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Drosophila: a laboratory handbook
[[HOOK
Oncogene~ and the Molecular Origins of Cancer edited by R.A.~inberg, ColdSpring Harbor LaboratoryPress, 1990.$97.00(x * 367 pages) ISBN0 87969336 3
Oncogenes and the Molecular Origins of Cancer is a well-conceived, many-authored collection of articles that is intended for students, and scientists in related fields, who are interested in the molecular biology and biochemistry of oncogenesis. It sets forth both our current state of knowledge of the molecular basis of cancer and the intellectual history of the field. Much of the book will serve admirably as a text for courses covering oncogenes, growth factors, growth regulation and signal transduction. The book covers much of the same territory as The Molecular Biology of Tumor viruses: RNA Tumor Viruses and The Oncogene Handbook. However, it is intended for readers who do not already study oncogenes and is therefore a much more accessible and readable resource. Having a multitude of authors, this book suffers somewhat from the same problems as courses taught by a series of guest lecturers - redundancy, lack of coordination, and unevenness of style, tone and quality. But it is much better than most edited collections of articles. The subjects, and their sequence of presentation, are well thought out and cover all the important aspects of this rather broad subject. Indeed, the topics appear to have been specified by the editor, rathcr then left to the whims of the individual authors. Additionally, the editor has been successful both in recruiting a distinguished cast of contributors and in cajoling a number of them into tailoring their oft-told tales for the chosen audience. As a result, the reader's mind is only occasionally rendered numb by recitations of excessive detail. In particular, the introductory and concluding chapters, by Varmus and Bishop, and the
EEVIEWS
chapters on growth factor receptors, cytoplasmic kinases, ras, tumor suppressor genes, and the multistep nature of carcinogenesis are notable for their clarity and insight. The chapters on DNA tumor viruses are the least satisfying. Excepting polyoma virus, the mechanism by which these viruses induced transformation had been a conundrum until the recent discovery that the transforming proteins of both the adenoviruses and SV40 virus bind to, and possibly inactivate, the protein prcducts of the RB-1 and p53 tumor suppressor genes. Unfortunately, the articles on the adenoviruses and papovaviruses were completed before the real implications of these discoveries had become clear. The reader therefore has to wade through detailed discussions of the molecular biology of viral gene
Drosophila: a Laboratory Manual by MichaelAshburner,Cold SpringHarbor LaboratoryPress, 1989.$50.00(xxiii÷ 434 pages) ISBN0 87969322 3
Drosophila: a Laboratory Handbook by MichaelAshbumer,ColdSpringHarbor LaboratoryPress, 1989.,180.00(xliii+ 1331 pages) ISBN0 87969321 5 The recent proliferation of techniques in biology has spawned many manuals that probably do little but collect dust or sunshine in many laboratories. It has also produced others, such as 'Maniatis' (Molecular Cloning: a Laboratory Manual, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press), that have slowly been worn out by several generations of molecular biologists, until the dawn of the timely new edition. Fruit flies occupy a prominent place in modern biology and, although one can apply Maniatis to them, they offer much more than can be obtained by the application of molecular biology. It is a tribute to the Drosophila field and its maturity that TIG OCTOBER
expression to find passing reference to the interaction of T antigen and EIA and EIB with cellular proteins instrumental in the regulation of cell division. Perhaps surprisingly for a book covering such a fastmoving field, very little of the rest of the volume is out of date. In summary, most of the chapters in Oncogenes and the Molecular Origins of Cancer are informative, thought-provoking and eminently readable. This book is therefore recommended for those who, like me, teach the genetic basis of cancer to undergraduates and graduate students and have heretofore sought suitable supplementary reading material in vain.
BAgmoLo~w M. SL~roN TheSalkInstitute,POBox 85800, San Diego, CA92138, USA. it takes Ashburner two volumes and 1500 pages to detail what can be done with the fly and what is needed to do it. With time, we will surely come to depend on this reference. Work on Drosophila started as an exercise on the 'theory of heredity' and its relationship to embryology at the turn of the century and became, imperceptibly, a sound platform for the understanding of the principles of genetics. Later, work on the fruit fly expanded into 'chromosome mechanics' and into the genetic principles of developmental systems, much of which has yet to be fully appreciated. During the past 15 years both these areas have been cross-fertilized by molecular biology, to yield one of the most powerful eukaryotic systems in which to study the mechanics of biological processes. So far, developmental biology and neurobiology have profited most, but there are clear signs that other areas will follow suit. How then does a newcomer into a lab learn the genetics - not the textbook genetics, but the practical, day-to-day expertise - that is needed to get the most out of this useful little organism? Textbooks do not cover the theoreticfil and practical methods used in modern fruit fly research, nor the many tricks that insiders rely on. A solution is sometimes found in a few graduate
1990 VOL.6 NO. 10 -
i
Oncogene~ and the Molecular Origins of Cancer edited by R.A.~inberg, ColdSpring Harbor LaboratoryPress, 1990.$97.00(x * 367 pages) ISBN0 87969336 3
Oncogenes and the Molecular Origins of Cancer is a well-conceived, many-authored collection of articles that is intended for students, and scientists in related fields, who are interested in the molecular biology and biochemistry of oncogenesis. It sets forth both our current state of knowledge of the molecular basis of cancer and the intellectual history of the field. Much of the book will serve admirably as a text for courses covering oncogenes, growth factors, growth regulation and signal transduction. The book covers much of the same territory as The Molecular Biology of Tumor viruses: RNA Tumor Viruses and The Oncogene Handbook. However, it is intended for readers who do not already study oncogenes and is therefore a much more accessible and readable resource. Having a multitude of authors, this book suffers somewhat from the same problems as courses taught by a series of guest lecturers - redundancy, lack of coordination, and unevenness of style, tone and quality. But it is much better than most edited collections of articles. The subjects, and their sequence of presentation, are well thought out and cover all the important aspects of this rather broad subject. Indeed, the topics appear to have been specified by the editor, rathcr then left to the whims of the individual authors. Additionally, the editor has been successful both in recruiting a distinguished cast of contributors and in cajoling a number of them into tailoring their oft-told tales for the chosen audience. As a result, the reader's mind is only occasionally rendered numb by recitations of excessive detail. In particular, the introductory and concluding chapters, by Varmus and Bishop, and the
EEVIEWS
chapters on growth factor receptors, cytoplasmic kinases, ras, tumor suppressor genes, and the multistep nature of carcinogenesis are notable for their clarity and insight. The chapters on DNA tumor viruses are the least satisfying. Excepting polyoma virus, the mechanism by which these viruses induced transformation had been a conundrum until the recent discovery that the transforming proteins of both the adenoviruses and SV40 virus bind to, and possibly inactivate, the protein prcducts of the RB-1 and p53 tumor suppressor genes. Unfortunately, the articles on the adenoviruses and papovaviruses were completed before the real implications of these discoveries had become clear. The reader therefore has to wade through detailed discussions of the molecular biology of viral gene
Drosophila: a Laboratory Manual by MichaelAshburner,Cold SpringHarbor LaboratoryPress, 1989.$50.00(xxiii÷ 434 pages) ISBN0 87969322 3
Drosophila: a Laboratory Handbook by MichaelAshbumer,ColdSpringHarbor LaboratoryPress, 1989.,180.00(xliii+ 1331 pages) ISBN0 87969321 5 The recent proliferation of techniques in biology has spawned many manuals that probably do little but collect dust or sunshine in many laboratories. It has also produced others, such as 'Maniatis' (Molecular Cloning: a Laboratory Manual, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press), that have slowly been worn out by several generations of molecular biologists, until the dawn of the timely new edition. Fruit flies occupy a prominent place in modern biology and, although one can apply Maniatis to them, they offer much more than can be obtained by the application of molecular biology. It is a tribute to the Drosophila field and its maturity that TIG OCTOBER
expression to find passing reference to the interaction of T antigen and EIA and EIB with cellular proteins instrumental in the regulation of cell division. Perhaps surprisingly for a book covering such a fastmoving field, very little of the rest of the volume is out of date. In summary, most of the chapters in Oncogenes and the Molecular Origins of Cancer are informative, thought-provoking and eminently readable. This book is therefore recommended for those who, like me, teach the genetic basis of cancer to undergraduates and graduate students and have heretofore sought suitable supplementary reading material in vain.
BAgmoLo~w M. SL~roN TheSalkInstitute,POBox 85800, San Diego, CA92138, USA. it takes Ashburner two volumes and 1500 pages to detail what can be done with the fly and what is needed to do it. With time, we will surely come to depend on this reference. Work on Drosophila started as an exercise on the 'theory of heredity' and its relationship to embryology at the turn of the century and became, imperceptibly, a sound platform for the understanding of the principles of genetics. Later, work on the fruit fly expanded into 'chromosome mechanics' and into the genetic principles of developmental systems, much of which has yet to be fully appreciated. During the past 15 years both these areas have been cross-fertilized by molecular biology, to yield one of the most powerful eukaryotic systems in which to study the mechanics of biological processes. So far, developmental biology and neurobiology have profited most, but there are clear signs that other areas will follow suit. How then does a newcomer into a lab learn the genetics - not the textbook genetics, but the practical, day-to-day expertise - that is needed to get the most out of this useful little organism? Textbooks do not cover the theoreticfil and practical methods used in modern fruit fly research, nor the many tricks that insiders rely on. A solution is sometimes found in a few graduate
1990 VOL.6 NO. 10 -
i