image: The cover design of this, the sixth edition of Molecular Biology of the Gene, consciously mimics that of the first edition. The image is a representation from systems biology of a frequently observed motif in the circuitry governing gene expression. The motif, known as an incoherent feed-forward loop, consists of two regulatory genes, A and B, and a target gene C whose expression is indicated at the output. view more
Credit: Pearson Education, Inc.
A new edition of the most widely used undergraduate textbook in molecular biology, Molecular Biology of the Gene, has just been released. It incorporates the latest in research and technological advances while retaining the distinctive characteristics of earlier editions that have made this a superior textbook for generations of students. Written by six authors with outstanding teaching and research credentials, the book will also be useful to professional scientists looking for a concise, up-to-date summary of the field. It was jointly published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press and Benjamin Cummings, an imprint of Pearson Education.
The first edition, which appeared in 1965, was written by James D. Watson. More recent editions of the book have been co-authored by Watson and five highly respected biologists to provide current, comprehensive, and authoritative coverage of this fast-changing discipline. These additional authors are Tania A. Baker (MIT), Stephen P. Bell (MIT), Alexander Gann (CSHL), Michael Levine (UC Berkeley), and Richard Losick (Harvard).
Now in its sixth edition, Molecular Biology of the Gene has been thoroughly revised. Content updates have been made to every chapter, and medical insights that have emerged from our understanding of basic molecular biology have been included. Two all-new chapters discuss regulatory RNAs (Chapter 18) and genomics and systems biology (Chapter 20). These chapters focus on RNAi and microRNAs, the opportunities offered by the new generation of genome technologies, and the elucidation of gene regulatory networks.
The twenty-two chapters offer balanced coverage of prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems, and are divided into five major sections. The chapters in Part 1 provide a historical basis for the field and include descriptions of fundamental chemical concepts. Part 2 covers the structures of DNA, RNA, and chromatin, as well as the maintenance of genetic material through replication, recombination, and repair. A comprehensive survey of transcription, splicing, and translation is offered in Part 3, and the regulation of these processes is discussed in Part 4. Finally, Part 5 presents standard techniques and model organisms commonly used in molecular biology studies.
Also new to the book are a series of color-coded boxes that describe key experiments, techniques, medical connections, and advanced concepts. These boxes help to support the narrative and to clarify key concepts throughout the book.
“Web Animation” icons are also placed throughout the text, and these direct students to the expanded companion Web site (http://www.aw-bc.com/watson). This Web site contains interactive tutorials, animations, critical-thinking exercises, and a glossary, which are designed to reinforce fundamental concepts and to help visualize complex concepts.
Supplementary instructor resources, including a CD-ROM and transparency acetates, are also available. The dual-platform CD-ROM contains high-resolution files of all art and tables from the book in JPEG and PowerPoint formats, as well as answers to the critical-thinking questions posed to students on the companion Web site. The transparencies feature approximately 300 four-color illustrations from the text as selected by the authors.
About the book: Molecular Biology of the Gene, 6th edition, (ISBN 9780805395921) is 841 pp. in length (illus., index) and is available in hardcover. The book’s accompanying Web site is at http://www.aw-bc.com/watson. For more information, visit http://www.cshlpress.com/link/mbog6.htm and http://www.aw-bc.com/catalog/academic/product/0,1144,080539592X,00.html.
Requests for examination copies for textbook adoptions should be sent to Benjamin Cummings at www.pearsonhighered.com. The Instructor Resource CD-ROM (ISBN: 9780321527660) and Transparency Acetates (ISBN: 9780321536396) are freely available to adopters.
About the authors:
James D. Watson was the sole author of the first, second, and third editions of Molecular Biology of the Gene, and a co-author of the fourth and fifth editions. He is also a co-author of two other textbooks: Molecular Biology of the Cell and Recombinant DNA. Tania A. Baker is the Whitehead Professor of Biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Stephen P. Bell is a Professor of Biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Alexander Gann is Editorial Director of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press and a faculty member of the Watson School of Biological Sciences at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. Michael Levine is a Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of California, Berkeley, and is also Co-Director of the Center for Integrative Genomics. Richard Losick is the Maria Moors Cabot Professor of Biology, a Harvard College Professor, and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University.
About Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press:
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press is an internationally renowned publisher of books, journals, and electronic media, located on Long Island, New York. Since 1933, it has furthered the advance and spread of scientific knowledge in all areas of genetics and molecular biology, including cancer biology, plant science, bioinformatics, and neurobiology. It is a division of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, an innovator in life science research and the education of scientists, students, and the public. For more information, visit www.cshlpress.com.
About Benjamin Cummings:
Benjamin Cummings is an imprint of the world’s largest educational publisher, Pearson Education.