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Genetic Engineering Fundamentals: An Introduction to Principles and Applications
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Book Reviews Genetic Engineering Fundamentals: An Introduction to Principles and Applications by K K a r n e r m e y e r and V L Clark. pp 290. Marcel D e k k e r , NY. 1989. $85 in U S A , $102 elsewhere ISBN 0 - 8 2 4 7 - 8 0 6 9 - 8 This book, says the blurb, is an "important reference/text providing technologists with basic information necessary to interact scientifically with molecular biologists and get involved in scaling-up laboratory procedures and designing and constructing commercial plants". I don't know what important means in this context, but I doubt that the book fulfils this aim. No previous training or experience in biology is said to be required. In fact the book would provide a non-biologist with some of the jargon but not a very good understanding of this area, in my opinion. Indeed it is difficult sometimes to believe that one of the authors has training and experience in biology: (the other is a chemical engineer). All the 14 chapters are quite short and the early ones give biological background (The Cell; DNA, RNA and Genes, Protein Synthesis, Enzymes). Then recombinant (DNA) techniques are dealt with, followed by sequencing, plant genetics, biotechnological activities, mammalian cells and "precautions and regulations". In these chapters the topics are dealt with reasonably concisely, but not very excitingly. The writing is rather breathless journalese in part, and poorly proofread (see Watson and Creek, p 30), generally giving evidence of someone who is not all that familiar with the areas being written about. Occasionally practical details are given, but they leave the impression of someone writing who vaguely remembers things from working in the lab in the past. For example, p 32: "The DNA concentration in a dilute solution is 10 ~Lg/ml. A fairly concentrated solution would contain up to 2 mg/per ml (sic)". Mutation is described as 'DNA Faulting'. On p 36 we have "DNA faulting, leading to respective disturbances in coding, can occur through a multitude of "combining errors". Three such offbeat occurrences are diagrammed in Fig 4". Pages 44/45 give many examples: "concentrations of deoxynulceotide (sic) triphosphates should be greater than 50 p.m (sic)". We are told that "Frequently, hairpin formation is encountered" although it is clear from Fig 9 that this has to occur to get a second strand with DNA polymerase. Also in Fig 9, the mRNA appears to be in short segments not connected to each other. I don't know what the enthusiastic industrialist is to make of the following defeatist view of protein synthesis (in a discussion of whether to describe it in detail or not): " . . . the process of protein formation is a highly complex succession of events. Adams et al. characterise the present status as still being unresolved in all of its reaction sequences. The interlocking reactions present a formidable task of complete interpretation". There are many more instances of this peculiar language. Writing of the Dickerson & Geis type of drawings of enzyme structure, the authors say "Such diagrams essentially convey the existence of a myriad of side-chain elements with indication of active-site creation. This situation is somewhat analogous to the concept of energy wells". The diagrams seem to have been borrowed (with permission) from a variety of sources, but especially from companies. There are at least nine separate schemes showing how to insert foreign DNA into a plasmid and how to transform bacteria (p 113, 114, 115,123, 125, 127, 130, 135,181) all using different symbols and styles. This too must be somewhat confusing to the technologist. However, the really curious feature of the book is that looking at the end of chapter references, and at the suggested reading, practically all the references stop at 1982, with one or two 1983 citations. It is difficult to see how one can justify printing a book BIOCHEMICAL
EDUCATION
18(2) 1990
about genetic engineering in 1989 with such a reference list - until one comes to chapter 14, "Update", which, in 12 pages, halfheartedly tries to get the whole thing up to date with a motley collection of items called from what can only be described as a wide variety of sources. These include Science and Nature (which "deserve continued attention"), Scientific American, Anti-Aging News, and New Scientist, and which seem to get us to about 1985. The flavour of this chapter can be conveyed by a couple of quotations. "Howard (56) prepared an instructive overview of presently held concepts with particular emphasis on a newly proposed interaction mechanism", and "Prusiner (17) gives an estimated [sic] treatment (10 pages) in Scientific American and Masters (18) published a condensed account". This book costs $85 or more, although is offered more cheaply in bulk ($45) for classroom use. I could not recommend it for student use. It is misleading to advertise it as a "state-of-the-art reference/text". It is poorly put together, is incorrect in parts and can hardly be said to be up to date. In my opinion it would be difficult to use as a reference. Do not be put off by a trendy title: save your money. C Jones
Nucleic Acids and Molecular Biology. Volume 3 Edited by F Eckstein and D M J Lilley. pp 272. SpringerVerlag, Heidelberg. 1989. DM168 ISBN 3 - 5 4 0 - 5 0 8 0 8 - 2 This series appears annually and Volume 3 covers a wide range of topics from nucleic acid structure, through interactions with proteins, to the control of gene expression. The treatment is quite short (17 articles in 270 pages), up to date, and well referenced. It is said that the annual appearance of volumes will allow topics to be revisited when appropriate. This seems to me to be absolutely essential in the fast-moving area: one could mention transcriptional regulation of proto-oncogenes. HoUiday junctions, and the structure of RNase P, as examples of areas where rapid development of ideas may be expected. The book would be useful to teachers for the final years of degree courses and to researchers, but one wonders whether such collections of articles in a relatively expensive format, have much to offer over the short reviews that appear in almost all of the journals these days. B T Grade
The Chemotherapy of Malignant Diseases - - Research Perspectives by H H Sedlacek, K Hoffinam, G Schulz, J Czech, B Greifenberg, G Dickneite and H P Kraemer. pp 145. Karger, Basel. 1989. SF100 ISBN 3 - 8 0 5 5 - 4 9 6 5 - 2 This short book is said by the blurb to contain a comprehensive and critical discussion of research projects currently in progress on the chemotherapy of tumours. It is certainly fairly comprehensive (783 papers cited) but the small amount of attention devoted to the majority of these papers can hardly be said to constitute 'a critical discussion'. With so many authors one wonders who wrote what. The book is good in parts but very skimpy in others. Some chapters run to over 50 pages, others to about 5. It may be that this reflects the level of research in a particular area, but I doubt it. For example, the chapter on antioestrogens, growth factors and inhibitors is 6 pages long. The price is rather high for what is effectively two length reviews on (a) Cytostatics (ie cytostatic drugs), and (b) Prevention and Treatment of Organ-directed Toxicities of Cytostatics. W C Lee
Book Reviews Genetic Engineering Fundamentals: An Introduction to Principles and Applications by K K a r n e r m e y e r and V L Clark. pp 290. Marcel D e k k e r , NY. 1989. $85 in U S A , $102 elsewhere ISBN 0 - 8 2 4 7 - 8 0 6 9 - 8 This book, says the blurb, is an "important reference/text providing technologists with basic information necessary to interact scientifically with molecular biologists and get involved in scaling-up laboratory procedures and designing and constructing commercial plants". I don't know what important means in this context, but I doubt that the book fulfils this aim. No previous training or experience in biology is said to be required. In fact the book would provide a non-biologist with some of the jargon but not a very good understanding of this area, in my opinion. Indeed it is difficult sometimes to believe that one of the authors has training and experience in biology: (the other is a chemical engineer). All the 14 chapters are quite short and the early ones give biological background (The Cell; DNA, RNA and Genes, Protein Synthesis, Enzymes). Then recombinant (DNA) techniques are dealt with, followed by sequencing, plant genetics, biotechnological activities, mammalian cells and "precautions and regulations". In these chapters the topics are dealt with reasonably concisely, but not very excitingly. The writing is rather breathless journalese in part, and poorly proofread (see Watson and Creek, p 30), generally giving evidence of someone who is not all that familiar with the areas being written about. Occasionally practical details are given, but they leave the impression of someone writing who vaguely remembers things from working in the lab in the past. For example, p 32: "The DNA concentration in a dilute solution is 10 ~Lg/ml. A fairly concentrated solution would contain up to 2 mg/per ml (sic)". Mutation is described as 'DNA Faulting'. On p 36 we have "DNA faulting, leading to respective disturbances in coding, can occur through a multitude of "combining errors". Three such offbeat occurrences are diagrammed in Fig 4". Pages 44/45 give many examples: "concentrations of deoxynulceotide (sic) triphosphates should be greater than 50 p.m (sic)". We are told that "Frequently, hairpin formation is encountered" although it is clear from Fig 9 that this has to occur to get a second strand with DNA polymerase. Also in Fig 9, the mRNA appears to be in short segments not connected to each other. I don't know what the enthusiastic industrialist is to make of the following defeatist view of protein synthesis (in a discussion of whether to describe it in detail or not): " . . . the process of protein formation is a highly complex succession of events. Adams et al. characterise the present status as still being unresolved in all of its reaction sequences. The interlocking reactions present a formidable task of complete interpretation". There are many more instances of this peculiar language. Writing of the Dickerson & Geis type of drawings of enzyme structure, the authors say "Such diagrams essentially convey the existence of a myriad of side-chain elements with indication of active-site creation. This situation is somewhat analogous to the concept of energy wells". The diagrams seem to have been borrowed (with permission) from a variety of sources, but especially from companies. There are at least nine separate schemes showing how to insert foreign DNA into a plasmid and how to transform bacteria (p 113, 114, 115,123, 125, 127, 130, 135,181) all using different symbols and styles. This too must be somewhat confusing to the technologist. However, the really curious feature of the book is that looking at the end of chapter references, and at the suggested reading, practically all the references stop at 1982, with one or two 1983 citations. It is difficult to see how one can justify printing a book BIOCHEMICAL
EDUCATION
18(2) 1990
about genetic engineering in 1989 with such a reference list - until one comes to chapter 14, "Update", which, in 12 pages, halfheartedly tries to get the whole thing up to date with a motley collection of items called from what can only be described as a wide variety of sources. These include Science and Nature (which "deserve continued attention"), Scientific American, Anti-Aging News, and New Scientist, and which seem to get us to about 1985. The flavour of this chapter can be conveyed by a couple of quotations. "Howard (56) prepared an instructive overview of presently held concepts with particular emphasis on a newly proposed interaction mechanism", and "Prusiner (17) gives an estimated [sic] treatment (10 pages) in Scientific American and Masters (18) published a condensed account". This book costs $85 or more, although is offered more cheaply in bulk ($45) for classroom use. I could not recommend it for student use. It is misleading to advertise it as a "state-of-the-art reference/text". It is poorly put together, is incorrect in parts and can hardly be said to be up to date. In my opinion it would be difficult to use as a reference. Do not be put off by a trendy title: save your money. C Jones
Nucleic Acids and Molecular Biology. Volume 3 Edited by F Eckstein and D M J Lilley. pp 272. SpringerVerlag, Heidelberg. 1989. DM168 ISBN 3 - 5 4 0 - 5 0 8 0 8 - 2 This series appears annually and Volume 3 covers a wide range of topics from nucleic acid structure, through interactions with proteins, to the control of gene expression. The treatment is quite short (17 articles in 270 pages), up to date, and well referenced. It is said that the annual appearance of volumes will allow topics to be revisited when appropriate. This seems to me to be absolutely essential in the fast-moving area: one could mention transcriptional regulation of proto-oncogenes. HoUiday junctions, and the structure of RNase P, as examples of areas where rapid development of ideas may be expected. The book would be useful to teachers for the final years of degree courses and to researchers, but one wonders whether such collections of articles in a relatively expensive format, have much to offer over the short reviews that appear in almost all of the journals these days. B T Grade
The Chemotherapy of Malignant Diseases - - Research Perspectives by H H Sedlacek, K Hoffinam, G Schulz, J Czech, B Greifenberg, G Dickneite and H P Kraemer. pp 145. Karger, Basel. 1989. SF100 ISBN 3 - 8 0 5 5 - 4 9 6 5 - 2 This short book is said by the blurb to contain a comprehensive and critical discussion of research projects currently in progress on the chemotherapy of tumours. It is certainly fairly comprehensive (783 papers cited) but the small amount of attention devoted to the majority of these papers can hardly be said to constitute 'a critical discussion'. With so many authors one wonders who wrote what. The book is good in parts but very skimpy in others. Some chapters run to over 50 pages, others to about 5. It may be that this reflects the level of research in a particular area, but I doubt it. For example, the chapter on antioestrogens, growth factors and inhibitors is 6 pages long. The price is rather high for what is effectively two length reviews on (a) Cytostatics (ie cytostatic drugs), and (b) Prevention and Treatment of Organ-directed Toxicities of Cytostatics. W C Lee