Drosophila : Methods and Protocols. Methods in Molecular Biology, Volume 420 .Drosophila : Methods and Protocols by Christian DahmannReview by: By Artyom KoppThe Quarterly Review of Biology, Vol. 84, No. 2 (June 2009), p. 201Published by: The University of Chicago PressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/603491 .

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Plasmids range from relatively simple structuresthat include just a few functional components (suchas an origin of replication and a selectable marker)to highly complex molecules designed for specificapplications (such as gene therapy and gene expres-sion in higher eukaryotes). The complexity of thelatter plasmids is highlighted in Chapter 3, with itsin-depth discussion of the biology and biotechnologyof mammalian expression vectors. Plasmid transfec-tion methods, plasmid nuclear import, the principlesunderlying the construction of optimal DNA vectors,and strategies to enable vector DNA persistence intransfected cells are just a few of the topics covered inthis chapter. Also worth noting is Chapter 4, whichdiscusses various bioinformatics tools and methodsfor plasmid sequence analysis and annotation. Thischapter is extremely useful, especially in light of theconstant development and release of plasmid DNAsequences to public domains. With additional chap-ters dedicated to the use of plasmids for gene ther-apy and as prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines forcancer and infectious diseases in humans, this bookwill be a rich resource for molecular biologists inter-ested in plasmid development and construction, aswell as in the development of plasmid-driven bio-technologies.

Tzvi Tzfira, Molecular, Cellular & DevelopmentalBiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan

DROSOPHILA: Methods and Protocols. Methods inMolecular Biology, Volume 420.

Edited by Christian Dahmann. Totowa (New Jersey):Humana Press. $99.50. xi � 437 p.; ill.; index.ISBN: 978-1-58829-817-1. 2008.

This is a collection of 25 contributions covering awide range of techniques used in Drosophila research.The first such compilation since Drosophila Protocols(W. Sullivan, M. Ashburner, and R. S. Hawley. 2000.Cold Spring Harbor (NY): Cold Spring Harbor Lab-oratory Press), it represents an important update,which covers a number of methods that did not existor were in their infancy in 2000. The book does notattempt to be comprehensive, and is best thought ofas an up-to-date supplement to an existing libraryrather than a complete stand-alone laboratory man-ual. As the historical introduction by Martinez Ariasmakes clear, Drosophila has been a model system forjust about everything for many decades, and thisvolume spans almost the whole breadth of the fieldfrom classical genetics to biochemistry.

Individual chapters range from standard tech-niques that form the staple of any field that usesDrosophila as a model (fly husbandry, germline trans-formation, and tissue stainings, among others) to themost recent advances (such as construction of mo-lecularly defined deficiencies, transgenesis usingphiC132 integrase, and flow cytometry) and some

highly specialized techniques (such as histologicalanalysis of neuromuscular junctions). As the titleMethods and Protocols implies, chapters in this bookrange from very general conceptual outlines (such aschapters explaining the use of the GAL4/UAS sys-tem and microRNA analysis) to highly detailedstep-by-step protocols (e. g., embryo microinjection,antibody staining, and fluorescent in situ hybridiza-tion). Many protocols include useful troubleshoot-ing suggestions. Notes at the end of some chaptersoffer practical tricks not normally published in Ma-terials and Methods sections, including such mun-dane but indispensable details as mailing Drosophilastocks and obtaining import and export permits.

Overall, this book will provide a good overviewof the Drosophila toolkit for new students, and willbe a useful starting point for workers looking toexplore new technical approaches.

Artyom Kopp, Evolution & Ecology and Center forGenetics & Development, University of California,Davis, California

GENETICS

PARAMECIUM: Genetics and Epigenetics.By G. H. Beale and John R. Preer, Jr. CRC Press. BocaRaton (Florida): Taylor and Francis Group. $99.95.xxi � 191 p.; ill.; index. ISBN: 978-0-415-25785-5.2008.

This book has been long awaited. No one elsecould have accomplished this work because Bealeand Preer have stood at the leading edge of re-search in Paramecium genetics for over 70 years.Looking at the whole field, these experienced ex-perts present finished as well as the unfinishedstories, from early works by Jennings and Son-neborn to the modern genetics of Paramecium.This volume is not a mere history or a collection ofscientific results, but a dynamic and realistic over-view because the authors themselves have beeninvolved in most of the work. Each keyword isprecisely and carefully defined, and readers willeasily find what is now clear and what is still to beuncovered. In Paramecium, there are many hered-itary traits that do not behave in a Mendelianfashion. The authors particularly emphasize such“epigenetic” inheritance, most of which is not yetcompletely understood. They especially refer tothe plasmagene and methagon hypotheses, whichwere once much discussed, but that have subse-quently been discarded as incorrect. According tothe authors, “[d]escriptions of some of their workwill give younger readers an idea of how science

June 2009 201NEW BIOLOGICAL BOOKS

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