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In this primer for IT specialists on the aspects of molecular biology and medicine that lend themselves to the application of computer science, budding bioinformaticians will find clear explanations of everything from cell and protein structure to DNA repair.

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Bioinformatics, which can be defined as the application of computer science and information technology to the field of biology and medicine, has been rapidly developing over the past few decades. It generates new knowledge as well as the computational tools to create that knowledge. Understanding the basic processes in living organisms is therefore indispensable for bioinformaticians. This book addresses beginners in molecular biology, especially computer scientists who would like to work as bioinformaticians. It presents basic processes in living organisms in a condensed manner. Additionally, principles of several high-throughput technologies in molecular biology, which need the assistance of bioinformaticians, are explained from a biological point of view. It is structured in the following 9 chapters: cells and viruses; protein structure and function; nucleic acids; DNA replication, mutations, and repair; transcription and posttranscriptional processes; synthesis and posttranslational modifications of proteins; cell division; cell signaling pathways; and high-throughput technologies in molecular biology.

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Cells and viruses.- Protein structure and function.- Nucleic acids.- DNA replication, mutations, and repair.- Transcription and posttranscriptional processes.- Synthesis and posttranslational modifications of proteins.- Cell division.- Cell signaling pathways.- High-throughput technologies in molecular biology.

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