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Tissue culture, methods and applications
Cell 120
Cell CultureThe State of the Art impact the book should be read while dipping into the available monographs on Euglena, Tetrahymena, trypanosomes, malaridal plasmodia and other highly evolved parasites, and algae, chemotherapy-and, above all, current issues of journals in protozoology, phycology, and the cell.
Pp. 868. (Academic
Press:
New York
and London).
$22.00 Contamination in Tissue Cultures, edited by Jorgen Fdgh. Pp. 288.
Seymour H. Hutner Haskins Laboratories Pace University New York, New York
Tissue Culture, Methods and Applications, edited by Paul F. Kruse Jr. and M. K. Patterson Jr.
(Academic $18.00
Press:
New York
and London).
10038 Forty years ago, growing cells in culture demanded the greenest of fingers of the most meticulous of scientists; today the most naive of technicians can maintain large stocks of cells with but a minimum of training. This transformation has been achieved through the cooperative efforts of many scientists, a sizable fraction of whom have contributed to the volume edited by Kruse and Patterson. To describe the book as comprehensive is to underestimate its scope: in its eight hundred and more pages there are 141 articles grouped into fourteen sections that cover every aspect of the art. Topics included stretch from tissue dissociation and primary culture preparation (38 articles), through virtually every technique used by cell biologists, to quality control of media production and culture sterility. There are even instructions and regulations on the proper way of transporting cells. An unusual aspect of the book is that there is a section of several articles dealing with some of the machinery that facilitates the production of large quantities of cells. The editors have clearly taken a great deal of care in both the planning and execution of the book: the range and sequencing of the articles is exemplary, and the editor’s introductions to each section are clear summaries of the area and provide helpful cross-references to other parts of the book. The layout is pleasing to the eye, the texts are easy to assimilate, and I particularly appreciated finding references at the foot of the appropriate page rather than at the back of the book. The articles themselves are almost invariably concise but are complete and up-to-date-another mark of good editing. The authors have not limited their comments to the scientifically proven; rather, there is an emphasis on experience and know-how. This will lighten the lot of the scientist who wants to use any technique for the first time, or who is unsatisfied with his current procedures. Although there are few deficiencies or inadequacies in this book, its composition does reflect one or two biases of interest. The editors seem to have directed their concern towards scientists in large laboratories where there are considerable resources. The biologist who works alone in a univer-
Book 121
Reviews
Ribonucleic Review sity department may feel on browsing through the book that, if he has a small budget, he is very limited in what he can do. There is, for example, no article describing a simple method for time-lapse cinemicroscopy on routine cultures. It is far easier and cheaper to maintain a warm, humid, gassed atmosphere than the reader would guess from this book. In addition, summary tables on culture media, their contents, advantages and disadvantages would have been useful. Moreover, the single article on growing nerve cells in culture, good as it is, could have been supplemented with a paper on mixed nerve and muscle cultures. There is a further criticism which reflects on the practice of the art as much as on the content of this book. There are only two articles which even touch on attempts to mimic in vitro the conditions that are found in vivo. Cell function in vitro is indeed important, but what we wish to understand is cell behavior in vivo. Sadly, there is little in this large book to encourage biologists to try to work backwards from plastic to the original tissue. Nonetheless, this is a book that all cell biologists will be pleased to own; it will be a standard reference work for some time to come and provide readily accessible answers to many problems. Such, I am sure, was the intention of the editors, and this book serves as a fine memorial to one of them, Paul Kruse, who died recently. It says much for them that they both obtained a grant and took no editorial royalties so that this book could be as cheap as possible. The volume is, in all senses, a labor of love. Yet no book ever has the last word. There is a chapter in the volume edited by Fogh whose contents are not in the more comprehensive handbook. “Contaminants Demonstrated by MiEntitled it culminates in 49 superb but depresscroscopy”, ing micrographs of cells infected by fungi, mycoplasma, and bacteria. Photographed under phase and Nomarski optics, they clearly show one of the classic problems of culture. In the book there is sound advice on how to prevent, recognize, and clear-up contamination from viruses, bacteria, mycoplasma, fungi, and extraneous animal cells. No one would want to need this book, but many Iibraries will consider it a sound insurance policy for those hopefully few occasions when there are guests in our cultures. Jonathan Bard Department of Anatomy, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
Acids in
The Rlbonucleic Acids, edited by P. R. Stewart and D. S. Letham. Pp. 268. (Springer-Verlag: Berlin, Heidelberg, New York). $20.50
This book comprises a survey of the role of various ribonucleic acids in the physiology and biochemistry of both procaryotic and eucaryotic organisms. The book contains eleven chapters, ten of which deal with the biochemistry and physiology of ribonucleic acid; the last chapter is devoted to the purification and separation of various classes of RNA. A broad review is given of the biochemistry of the structure, transcription and translation of transfer RNA, messenger RNA, nuclear RNA, various viral RNAs, and chloroplast and mitochondrial RNAs. The strength of the book, and the greatest detail, is spent in an overview of transcription in bacteria and eucaryotic organisms. Three of the ten chapters are devoted to this. There is a reasonable discussion of the knowledge and basic questions of transcription in mammalian cell nuclei, with emphasis given to heteronuclear RNA and processing. The editors try to point out the parallels and differences between bacterial and mammalian systems. At times, this is oversimplified, but it does provide an overview and a compilation of references for anyone interested in learning the field. An additional two chapters of the book are spent on the mechanisms of translation of messenger RNA in bacterial and eucaryotic organisms. This part is not as up-to-date as the sections on transcription. However, there are no serious errors in facts that are included. The chapter on transfer RNA is weak, perhaps because of the lack of knowledge of many of the aspects of transfer RNA structure and function. Similarly the chapters on mitochondrial RNA, chloroplast RNA, and various viral RNAs are weak and really provide only a starting list of references for a person interested in the field. Overall, this is a good book for an overview of many aspects of RNA metabolism and will be useful to both beginners and persons already in the field. E. M. Scolnlck National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland 20014
Cell CultureThe State of the Art impact the book should be read while dipping into the available monographs on Euglena, Tetrahymena, trypanosomes, malaridal plasmodia and other highly evolved parasites, and algae, chemotherapy-and, above all, current issues of journals in protozoology, phycology, and the cell.
Pp. 868. (Academic
Press:
New York
and London).
$22.00 Contamination in Tissue Cultures, edited by Jorgen Fdgh. Pp. 288.
Seymour H. Hutner Haskins Laboratories Pace University New York, New York
Tissue Culture, Methods and Applications, edited by Paul F. Kruse Jr. and M. K. Patterson Jr.
(Academic $18.00
Press:
New York
and London).
10038 Forty years ago, growing cells in culture demanded the greenest of fingers of the most meticulous of scientists; today the most naive of technicians can maintain large stocks of cells with but a minimum of training. This transformation has been achieved through the cooperative efforts of many scientists, a sizable fraction of whom have contributed to the volume edited by Kruse and Patterson. To describe the book as comprehensive is to underestimate its scope: in its eight hundred and more pages there are 141 articles grouped into fourteen sections that cover every aspect of the art. Topics included stretch from tissue dissociation and primary culture preparation (38 articles), through virtually every technique used by cell biologists, to quality control of media production and culture sterility. There are even instructions and regulations on the proper way of transporting cells. An unusual aspect of the book is that there is a section of several articles dealing with some of the machinery that facilitates the production of large quantities of cells. The editors have clearly taken a great deal of care in both the planning and execution of the book: the range and sequencing of the articles is exemplary, and the editor’s introductions to each section are clear summaries of the area and provide helpful cross-references to other parts of the book. The layout is pleasing to the eye, the texts are easy to assimilate, and I particularly appreciated finding references at the foot of the appropriate page rather than at the back of the book. The articles themselves are almost invariably concise but are complete and up-to-date-another mark of good editing. The authors have not limited their comments to the scientifically proven; rather, there is an emphasis on experience and know-how. This will lighten the lot of the scientist who wants to use any technique for the first time, or who is unsatisfied with his current procedures. Although there are few deficiencies or inadequacies in this book, its composition does reflect one or two biases of interest. The editors seem to have directed their concern towards scientists in large laboratories where there are considerable resources. The biologist who works alone in a univer-
Book 121
Reviews
Ribonucleic Review sity department may feel on browsing through the book that, if he has a small budget, he is very limited in what he can do. There is, for example, no article describing a simple method for time-lapse cinemicroscopy on routine cultures. It is far easier and cheaper to maintain a warm, humid, gassed atmosphere than the reader would guess from this book. In addition, summary tables on culture media, their contents, advantages and disadvantages would have been useful. Moreover, the single article on growing nerve cells in culture, good as it is, could have been supplemented with a paper on mixed nerve and muscle cultures. There is a further criticism which reflects on the practice of the art as much as on the content of this book. There are only two articles which even touch on attempts to mimic in vitro the conditions that are found in vivo. Cell function in vitro is indeed important, but what we wish to understand is cell behavior in vivo. Sadly, there is little in this large book to encourage biologists to try to work backwards from plastic to the original tissue. Nonetheless, this is a book that all cell biologists will be pleased to own; it will be a standard reference work for some time to come and provide readily accessible answers to many problems. Such, I am sure, was the intention of the editors, and this book serves as a fine memorial to one of them, Paul Kruse, who died recently. It says much for them that they both obtained a grant and took no editorial royalties so that this book could be as cheap as possible. The volume is, in all senses, a labor of love. Yet no book ever has the last word. There is a chapter in the volume edited by Fogh whose contents are not in the more comprehensive handbook. “Contaminants Demonstrated by MiEntitled it culminates in 49 superb but depresscroscopy”, ing micrographs of cells infected by fungi, mycoplasma, and bacteria. Photographed under phase and Nomarski optics, they clearly show one of the classic problems of culture. In the book there is sound advice on how to prevent, recognize, and clear-up contamination from viruses, bacteria, mycoplasma, fungi, and extraneous animal cells. No one would want to need this book, but many Iibraries will consider it a sound insurance policy for those hopefully few occasions when there are guests in our cultures. Jonathan Bard Department of Anatomy, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115
Acids in
The Rlbonucleic Acids, edited by P. R. Stewart and D. S. Letham. Pp. 268. (Springer-Verlag: Berlin, Heidelberg, New York). $20.50
This book comprises a survey of the role of various ribonucleic acids in the physiology and biochemistry of both procaryotic and eucaryotic organisms. The book contains eleven chapters, ten of which deal with the biochemistry and physiology of ribonucleic acid; the last chapter is devoted to the purification and separation of various classes of RNA. A broad review is given of the biochemistry of the structure, transcription and translation of transfer RNA, messenger RNA, nuclear RNA, various viral RNAs, and chloroplast and mitochondrial RNAs. The strength of the book, and the greatest detail, is spent in an overview of transcription in bacteria and eucaryotic organisms. Three of the ten chapters are devoted to this. There is a reasonable discussion of the knowledge and basic questions of transcription in mammalian cell nuclei, with emphasis given to heteronuclear RNA and processing. The editors try to point out the parallels and differences between bacterial and mammalian systems. At times, this is oversimplified, but it does provide an overview and a compilation of references for anyone interested in learning the field. An additional two chapters of the book are spent on the mechanisms of translation of messenger RNA in bacterial and eucaryotic organisms. This part is not as up-to-date as the sections on transcription. However, there are no serious errors in facts that are included. The chapter on transfer RNA is weak, perhaps because of the lack of knowledge of many of the aspects of transfer RNA structure and function. Similarly the chapters on mitochondrial RNA, chloroplast RNA, and various viral RNAs are weak and really provide only a starting list of references for a person interested in the field. Overall, this is a good book for an overview of many aspects of RNA metabolism and will be useful to both beginners and persons already in the field. E. M. Scolnlck National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland 20014