The objective of this book is to provide state-of-the-art knowledge, and highlight the current developments taking place in biological sciences. The book encompasses topics on prokaryotic cyanobacteria to higher plants, distributed in fourteen chapters for the benefit of graduate and post-graduate students as well as young researchers and scientists. Subjects covered include molecular and biochemical diversity of microbes, stress biology, cyanotoxins, antimicrobial activity of drugs originated from plants, natural bioactive compounds of microbial origin, detection approaches for genetically modified crops, genomics and proteomics.

The book provides an insight for future perspectives in particular field with extensive bibliographies at the end of each . With all these, this book becomes highly useful and must-read for students, researchers and professionals in botany, biotechnology, bioinformatics, environmental sciences, agriculture, molecular biology and other streams of biological sciences.

Rajeshwar P. Sinha is Professor of Molecular Biology and Coordinator (Industrial Microbiology) at the Centre of Advanced Study in Botany, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.

Richa did her M. Sc. and Ph. D. in Applied Microbiology from Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi. She is currently working as Women Scientist at the Centre of Advanced Study in Botany, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.

Rajesh Prasad Rastogi completed his M. Sc. in Botany form Patna University, Patna and obtained his Ph. D. in Botany from Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.

1. Exploring the Morpho-taxonomic, Biochemical and Molecular Diversity in the Genus Anabaena by Vishal Gupta, Saswati Nayak and Radha Prasanna 02. Long-term Stability of Mycosporine-like Amino Acid-producing Cyanobacteria Isolated in Syria by Jaoudat Faddoul, Shailendra P. Singh, Azizullah Azizullah, Adeel Nasir, Roland Richter, Peter R. Richter, Donat-P. Häder and Michael Lebert 03. Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Applications in Algal Biochemistry by Olimpio Montero and Marta Velasco 04. UV-induced Oxidative Stress in Cyanobacteria by Rajesh P. Rastogi, Rajeshwar P. Sinha and Aran Incharoensakdi 05. UV-absorbing Compounds in Cyanobacteria by Richa, Minu Kesheri, Vinod K. Kannaujiya and Rajeshwar P. Sinha 06. Genomics and Structural Analysis of Cyanobacterial Phycobiliproteins by Vinod K. Kannaujiya, Richa and Rajeshwar P. Sinha 07. A Review on Toxicology, Biosynthesis and Detection of Cyanobacterial Toxins by Shweta Yadav and Rajeshwar P. Sinha 08. Recent Advances in Antimicrobial Potentials of Himalayan Plants by Gaurav Raj Dwivedi, Vigyasa Singh, Mahendra Pandurang Darokar and Rakesh Pandey 09. DNA and Protein-based Detection Approaches for Genetically Modified Crops/Produce by Rajesh Kumar, Kamlesh K Mishra and Rajeshwar P. Sinha 10. Diverse Functions and Applications of Novel Cyanobacterial Sheath Pigment, Scytonemin by Jainendra Pathak, Rajneesh, Richa, Vinod K. Kannaujiya, Arun S. Sonker and Rajeshwar P. Sinha 11. Screening of Photosynthetic Pigments as an Indicator of Heavy Metal Stress in Euglena gracilis by Hoda Ahmed, Donat-Peter Häder and Peter Richter 12. Computational Methods and Strategies for Protein Structure Prediction by Minu Kesheri, Swarna Kanchan, Richa and Rajeshwar P. Sinha 13. Water Parameters of the Chubut River and Andes Lakes (Patagonia, Argentina) by Donat P. Häder, Virginia E. Villafañe, Peter Richter and E.Walter Helbling 14. Oxidative Stress: Challenges and its Mitigation Mechanisms in Cyanobacteria by Minu Kesheri, Swarna Kanchan, Richa and Rajeshwar P. Sinha