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This book is about mobile genes-the transfer of DNA between unrelated cells. It discusses the machinery of gene transfer and its wide-ranging biological and health consequences. Mobile DNA makes possible the development of antibiotic resistance in microbes, the conversion of harmless to pathogenic bacteria, and the triggering of cancerous growth in cells. It also contributes to human evolution. This well-illustrated volume contains an up-to-date account of a topic now seen as increasingly important, and will be invaluable for both working scientists and as a textbook for advanced courses.
Read Lateral DNA Transfer Mechanisms and Consequences 9780879696214 Medicine Health Science Books
"The fact that lateral (or "horizontal") gene transfer can occur between living organisms is not only an established fact in modern genetics, it is also used by those who are against the practice of genetic engineering. The argument is usually set in the context of using transgenic strategies to transfer genes from two unrelated species. If performed in edible crops for example, this might induce, via lateral gene transfer, dangerous bacterial strains that evolve rapidly from the natural ones inside the human digestive system. Since the use of genetic engineering in agriculture is becoming more and more prevalent today, it is imperative by all concerned to find out in detail just what the fuss is all about concerning lateral gene transfer. The author has written a fine overview of this topic, and can serve both the student of genetics as well as those who are not experts in genetics but who have a need to understand it. The author reviews some of the molecular biology needed in the beginning chapters of the book.
The author introduces lateral DNA transfer as a phenomenon that can occur "surprisingly often" and can become stably incorporated in the recipient. His first example of it concerns the transfer of marine bacteriophages in the oceans. Each milliliter contains on the order of ten million viruses, most of these being bacteriophages, which infect bateria. When these phages grow, some of them pick up the genes of the host cell and transfer them via infection to a new cell. The transferred sequence then can become stable, and from experiments this happens one out of 100,000,000 times. This translates into 2 million billion times per second! The author also cites evidence for lateral DNA transfer from the sequencing of genomes.
Three chapters of the book are devoted to the occurrence of lateral DNA transfer in prokaryotes, one of the most important ones being antibiotic resistance in microbes. In addition, special blocks of genes called "pathogenicity islands" can be transferred by bacteriophages using transduction. He also overviews the genome sequencing evidence for lateral transfer in prokaryotes. Some of the more interesting topics discussed in these chapters include: 1. The 'transposons', some of which can direct lateral transfer, with the simplest (the simple insertion elements) now numbering in the thousands. To a reader with some knowledge of physics, it would be interesting to quantify what the "mobility" of a transposon is. In addition, transposons can mobilize pathogenicity islands. 2. The 'integrons', which are mobile gene arrays that also promote dispersal of antibiotic resistance genes. The author gives the reader a few research questions regarding integrons. 3. The discussion on the possibility that all genes present in certain DNA phages may be accessible to any phage, via intermediate hosts. 4. For newcomers to microbiology and genetics (like myself), the observation by the author that disease bacteria are only slightly different genetically from normal ones. 5. The ability of some bacteria to hide from the host immune system via a network of sugar chains. 6. The occurrence of 'gene transfer agents', which bring about spontaneous transfer of genetic markers between strains of bacteria. 7. The fact that most of the E.coli genome is a result of lateral transfer. 8. The "Selfish Operon Hypothesis". 9. The discussion of gene transfer between bacteria on the environment. The author reviews the research, and concludes that it certainly does occur naturally. Engineered genes will thus no doubt do the same, but would be a "small drop in the ocean of global DNA exchange", according to the author.
The next 5 chapters cover lateral transfer in eukaryotes, with retroviruses being the first important mechanism. The nuclear membrane must be traversed for eukaryotes, making lateral transfer more difficult. An entire chapter is devoted to the discussion of the role of lateral transfer in the AIDS epidemic. Mobile elements, called 'retrotransposons" also play a role in lateral transfer in eukaryotes, via the use of RNA. So also to 'DNA transposons' via the DNA-mediated pathways. Some interesting discussions in these chapters include: 1. Transfer via transient exposure of genomes to chromosomes containing transposons. 2. The process called "homing", by which transposition of mobile introns takes place. 3. The discussion of DNA transposons in maize. 4. The argument that lateral transfer must take place in animals in order to avoid extinction. 5. The question as to whether there are LTR retrotransposons, as well as mariner or hAT transposons in the human genome. 6. The role of lateral transfer in the evolution of the vertebrate immune system.
The last 3 chapters of the book discuss the occurrence of lateral transfer between species, the regulation of DNA transfer, the role of lateral transfer in the origin of sex, and some speculations by the author. Interesting discussions here include: 1. DNA transfer from bacteria to plants via crowngalls. 2. The T-DNA transfer system. 3. The possibility of gene transfer into mammalian tissues by eating DNA in food. The author concludes that further studies are needed to prove this possibility. 4. The different strategies employed by eukaryotes for supressing the efficiency of DNA transfer systems, the most interesting of these being RNA interference and cosuppression, the study of the latter originating in horticultural experiments. The author also lists several open questions in the study of RNA interference. 5. The antagonism between the immune system and lateral transfer in vertebrates. 6. The 'interferon' system and its ability to suppress virus replication. 7. The relation between genome size and lateral transfer. What is most surprising in this discussion is the sizes of some genomes relative to the human genome, some (lily plants for example) considerably larger. 8. The strategies that the immune system and pathogens employ to fight each other. Salmonella for example, employs a particularly clever strategy called "phase variation", which inverts a segment of the genome containing a transcription initiation sequence.
In the last paragraphs of the book, the author encourages the continued study of lateral gene transfer, not only for its impact in genetic engineering, but also for acquiring a understanding of how all lifeforms are connected to each other."
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Tags : Lateral DNA Transfer Mechanisms and Consequences 9780879696214 Medicine Health Science Books @ ,Frederic Bushman,Lateral DNA Transfer Mechanisms and Consequences,Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Pr,0879696214,Life Sciences - Genetics Genomics,Mobile genetic elements.,Transfection.,Transposons.,Biochemistry,Genetics,Genetics (non-medical),Life Sciences - Biochemistry,Mathematics science,Medical / Genetics,Mobile genetic elements,Science,Science / Life Sciences / Biochemistry,Science / Life Sciences / Genetics Genomics,Science/Mathematics,Transfection,Transposons
Lateral DNA Transfer Mechanisms and Consequences 9780879696214 Medicine Health Science Books Reviews :
Lateral DNA Transfer Mechanisms and Consequences 9780879696214 Medicine Health Science Books Reviews
- The fact that lateral (or "horizontal") gene transfer can occur between living organisms is not only an established fact in modern genetics, it is also used by those who are against the practice of genetic engineering. The argument is usually set in the context of using transgenic strategies to transfer genes from two unrelated species. If performed in edible crops for example, this might induce, via lateral gene transfer, dangerous bacterial strains that evolve rapidly from the natural ones inside the human digestive system. Since the use of genetic engineering in agriculture is becoming more and more prevalent today, it is imperative by all concerned to find out in detail just what the fuss is all about concerning lateral gene transfer. The author has written a fine overview of this topic, and can serve both the student of genetics as well as those who are not experts in genetics but who have a need to understand it. The author reviews some of the molecular biology needed in the beginning chapters of the book.
The author introduces lateral DNA transfer as a phenomenon that can occur "surprisingly often" and can become stably incorporated in the recipient. His first example of it concerns the transfer of marine bacteriophages in the oceans. Each milliliter contains on the order of ten million viruses, most of these being bacteriophages, which infect bateria. When these phages grow, some of them pick up the genes of the host cell and transfer them via infection to a new cell. The transferred sequence then can become stable, and from experiments this happens one out of 100,000,000 times. This translates into 2 million billion times per second! The author also cites evidence for lateral DNA transfer from the sequencing of genomes.
Three chapters of the book are devoted to the occurrence of lateral DNA transfer in prokaryotes, one of the most important ones being antibiotic resistance in microbes. In addition, special blocks of genes called "pathogenicity islands" can be transferred by bacteriophages using transduction. He also overviews the genome sequencing evidence for lateral transfer in prokaryotes. Some of the more interesting topics discussed in these chapters include 1. The 'transposons', some of which can direct lateral transfer, with the simplest (the simple insertion elements) now numbering in the thousands. To a reader with some knowledge of physics, it would be interesting to quantify what the "mobility" of a transposon is. In addition, transposons can mobilize pathogenicity islands. 2. The 'integrons', which are mobile gene arrays that also promote dispersal of antibiotic resistance genes. The author gives the reader a few research questions regarding integrons. 3. The discussion on the possibility that all genes present in certain DNA phages may be accessible to any phage, via intermediate hosts. 4. For newcomers to microbiology and genetics (like myself), the observation by the author that disease bacteria are only slightly different genetically from normal ones. 5. The ability of some bacteria to hide from the host immune system via a network of sugar chains. 6. The occurrence of 'gene transfer agents', which bring about spontaneous transfer of genetic markers between strains of bacteria. 7. The fact that most of the E.coli genome is a result of lateral transfer. 8. The "Selfish Operon Hypothesis". 9. The discussion of gene transfer between bacteria on the environment. The author reviews the research, and concludes that it certainly does occur naturally. Engineered genes will thus no doubt do the same, but would be a "small drop in the ocean of global DNA exchange", according to the author.
The next 5 chapters cover lateral transfer in eukaryotes, with retroviruses being the first important mechanism. The nuclear membrane must be traversed for eukaryotes, making lateral transfer more difficult. An entire chapter is devoted to the discussion of the role of lateral transfer in the AIDS epidemic. Mobile elements, called 'retrotransposons" also play a role in lateral transfer in eukaryotes, via the use of RNA. So also to 'DNA transposons' via the DNA-mediated pathways. Some interesting discussions in these chapters include 1. Transfer via transient exposure of genomes to chromosomes containing transposons. 2. The process called "homing", by which transposition of mobile introns takes place. 3. The discussion of DNA transposons in maize. 4. The argument that lateral transfer must take place in animals in order to avoid extinction. 5. The question as to whether there are LTR retrotransposons, as well as mariner or hAT transposons in the human genome. 6. The role of lateral transfer in the evolution of the vertebrate immune system.
The last 3 chapters of the book discuss the occurrence of lateral transfer between species, the regulation of DNA transfer, the role of lateral transfer in the origin of sex, and some speculations by the author. Interesting discussions here include 1. DNA transfer from bacteria to plants via crowngalls. 2. The T-DNA transfer system. 3. The possibility of gene transfer into mammalian tissues by eating DNA in food. The author concludes that further studies are needed to prove this possibility. 4. The different strategies employed by eukaryotes for supressing the efficiency of DNA transfer systems, the most interesting of these being RNA interference and cosuppression, the study of the latter originating in horticultural experiments. The author also lists several open questions in the study of RNA interference. 5. The antagonism between the immune system and lateral transfer in vertebrates. 6. The 'interferon' system and its ability to suppress virus replication. 7. The relation between genome size and lateral transfer. What is most surprising in this discussion is the sizes of some genomes relative to the human genome, some (lily plants for example) considerably larger. 8. The strategies that the immune system and pathogens employ to fight each other. Salmonella for example, employs a particularly clever strategy called "phase variation", which inverts a segment of the genome containing a transcription initiation sequence.
In the last paragraphs of the book, the author encourages the continued study of lateral gene transfer, not only for its impact in genetic engineering, but also for acquiring a understanding of how all lifeforms are connected to each other. - This mid-sized text has been one of the best single-topic books I've come across. Easy to read for someone with a high school knowledge of biology (I would think), but engrossing and specific enough for the advanced graduate student.
The beauty of this book is that one can read a few intro chapters and then easily read a relevant chapter of interest. Each chapter is fairly self-sustaining and omits unnecessary page flipping all too common in poorly planned texts.
If you are at all curious about the topic of lateral DNA transfer, this is your book!
