Abstract

RNA helicases and RNA helicase-like proteins are the largest group of enzymes in eukaryotic RNA metabolism and although they are subject to intense ongoing research there is much confusion about function and classification of these enzymes. Although these enzymes are essential for virtually all processes involving RNA, there is no overview detailing structure, function and/or biological roles of these pivotal proteins. This book provides the first comprehensive and systematic overview of biology, mechanism, and structure of RNA helicases and RNA helicase-like enzymes. Research into RNA helicases takes place in many different fields from cell and developmental biology to mechanistic enzymology, and structural biology and this book integrates the knowledge of these diverse fields into one valuable resource. It also provides an informative overview on the entire group of enzymes. Individual chapters on each subfamily of RNA helicases and RNA helicase-like proteins are written by experts in the respective fields. All chapters are systematically integrated and the reader is guided by a didactic introductory chapter. The main strengths of the book are the combination of systematics and details that will allow the reader to gain insight into results from diverse fields while maintaining a view of the entire field. It will be a key reference for academics, advanced students, researchers and professionals working in or joining this field.
Eckhard Jankowsky is Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Physics at the Case Western Reserve University, Ohio, USA. He received his MS in Chemistry and PhD in Chemistry and Biochemistry from the Dresden University of Technology in Germany. He then went to Columbia University, New York, as a post-doctoral research fellow in the Department of Biochemisty and Molecular Biophysics. Subsequent to that, he became a Visiting Scholar in the Department of Physics at Stanford University, California, before his appointment as Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Physics in the Department of Biochemistry and the Center for RNA Molecular Biology at Case Western Reserve University. His honours and awards include: the Curt Engelhorn Postdoctoral Fellowship (awarded by the German Cancer Research Center) in 1997, the Damon Runyon Scholar Award (Lallage Feazel Wall Scholar) in 2003 and the Burroughs Wellcome Investigator Award (Investigator in the Pathogenesis of Infectious Disease) in 2007. He is also the author of numerous book and journal articles.