The sequenced genome of the moss Physcomitrella patens provides a powerful tool for comparative analyses of land plant genomes. In parallel, several tools for studying gene function have been developed in P. patens, including RNA interference, inducible promoters and gene targeting, a unique attribute of this plant system. The results of these initiatives are now being realized. For example, tr...

Epigenetics is the study of the transmission of cell memory through mitosis or meiosis that is not based on the DNA sequence. At the molecular level the epigenetic memory of a cell is embedded in DNA methylation, histone post-translational modifications, RNA interference and histone isoform variation. There is a tight link between histone post-translational modifications (the histone code) and ...

The interference effect in the photdetachment of a diatomic molecular anion is investigated theoretically for different molecular orientation by using the twocenter model. An analytic formula is presented for the photodetached electron flux distribution at a given observation plane. Taking H− 2 as an example, we calculate the electron flux distribution and photodetachment cross section for arbi...

Small regulatory RNAs are essential and ubiquitous riboregulators that are the key mediators of RNA interference (RNAi). They include microRNAs (miRNAs) and short-interfering RNAs (siRNAs), classes of approximately 22 nucleotide RNAs. miRNAs and siRNAs bind to Argonaute proteins and form effector complexes that regulate gene expression; in animals, this regulation occurs primarily at the post-t...

The mechanisms of three protocellular functions have been studied using molecular modeling techniques. These functions are (1) the transport of ions across membranes, (2) the formation of photoactivated proton gradient that could drive chemical synthesis in the protocell, and (3) the organization of small peptides necessary for catalytic activity. In all these processes, membranes play an essen...

An extension to curly arrow rules for the prediction of quantum interference behaviour in conjugated molecular wires widens scope this simple graphical method containing heteroatoms, cross-conjugation and/or non-alternant structures.