical outcomes, some similarities can be found among them, as for example: 1) frequent aggregation and deposition of misfolded proteins, 2) common molecular mechanisms leading to neurodegeneration, and 3) certain overlap in symptoms and clinical features. To date, there is no cure that could stop or delay the progression of these diseases. The advent of advanced gene therapy techniques such as gene silencing and gene editing opened a new avenue for the development of therapeutic strategies for NDs. The discovery of the RNA interference (RNAi) mechanism, in 1998, by Andrew Fire and Craig Mello allowed an important boost to the gene therapy field, providing a potential therapeutic strategy to treat inherited dominant genetic disorders. The use of small RNA sequences to control the expression of disease-causing genes rapidly implemented in the preclinical studies for different diseases. In the field of NDs, several successful studies using this technology proved its potential as a therapeutic option. However, issues like the type of delivery system (non-viral versus viral) or the potential toxicity of the small RNA molecules, made the translation of gene silencing therapeutics to human application very slow and difficult. Recently, a new hope in the gene therapy field emerged with the development of gene editing techniques like TALENs or CRISPR/Cas9 systems. The opportunity of editing or deleting gene sequences drove the scientific community euphoric, with an enormous increase in the number of published studies using this type of techniques. Recently, the first clinical trial using one of these systems was approved in China. For NDs, gene-editing technology also represents an important therapeutic option, and the first preclinical studies are now being published, showing the potential accomplishment for this technology.

Gene silencing --- Long non-coding RNAs --- RNA interference --- Neurodegenerative diseases --- CRISPR/Cas9 --- Neurodegeneration --- Gene editing --- Antisense oligonucleotides --- Neuroinflammation --- iPS cells