Molecular Biology

by David P. Clark, Nanette J. Pazdernik

Overview

Molecular Biology, Second Edition, examines the basic concepts of molecular biology while incorporating primary literature from today’s leading researchers. This updated edition includes Focuses on Relevant Research sections that integrate primary literature from Cell Press and focus on helping the student learn how to read and understand research to prepare them for the scientific world.The new Academic Cell Study Guide features all the articles from the text with concurrent case studies to help students build foundations in the content while allowing them to make the appropriate connections to the text. Animations provided deal with topics such as protein purification, transcription, splicing reactions, cell division and DNA replication and SDS-PAGE. The text also includes updated chapters on Genomics and Systems Biology, Proteomics, Bacterial Genetics and Molecular Evolution and RNA. An updated ancillary package includes flashcards, online self quizzing, references with links to outside content and PowerPoint slides with images.This text is designed for undergraduate students taking a course in Molecular Biology and upper-level students studying Cell Biology, Microbiology, Genetics, Biology, Pharmacology, Biotechnology, Biochemistry, and Agriculture.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780124105171
Publisher:	Elsevier Science
Publication date:	07/10/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	928
File size:	181 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

David P. Clark did his graduate work on bacterial antibiotic resistance to earn his Ph.D. from Bristol University, England. He later crossed the Atlantic to work as a postdoctoral researcher at Yale University and then the University of Illinois. Dr Clark recently retired from teaching Molecular Biology and Bacterial Physiology at Southern Illinois University which he joined in 1981. His research into the Regulation of Alcohol Fermentation in E. coli was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, from 1982 till 2007. In 1991 he received a Royal Society Guest Research Fellowship to work at Sheffield University, England while on sabbatical leave.

Nanette J. Pazdernik has devoted her career to the understanding of molecular biology and biotechnology, and then disseminating that knowledge by writing and teaching. She is a co-author of Biotechnology, 2nd edition and Molecular Biology, 3rd edition, with Dr. David P. Clark and Dr. Michelle McGehee. Both the second and third edition of Molecular Biology won a Texty award from the Textbook and Academic Authors Association. She has taught courses in General Biology, Genetics, as well as Anatomy and Physiology at Southwestern Illinois College, McKendree University, and Harris-Stowe University. She received her BA in Biology from Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, and her PhD in Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology and Genetics from the University of Minnesota. Her doctoral thesis studied protein structure-function relationships. Following her degrees, she investigated the signal transduction pathways that control apoptosis and immunity at Indiana University School of Medicine. In a second post-doctoral position, she studied the various molecules that maintain the stem cell niche in the Department of Genetics at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO. Currently, Dr. Pazdernik works in the biotech industry as a scientific writer.

Table of Contents

Unit 1: Basic Chemical and Biological Principles

Ch1 Cells and Organisms

Ch2 Basic Genetics

Ch3 DNA, RNA, and Protein

Ch4 Genes, Genomes, and DNA

Ch5 Manipulation of Nucleic Acids

Unit 2: The Genome

Ch6 Polymerase Chain Reaction

Ch7 Cloning Genes for Analysis

Ch8 DNA Sequencing

Ch9 Genomics & Systems Biology

Unit 3: The Central Dogma of Molecular Biology

Ch10 Cell Division and DNA Replication

Ch11 Transcription of Genes

Ch12 Processing of RNA

Ch13 Protein Synthesis

Ch14 Protein Structure & Function

Ch15 Proteomics: Global Analysis of Proteins

Unit 4: Regulating Gene Expression

Ch16 Regulation of Transcription in Prokaryotes

Ch17 Regulation of Transcription in Eukaryotes

Ch18 Regulation at RNA Level

Ch19 Analysis of Gene Expression (Transcriptome)

Unit 5: Subcellular Life Forms

Ch20 Plasmids

Ch21 Viruses

Ch22 Mobile DNA

Unit 6: Changing the DNA Blueprint

Ch23 Mutations and Repair

Ch24 Recombination

Ch25 Bacterial Genetics

Ch26 Molecular Evolution

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Examines the basic concepts of molecular biology and its applications in today’s research

Editorial Reviews

"This second edition of the text is accompanied by an online study guide, which contains useful material including review questions, and references to relevant articles. I would highly recommend this informative, well-presented book to students and researchers seeking sound and practical updated knowledge in molecular biology."—Science Progress, vol 95, issue 2, 2012"This molecular biology textbook from Clark and Pazdernik is geared toward upper-level undergraduate and beginning graduate students. The book is written with a preference for breadth over depth, beginning with several chapters to cover the basics for students with a non-molecular background in biology and continuing on in survey fashion to the topics of genomics research, RNA and protein function, gene expression, subcellular life-forms, and DNA alteration."—Reference & Research Book News, October 2013"This book reflects the massive surge in our understanding of the molecular foundations of genetics. In order to understand where these technological advances are heading, there needs to be a basic understanding of how living organisms function at a molecular level. Molecular Biology, 2e, effectively introduces basic concepts followed by more specific applications as the text evolves."—ANTICANCER RESEARCH 33: 745-746 (2013), February 2013"This comprehensive text gives students and researchers a sound and practical knowledge of molecular biology. Consisting of 28 lucidly written chapters, this book presents basic concepts, recent updates, methodological principles and applications in this central biology discipline. The authors have adopted an interesting pedagogic approach to ensure smooth delivery of the presented information. This involved the use of nicely-designed meaningful illustrations, highlighting key concepts in each chapter, and raising review and conceptual questions. There is also a novel feature of ‘Focus on Relevant Research’ sections relating pertinent research articles to key concepts in the text. These sections illustrate how the development of frontier research in molecular biology is based upon the proper understanding of its prime concepts. This second edition of the text is accompanied by an online study guide, which contains useful material including review questions, and references to relevant articles. I would highly recommend this informative, well-presented book to students and researchers seeking sound and practical updated knowledge in molecular biology."—Science Progress

From the Publisher

Reviewer: Ruben Mestril, PhD (Loyola University Medical Center)
Description: This is an excellent survey of the main topics in modern day molecular biology as well as the new and updated topics such as proteomics and molecular evolution, among others. The presentation is clear and straightforward and the accompanying illustrations, also updated, enhance student understanding. A nice feature is the tie-in to relevant Cell Press articles that introduce students to the process of analytical thinking. Each chapter is followed by a section of key concepts, review questions, and conceptual questions, helpful for review.
Purpose: The main purpose is to present a survey of current topics in molecular biology. The interesting chapters on genomics and systems biology (chap. 9), proteomics (chap. 15), and molecular evolution (chap. 26), provide an excellent roadmap to how molecular biology has impacted our understanding of life on earth and possible future applications.
Audience: The book is written primarily for upper-division students interested in the study of molecular biology and genomics. It provides a good primer for first year graduate students, but it also is a good starting point for biological investigators not familiar with the different aspects of modern day molecular biology as well as those who are interested in biotechnology, since this is the required precursor to a second book in this series, Biotechnology, by the same authors.
Features: The book's six units cover general areas of molecular biology: basic chemical and biological principles, the genome, the central dogma of molecular biology, regulating gene expression, subcellular life forms, and changing the DNA blueprint. Each unit has three to six chapters covering topics related to each of these areas of study. Since each unit can be read or studied independently of the other units, this permits instructors as well as students to concentrate on their area of interest. Some of the convenient features include, for example, the accompanying online animations, which help to illustrate important points, and the sections called "Focus on Relevant Research," which are helpful in integrating some of the original literature from Cell Press. In addition, the key concepts, review questions, and conceptual questions are an excellent aid for students to review the material.
Assessment: Overall, this is an excellent textbook for students interested in molecular biology and its potential applications. This second edition is a significant update, with new chapters that address recent advances in molecular biology. The "Focus on Relevant Research" is a welcome new feature that connects the various topics with recent original scientific journal publications. The accompanying online resources are also excellent tools for both students and instructors.

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