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Plant molecular biology, a practical approach
~I]OOK
'incipient' paradigm is exemplified by cytogenetic studies between 1921 and 1956, and a 'transient' paradigm by Painter's report of the human diploid chromosome number as 47. But does such categorization really add anything significant to our understanding? It does lead the author into some trivial considerations, such as the '...competing paradigms, namely the PhD and MD members of the American Society of Human Genetics', and to be disconcertingly repetitive. Furthermore, such an approach leads to the development of human genetics being viewed at a distance. But the most intriguing problems lie in the details. Dronamraju seems aware of this, for he asks, for example, why blood group genetics, despite its immense clinical importance, never attained the same standing as the mathematical theory of natural selection as developed by Fisher, Haldane and Wright, but he fails to present a critical in-depth analysis of this matter. Yet it is in the pursuit of such detail that the historian of science can have something really important to say. Moreover, the most revealing historical studies in science are those that examine events in the social and political context of the time. The author, for example, relates the cataclysmic effects of the atomic bombings in 1945 to the subsequent award of the Nobel Prize the following year to H.J. Muller for his work on mutagenesis and his then becoming the first president of the newly established American Society of Human Genetics, a society which thereafter had such an enormous impact on the development of the subject, both in the USA and elsewhere. Unfortunately Dronamraju only occasionally presents such an historical analysis. Often he is content to catalogue events merely in some sort of chronological order. The writing of a satisfactory history involves a great deal more than this.
ALANEMERY l:niversiti' of Minburgb Medical School, Teviot Place. Edinburgh EH8 9AG. ~'.
[k~EVIEWS
PlanPrace ~i ',~:~ ~i:
Plant Molecular Biology, A Practical Approacl:i" edited by C.H. Shaw, IRLPress. 1988. £29.00/U5558.00 hbk. £19.00'USS38.00pbk (vx + 313 pages) ISBN1 85221 05' 5 Few disciplines have evolved as rapidly as molecular biology. Any editor attempting to compile a collection of useful molecular techniques faces a daunting task. Delays in publication virtually ensure that many of the protocols in a manual are out of date before it is in circulation. Important breakthroughs allow us to ask questions that we had not even considered a year before. Further, techniques are a very personal matter. Most of us hold very strong opinions about the 'correct' way things should be done. In this context, compiling a successful techniques manual would seem to be a virtual impossibility. Nonetheless, brave souls endlessly continue to turn out manuals. P l a n t M o l e c u l a r BioloRv, A P r a c t i c a l A p p r o a c h is a compilation
of 11 chapters contributed by individuals active in the field. The book covers areas of plant nuclear and organellar molecular biology as well as C h l a m l , d o m o n a s and cyanobacteria. The stated intention is 'to provide the newcomer and the practitioner with clear and sensible protocols to enable them to perform meaningful experiments in plant molecular biology'. Does it succeed in the stated purpose? Partially, with a heavy emphasis on 'newcomer'. As in any compilation, the quality of the contributions varies widely. Several of the chapters are very well written, thorough and informative. Others are already hopelessly out of date. Of course, many of the techniques described in this book have not changed significantly. DNA and RNA are still the same molecules that they were several years ago. A single source of reliable protocols for nucleic acid isolation, characterization and manipulation will certainly help those new to the field immensely. The chapters covering "N(; OCTOBt".R 198,9 VOL.5, \o. 10
351
these subjects are well written and thorough. Similarly, protocols for organelle isolation should prove useful to the novice. The development of simple and reproducible protocols to generate transgenic plants is probably the most important recent breakthrough in plant molecular biology. There are reports of successful transformation of new species literally every, month. In this context, the chapters on transformation are dated. The technology described in the chapter on A g r o b a c t e r i u m was the state of the art in 1985. The chapter appears to have been written several years before the book's publication, with only a minimal effort to update it, as evidenced by the list of references. The companion chapter on direct DNA transfer, although not as old, does not cover one of the most exciting advances in the recent history" of the field, namely the particle gun. There are other notable absences from the manual. For example, there is no discussion of the use of the [3-glucuronidase (GUS) histochemical assay as an alternative to tissue-specific localization. This extremely useful tool was widely available in 1987. Considering the large number of labs currently using GUS analysis, standard protocols and 'watchouts' would certainly be in order. This book should be viewed as a base for practicing molecular biology in a variety of photosynthetic organisms. The protocols provided should be taken as starting points for further refinement. There will almost always be alternative and in many cases far simpler available protocols. With the possible exception of the plant transformation material, the deficiencies of this book are mostly attributable to the rapid pace of advancement of this exciting field, not to any lack of diligence by the contributors. Nonetheless, when viewed as a whole, the book should prove to be useful for those new to plant molecular biology. If you don't know where to start, this is a good place to begin the journey.
HARRYJ. KLEE Plan t Molec ilia r Biolqw Gro t¢p, ,llo n san to Co., St Louis. MO 6y98, USA.
'incipient' paradigm is exemplified by cytogenetic studies between 1921 and 1956, and a 'transient' paradigm by Painter's report of the human diploid chromosome number as 47. But does such categorization really add anything significant to our understanding? It does lead the author into some trivial considerations, such as the '...competing paradigms, namely the PhD and MD members of the American Society of Human Genetics', and to be disconcertingly repetitive. Furthermore, such an approach leads to the development of human genetics being viewed at a distance. But the most intriguing problems lie in the details. Dronamraju seems aware of this, for he asks, for example, why blood group genetics, despite its immense clinical importance, never attained the same standing as the mathematical theory of natural selection as developed by Fisher, Haldane and Wright, but he fails to present a critical in-depth analysis of this matter. Yet it is in the pursuit of such detail that the historian of science can have something really important to say. Moreover, the most revealing historical studies in science are those that examine events in the social and political context of the time. The author, for example, relates the cataclysmic effects of the atomic bombings in 1945 to the subsequent award of the Nobel Prize the following year to H.J. Muller for his work on mutagenesis and his then becoming the first president of the newly established American Society of Human Genetics, a society which thereafter had such an enormous impact on the development of the subject, both in the USA and elsewhere. Unfortunately Dronamraju only occasionally presents such an historical analysis. Often he is content to catalogue events merely in some sort of chronological order. The writing of a satisfactory history involves a great deal more than this.
ALANEMERY l:niversiti' of Minburgb Medical School, Teviot Place. Edinburgh EH8 9AG. ~'.
[k~EVIEWS
PlanPrace ~i ',~:~ ~i:
Plant Molecular Biology, A Practical Approacl:i" edited by C.H. Shaw, IRLPress. 1988. £29.00/U5558.00 hbk. £19.00'USS38.00pbk (vx + 313 pages) ISBN1 85221 05' 5 Few disciplines have evolved as rapidly as molecular biology. Any editor attempting to compile a collection of useful molecular techniques faces a daunting task. Delays in publication virtually ensure that many of the protocols in a manual are out of date before it is in circulation. Important breakthroughs allow us to ask questions that we had not even considered a year before. Further, techniques are a very personal matter. Most of us hold very strong opinions about the 'correct' way things should be done. In this context, compiling a successful techniques manual would seem to be a virtual impossibility. Nonetheless, brave souls endlessly continue to turn out manuals. P l a n t M o l e c u l a r BioloRv, A P r a c t i c a l A p p r o a c h is a compilation
of 11 chapters contributed by individuals active in the field. The book covers areas of plant nuclear and organellar molecular biology as well as C h l a m l , d o m o n a s and cyanobacteria. The stated intention is 'to provide the newcomer and the practitioner with clear and sensible protocols to enable them to perform meaningful experiments in plant molecular biology'. Does it succeed in the stated purpose? Partially, with a heavy emphasis on 'newcomer'. As in any compilation, the quality of the contributions varies widely. Several of the chapters are very well written, thorough and informative. Others are already hopelessly out of date. Of course, many of the techniques described in this book have not changed significantly. DNA and RNA are still the same molecules that they were several years ago. A single source of reliable protocols for nucleic acid isolation, characterization and manipulation will certainly help those new to the field immensely. The chapters covering "N(; OCTOBt".R 198,9 VOL.5, \o. 10
351
these subjects are well written and thorough. Similarly, protocols for organelle isolation should prove useful to the novice. The development of simple and reproducible protocols to generate transgenic plants is probably the most important recent breakthrough in plant molecular biology. There are reports of successful transformation of new species literally every, month. In this context, the chapters on transformation are dated. The technology described in the chapter on A g r o b a c t e r i u m was the state of the art in 1985. The chapter appears to have been written several years before the book's publication, with only a minimal effort to update it, as evidenced by the list of references. The companion chapter on direct DNA transfer, although not as old, does not cover one of the most exciting advances in the recent history" of the field, namely the particle gun. There are other notable absences from the manual. For example, there is no discussion of the use of the [3-glucuronidase (GUS) histochemical assay as an alternative to tissue-specific localization. This extremely useful tool was widely available in 1987. Considering the large number of labs currently using GUS analysis, standard protocols and 'watchouts' would certainly be in order. This book should be viewed as a base for practicing molecular biology in a variety of photosynthetic organisms. The protocols provided should be taken as starting points for further refinement. There will almost always be alternative and in many cases far simpler available protocols. With the possible exception of the plant transformation material, the deficiencies of this book are mostly attributable to the rapid pace of advancement of this exciting field, not to any lack of diligence by the contributors. Nonetheless, when viewed as a whole, the book should prove to be useful for those new to plant molecular biology. If you don't know where to start, this is a good place to begin the journey.
HARRYJ. KLEE Plan t Molec ilia r Biolqw Gro t¢p, ,llo n san to Co., St Louis. MO 6y98, USA.