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Xenopus laevis: Practical Uses in Cell and Molecular Biology (Methods in Cell Biology Vol. 36)
~OOK
[]~EVIEWS
about Xenopus
of what you want
Xenopus laevis: PracticalUses in Cell and MolecularBiology (Methodsin Cell BiologyVol. 36) edited by Brian K. Kay and H. Benjamin Peng Academic Press, 1991. $115.00 (xiii + 718 pages) ISBN 0 12 564136 2 For at least the past ten years the last rites have been read for the use of Xenopus in developmental biology and for its use as the quintessential 'in vivo' test tube. These mutterings have been nurtured by outstanding successes with Drosophila, Caenorhabditis, by new techniques in mice (e.g. gene knockout) and, finally, by an assault on home territory by zebrafish aficionados. The publication of this handsome text, prepared under the auspices of the American Society for Cell Biology, goes some way to showing why Xenopus still retains its allure as a popular animal model and experimental tool. Amphibians have made a major contribution to vertebrate embryology this century. Xenopus entered the fray in a significant way rather late, when in the 1950s it was demonstrated that egg laying could be induced on demand by hormone injection. In the 1960s, work by Birnstiel and Brown and their colleagues established Xenopus as a suitable eukaryote for pioneering studies on gene isolation and organization, while fundamental insights into the genetic basis of differentiation and mesoderm induction were gained from the nuclear transplantation studies of Gurdon and the explant experiments of Nieuwkoop, respectively. In contrast, work with Xenopus in the 1970s was dominated by the use of oocytes to gather information on protein movement into the nucleus, translation, transcription and secretion, and there was even some time left for the isolation of the first eukaryotic
~ R
transcription factor. It was also during this period that the first Xenopus cell-free systems were described for chromatin assembly. The 1980s saw the emergence of several more cell-free systems, as well as the use of the oocyte to manufacture and present at the surface several types of protein, including functional membrane channels, receptors and growth factors. This decade also saw a major reinvestment of efforts to study early development in Xenopus, with the benefit of a broad spectrum of molecular probes. All these developments and more are discussed in some detail in the 32 chapters and seven appendices that constitute this 718 page multiauthor text. The book is divided into four sections. The first presents general information on animal husbandry, oogenesis and embryogenesis, while the second section is devoted to the oocyte. The third section concentrates on studies using eggs and embryos, while the final part deals with the uses of oocytes, eggs and embryos as model systems to study a variety of cellular phenomena, including ion channel expression, synaptic induction and cell-matrix adhesion. It also includes the preparation of various cell-free systems. Each chapter is part review, part methodology and some have extensive troubleshooting sections. Most chapters are illustrated, sometimes spectacularly so, with both colour and black-and-white plates. The categorization into four sections is somewhat arbitrary, since several of the chapters in
Flipping cell fates
Molecular and CellularApproaches to the Control of Proliferation and Differentiation edited by G.S. Stein and J.B. Lian Academic Press, 1991. $125.00 (xiv + 426 pages) ISBN 0 12 664 745 3 The fate of most eukaryotic cells is limited to one of three options: divide, specialize or do nothing. This book compares and contrasts the two active choices to demonstrate the close coupling between these seemingly opposing processes. Given the title, the book is logically divided into thTee sections on proliferation, differentiation, and their mechanisms of control. Most multiauthored volumes vary in style but,
in this case, the content of the chapters ranged from pure literature reviews to presentation of primary data. While this discontinuity is an unnecessary distraction, there is compensation in the quality and topicality of the contributions, which are a valuable source of information in this rapidly evolving area. The proliferation section has the most uniform style, with chapters TIG JU1.Y 1992 VOL 8 NO. 7
different sections of the book feed off common techniques. Some of the most frequently used methods and solutions have been collected in the appendices, which also describe codon usage and available Xenopus mutants. As a practical manual the book is too large and its format is user-unfriendly. In addition, I would have liked to have seen a chapter devoted to the shortcomings of Xenopus and how these problems might be overcome. For example, biochemical fractionation of Xenopus is rather limited ~although not as limited as a cursory reading might indicate - what about lysosomes, the surrounding medium?), as is the resolution offered by immunocytological methods. The cellfree systems are essentially broken cells and further subfractionation or even dilution often leads to complete loss of activity. In his preface to this book, Nieuwkoop laments the present-day inadequate teaching of anatomy, histology and cytology, a grounding that many 'bom-again' Xenopus embryologists wish they could acquire less painfully. In this area, readers will not be greatly enlightened and may find Hausen's* delightfully illustrated book an attractive purchase. However, as a singlesource reference text of everything happening with Xenopus, this Methods in Cell Biology is invaluable and should be bought by all labs working with or even thinking about Xenopus.
A. Colman School of Biocbemist~. , UniversiO,of Birmingham, Birmingham, UKB15 2TE *Hausen, P. and Reibesell, M. (1991)
The Earl), Development of Xenopus laevis: An Atlas of the Histology, Springer-Verlag; reviewed in the May issue of T/G.
progressing from growth factors to the nucleus and control of the cell cycle. Unfortunately, immediate-early genes/ nuclear proto-oncogenes are described four times in these five chapters, carrying the uniformity cause a little too far! The central section on differentiation describes several in vitro systems in which this process has been examined in detail. In my view this is the most valuable portion, allowing the reader to assess directly the advantages and problems attached to such models without resort to the primary papers. In essence, the study of differentiation of cells in vitro is the study of a switch from proliferation, since cultured cells, by definition, are rather adept at dividing. A concern with such systems is their
[]~EVIEWS
about Xenopus
of what you want
Xenopus laevis: PracticalUses in Cell and MolecularBiology (Methodsin Cell BiologyVol. 36) edited by Brian K. Kay and H. Benjamin Peng Academic Press, 1991. $115.00 (xiii + 718 pages) ISBN 0 12 564136 2 For at least the past ten years the last rites have been read for the use of Xenopus in developmental biology and for its use as the quintessential 'in vivo' test tube. These mutterings have been nurtured by outstanding successes with Drosophila, Caenorhabditis, by new techniques in mice (e.g. gene knockout) and, finally, by an assault on home territory by zebrafish aficionados. The publication of this handsome text, prepared under the auspices of the American Society for Cell Biology, goes some way to showing why Xenopus still retains its allure as a popular animal model and experimental tool. Amphibians have made a major contribution to vertebrate embryology this century. Xenopus entered the fray in a significant way rather late, when in the 1950s it was demonstrated that egg laying could be induced on demand by hormone injection. In the 1960s, work by Birnstiel and Brown and their colleagues established Xenopus as a suitable eukaryote for pioneering studies on gene isolation and organization, while fundamental insights into the genetic basis of differentiation and mesoderm induction were gained from the nuclear transplantation studies of Gurdon and the explant experiments of Nieuwkoop, respectively. In contrast, work with Xenopus in the 1970s was dominated by the use of oocytes to gather information on protein movement into the nucleus, translation, transcription and secretion, and there was even some time left for the isolation of the first eukaryotic
~ R
transcription factor. It was also during this period that the first Xenopus cell-free systems were described for chromatin assembly. The 1980s saw the emergence of several more cell-free systems, as well as the use of the oocyte to manufacture and present at the surface several types of protein, including functional membrane channels, receptors and growth factors. This decade also saw a major reinvestment of efforts to study early development in Xenopus, with the benefit of a broad spectrum of molecular probes. All these developments and more are discussed in some detail in the 32 chapters and seven appendices that constitute this 718 page multiauthor text. The book is divided into four sections. The first presents general information on animal husbandry, oogenesis and embryogenesis, while the second section is devoted to the oocyte. The third section concentrates on studies using eggs and embryos, while the final part deals with the uses of oocytes, eggs and embryos as model systems to study a variety of cellular phenomena, including ion channel expression, synaptic induction and cell-matrix adhesion. It also includes the preparation of various cell-free systems. Each chapter is part review, part methodology and some have extensive troubleshooting sections. Most chapters are illustrated, sometimes spectacularly so, with both colour and black-and-white plates. The categorization into four sections is somewhat arbitrary, since several of the chapters in
Flipping cell fates
Molecular and CellularApproaches to the Control of Proliferation and Differentiation edited by G.S. Stein and J.B. Lian Academic Press, 1991. $125.00 (xiv + 426 pages) ISBN 0 12 664 745 3 The fate of most eukaryotic cells is limited to one of three options: divide, specialize or do nothing. This book compares and contrasts the two active choices to demonstrate the close coupling between these seemingly opposing processes. Given the title, the book is logically divided into thTee sections on proliferation, differentiation, and their mechanisms of control. Most multiauthored volumes vary in style but,
in this case, the content of the chapters ranged from pure literature reviews to presentation of primary data. While this discontinuity is an unnecessary distraction, there is compensation in the quality and topicality of the contributions, which are a valuable source of information in this rapidly evolving area. The proliferation section has the most uniform style, with chapters TIG JU1.Y 1992 VOL 8 NO. 7
different sections of the book feed off common techniques. Some of the most frequently used methods and solutions have been collected in the appendices, which also describe codon usage and available Xenopus mutants. As a practical manual the book is too large and its format is user-unfriendly. In addition, I would have liked to have seen a chapter devoted to the shortcomings of Xenopus and how these problems might be overcome. For example, biochemical fractionation of Xenopus is rather limited ~although not as limited as a cursory reading might indicate - what about lysosomes, the surrounding medium?), as is the resolution offered by immunocytological methods. The cellfree systems are essentially broken cells and further subfractionation or even dilution often leads to complete loss of activity. In his preface to this book, Nieuwkoop laments the present-day inadequate teaching of anatomy, histology and cytology, a grounding that many 'bom-again' Xenopus embryologists wish they could acquire less painfully. In this area, readers will not be greatly enlightened and may find Hausen's* delightfully illustrated book an attractive purchase. However, as a singlesource reference text of everything happening with Xenopus, this Methods in Cell Biology is invaluable and should be bought by all labs working with or even thinking about Xenopus.
A. Colman School of Biocbemist~. , UniversiO,of Birmingham, Birmingham, UKB15 2TE *Hausen, P. and Reibesell, M. (1991)
The Earl), Development of Xenopus laevis: An Atlas of the Histology, Springer-Verlag; reviewed in the May issue of T/G.
progressing from growth factors to the nucleus and control of the cell cycle. Unfortunately, immediate-early genes/ nuclear proto-oncogenes are described four times in these five chapters, carrying the uniformity cause a little too far! The central section on differentiation describes several in vitro systems in which this process has been examined in detail. In my view this is the most valuable portion, allowing the reader to assess directly the advantages and problems attached to such models without resort to the primary papers. In essence, the study of differentiation of cells in vitro is the study of a switch from proliferation, since cultured cells, by definition, are rather adept at dividing. A concern with such systems is their