Genetica 81: 151-156,199O.

Book reviews

Genetic analysis

Yeast Genetics. J. F. T. Spencer, D. M. Spencer and I. J. Bruce. Springer, Berlin 1989. viii + 104 pp. DM 59.00 (softcover).

Since Pasteur has demonstrated the role of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae in wine and beer fermenta- tions this microorganism has been studied extensively. Its intermediary position between procaryotes and other eukaryotes has fccalised the scientists’ interest. Indeed yeast provided a powerful system for genetic analysis but it has initially lagged behind other eukaryotes in some aspects of biochemical studies, its tough cell wall making cell fractionation quite dif- ficult. Nonetheless, it is also true that much of what can now be done experimentally could only be dreamed of as recently as 15 years ago. The reasons for the success of the yeast studies are experimental tractability, especially in applying classical and mole- cular genetic methods to associate genes with proteins and functions within the cell. The publication, about ten years ago, of a method for the transformation of S. cerevisiue with recombinant plasmids led to an explosion in yeast molecular genetics. Now, it is the strength of yeast classical genetics combined with the wide range and accuracy of methods for yeast mole- cular biology that has now made S. cerevisiae a nearly ideal model system for eukaryotic biology at the cellular and molecular level. Despite this, to my knowledge few yeast method books have been pub- lished in the last years.

Scientists in the yeast field will appreciate the appearance of a much-needed book, but they are also bound to criticize it. Nevertheless this book tills a gap in the market and is a good attempt to present a wide range of techniques. It concentrates on the yeast S. cerevisiue, and covers classical genetics very well and gives the main techniques of molecular biology.

The first part, on ‘classical’ yeast genetics, is very well stated. Current methods, such as mating, sporula- tion, tetrad analysis and mutagenesis, are presented. A little paragraph introduces the history and/or prob- lems of the described technique and precedes the list of

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required material and the procedure. Sometimes, additional notes comment some point, i.e. the role of the temperature on better sporulation and spore viability. The chapter on tetrad analysis is precise, clear and well illustrated. It is surprising that the authors do not mention the use of nystatine to increase the proportion of mutants in the mutagenesis chapter whereas they develop the isolation of particular mutants. They have ended the chapter on genetics with two paragraphs on mapping and fusion and on protoplast formation and fusion.

In the second part one can find the essential techniques of molecular biology, i.e. manipulation of DNA or RNA. Some comments on the two types of yeast transformation are missing, the older one using protoplasts and the more recent one using the per- meabilization of the membrane with a lithium acetate treatment.

But my great disappointment is that the yeast molecular genetics part fails to show to readers the immense potential of the experimental tools and the exciting directions in which the research is heading (Botstein and Fink, 1988). They do not mention mitochondrial genetics! A powerful technique such as ‘gene replacement’, which allows a specific in vitro generated mutation to be placed at the correct chro- mosomal locus, is not described. And what happened to the new procedure for in vivo site-directed muta- genesis in yeast, using oligonucleotides? The accuracy of these methods sets yeast apart among eukaryotic systems, and one can then regret that yeast artificial chromosomes (YACs) and their powerful use fail to get a mention.

Despite these omissions, Yeast Genetics does pro- vide essential information about a wide range of techniques. It can become an extremely useful tech- nique book for someone new to yeast and there are enough citations of the literature to dig deeper into interesting parts. In addition, this book is small and easy to use on a bench! I hope it will find a regular place in many laboratories and be a complement to another recent book on the same topic (Campbell and Duffus, 1988).

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References

Botstein, D. & G.R. Fink, 1988. Science 240: 1439-1441. Campbell, I. & Duffus, J.H. (eds.), 1988. Yeast: A practical

Approach. IRL Press.

Anne Roy Laboratoire de Gennttique

I.B.M.C., 15 rue Descartes 67084 Strabourg

An Introduction to Genetic Analysis. 4th edition, D. T. Suzuki, A. J. F. Griffiths, J. H. Miller and R. C. Lewontin. Freeman, Oxford 1989. xiv i- 768 (28 X 21.5) p. Two-column text, six color plates. E 31.95 (board) or 22.95 (paper).

This is the fourth edition of a classical book on genetic analysis, and one expects a perfect textbook now, after all the retinements and revisions which are promised in the foreword.

The animal and vegetal kingdoms are equally treated, and every reader will appreciate that balance. This book looks like a hybrid between, or a mixture of, classic treatises, such as Molecular Biology of the Gene (Watson et al., 1987) or Molecular Biology of the Cell (Alberts et al., 1983) and more specialized works in the fields of genetics such as Klug’s and Cummings’ (1983) or Nei’s (1987). Considering its title, there is much more, too much, on molecular cell biology than on genetics or genetic analysis. Popula- tion genetics, and especially evolutionary genetics, are very poorly represented. For a student’s companion, one expects more numerical data which would make clear and easy-to-memorize tables. I looked for esti- mates of the relative frequencies of the different kinds of spontaneous mutations (table 17-1 and pp. 478- 481), such as transitions versus transversions, inser- tions versus deletions, in organelles versus nuclear genomes, but could not find them, and therefore will the rander suppose they are equally common? Of course, they are not. Electrophoresis of homologous proteins, as a method of genetic analysis, is poorly treated here, although it has probably been the approach which has taught us the most in the field of ‘Genetic Analysis’. I was expecting more than just

pages 68 l-683 for explaining this general technique, its resolving power, field of application, and the nume- rous results it has provided in the field covered by this book. Even since the advent of DNA sequencing after the PCR amplification and of DNA fingerprinting of variable single loci, isozyme electrophoresis has re- mained a common and safe way to quickly generate large tables of allelic frequencies at numerous (routin- ely up to 50) loci, sometimes well - i.e., evenly - distributed along the chromosomes. This should have been emphasized and detailed in such a book.

As previously said, Population Genetics (chapter 24) should have been much expanded, and the genetics of speciation deserves much more than a half page just before the final summary of the chapter. What about hybrid zones and the exchange of different kinds of genes (Y and/or X chromosomes, autosomes, nuclear versus mitochondrial) across species boundaries? Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution, wrote Th. Dobzhansky several years ago: should this sentence have been in the authors’ minds when writing their book, critics would have had more difficulties to pinpoint weaknesses.

A few chapters are redundant or should have been fused such as chapter 7 ‘Gene Mutation’ and 17 ‘Mechanisms of Genetic Change I: Gene Mutation’. Other chapters are much too developed for a book entitled ‘An Introduction to Genetic Analysis’, such as DNA Function (chapter 13), ‘Structure and Function of Chromosomes’ (chapter 14), and ‘Genes and Differentiation’ (chapter 21). As I understand it, this treatise is not supposed to cover all the fields of molecular biology, and one gets the feeling that the authors have not always resisted the temptation to do so.

Many techniques of molecular genetics are des- cribed, some of which rather specific (pulse field gel electrophoresis, p. 435), but others, and not the least, are lacking, such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by direct sequencing, of which the authors should have been aware for this fourth, 1989, revised edition. And the DNA finger-printing approach, although used for ‘classic’ genetic analysis (relatedness, paternity exclusion), is not even indexed.

Although this book has many excellent, didactic presentations of ‘useful items’, such as symbols used in pedigree analysis or linkage symbolism, it still keeps a

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few obscure points: more legends are needed in some cases, especially in electron photomicrographs. Sym- bols, arrows, etc., are sometimes lacking. After all these severe criticisms, I must nevertheless consider all the qualities of the Suzuki et al. book: well-bound, inexpensive (especially the paperback edition), with numerous excellent illustrations, draw- ings, tables, black and white photographs. It is comprehensible and easy to read for non-native English students. The major conclusions summarized as Messages inserted in the text, and the key concepts placed at the beginning of each chapter, are very valuable innovations.

This book will prove useful for both the student and the teacher, and I recommend it as a companion to other more classical or specialized (being molecular or not) treatises in the field of genetics.

References

Alberts, B., Bray, D., Lewis, J., Raff, M., Roberts, K. &Watson, J. D., 1983. Molecular Biology of the Cell. Garland Pub. Inc., New York.

Klug, W. S. & Cummings, M. R., 1983. Concepts of Genetics. Ch. E. Merril Pub]., Columbus, OH.

Nei, M. Molecular Evolutionary Genetics. Columbia Univ. Press, New York.

Watson, J. D., Hopkins, N. H., Roberts, J. W., Steitz, J.A. & Weiner, A. M., 1987. Molecular Biology of the Gene, 3rd ed. Benjamin/Cummings Publ. Comp., Menlo Park, CA.

Franqois M. Catztflis UA 327 CNRS

Institut des Sciences de 1’Evolution USTL

Pl. E. Bataillon F-34095 Montpellier 2

Genetic conservation: a welcome contribution

The Value of Conserving Genetic Resources. Margery L. Oldfield. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland (Massachusetts) 1989. xviii + 379 pp. Glossary and Index. % 32.95 (board) and 2 15.95 (paper bound).

The book by Margery L. Oldfield is published at a time when the issue of conservation and utilization of genetic resources is debated in numerous fora, in- cluding within the international multilateral system. For instance, negotiations have been taking place for

several years at the Food and Agriculture Organi- zation of the United Nations (FAO), in Rome, on plant genetic resources. The issue of breeders’ and farmers’ rights, as well as that of patenting plant varieties or animal breeds add to the complexity of the problem, especially in view of the new means offered by genetic engineering in creating transgenic plants or animals.

The book is thus a useful contribution to under- standing the issues and their challenges. In addition to a glossary and an index, the book is composed of ten chapters respectively devoted to plant resources and food production, animal resources and food produc- tion, medical plant and animal resources, tree re- sources, natural rubber, natural sources of industrial oils and waxes, wild biota and other economic activities, economics and extinction, gene resource conservation - a socioeconomic necessity (as an introduction), and effecting global conservation (as a concluding chapter).

Although the various main chapters do not have the same importance, e.g. the chapter on rubber is made distinct from that on tree resources, they are very informative both for the specialist and the general reader. Some statements about the rubber industry are not substantiated by recent developments, e.g. eco- nomic feasibility studies have reached the conclusions that neither the guayule nor the jojoba are alternatives to other traditional uses. More research is needed in these areas.

Regarding the concluding chapter on effecting global conservation, up-to-date information on the international debates, such as the FAO debate, the Keystone dialogue, the proposed Convention by IUCN on the conservation of genetic resources would have been very useful.

In conclusion, the book by Margery L. Oldfield is a very helpful book that should be commended for its informative character and for being published at a very opportune time. It is to be recommended to a wide range of readership, including the specialists of this area.

Albert Sasson Director of the Bureau of Programme Planning

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), 75700 Paris

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Reedition of a classic

Introduction to Quantitative Genetics, 3rd edition. Douglas S. Falconer. Longman, Harlow (Essex) 1989. xii -I- 438 p. Appendices; subject index. 5 14.95 (paper).

The previous two editions of this book have played an important role as an introductory textbook in this research field. This new edition keeps principally the same structure as the previous ones, being composed of 20 chapters. The contents are as follows. The first five chapters describe principles of population genetics with special emphasis on random genetic drift and inbreeding in small populations. Chapters 6 to 10 define basic concepts and parameters such as mean, variance, heritability, etc., which are essential for genetic analysis of metric characters. Chapters 11 to 13 deal with theory and experimental results of artificial selection, being followed by three chapters describing effects of inbreeding and crossbreeding on metric characters. The final four chapters deal with more or less specialized topics with the titles ‘Scale’, ‘Threshold characters’, ‘Correlated characters’, and ‘Metric cha- racters under natural selection’.

Some useful modifications and supplementations were made in this edition, the main of which are an extended explanation of the effect of selection on phenotypic and genetic variance (chapter 1 l), a brief review on the achievement of artificial selection applied to farm animals (chapter 13), and more intensified discussions on the effect of mutation on metric characters (chapters 11, 15 and 20). It is also a useful change that exercises and their solutions, which had been published in a booklet, are incorporated in this edition.

As intended by the author, this book is well designed for readers who have only an elementary knowledge of mathematics and statistics. Highly sophisticated mathematical methods would be needed to define rigorously some basic concepts in quan- titative genetics such as breeding values, dominance deviation and interaction deviation, but the author has given in chapter 7 quite comprehensible and unambiguous explanations of these concepts, using only elementary algebraic methods and numerical examples.

Quantitative genetic methods have been applied

and elaborated in animal and plant breeding since the theoretical basis was established in the 1920’s. At that time, biologists dealing with evolution did not pay much attention to quantitative genetics, in spite of the fact that most characters they studied were metric characters. During the last decade, evolutionary bio- logists have begun to direct their interest to quantita- tive genetics, being stimulated by the multivariate quantitative genetic theory of Lande (1979). Evolution of a character depends not only on natural selection acting directly on it, but also on indirect effects caused by selection on other genetically correlated characters. The multivariate quantitative genetic theory provides a formula to estimate the strength and pattern of natural selection acting directly on individual charac- ters during differentiation of two populations or species. Applying this theory, evolution by natural selection of morphological, developmental, and be- havioral characters has been analyzed in various species (Lande, 1989). This theory, though highly mathematical, is closely related to the theory of index selection discussed in chapters 13 and 19 of the Falconer handbook. So, the idea and methods of Lande could be readily understood after reading these two chapters. Evolutionary biology, however, is not discussed in this book, which may cause some unsatis- fied feeling among specialists.

A remarkable progress in molecular genetics has been seen in the last ten years. Practice of so-called gene manipulation techniques is expected to cause a drastic change in breeding methodology of animals and plants. In this situation, quantitative genetic methods will never lose their importance because most economic characters are quantitative, i.e., under in- fluence of many genes with small effects which can not be individually identified and manipulated. Quantita- tive genetics, therefore, will continually be an im- portant branch in genetics, and the present book will long retain its value.

Tetsuro Nomura Department of Biotechnology

Faculty of Engineering Kyoto Sangyo University, Kyoto 603

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References

Lande, R., 1979. Quantitative genetic analysis of multivariate evolution applied to brain: Body allometry. Evolution 33: 402-416.

Lande, R., 1989. Quantitative genetics and evolutionary theory. pp. 71-84. In: Proc. 2nd Int. Conf. on Quant. Genet., B. S. Weir, E. J. Eisen, M. M. Goodmanand G. Namknoong(eds),Sinauer, Sunderland, Mass., USA.

Protozoan senescence: Making good of buried literature

Sex and Death in Protozoa. The History of an Obses- sion.* Graham Bell. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1989. xiv + 213 p. (228 X 152 mm). E 25.00 (cloth, jacket).

This volume is divided into eleven chapters, with six tables and 59 line drawings. Three separate indexes for subjects, genera and first authors are present, and the bibliography is abundant (more than 270 references).

In the first part of his book Dr. Bell re-analyses, in detail and with a modem theoretical background, the large amount of scientific papers dealing with the relation between clonal vitality and sexuality in Proto- zoa. It is not a mere literature review; it is a statistical re-elaboration of well-known and forgotten experi- ments on protozoan fission rate, vitality and sexual processes. The author’s approach is comprehensive and has a considerable didactic interest. Tables 1 and 2, for instance, synthesise brilliantly the actual know- ledge on protozoan long-term culture experiments.

The general trends resulting from this analysis vindicate what was known at least for some well- studied Ciliates: all isolated protozoan cultures, with very few exceptions, are mortal unless sexuality ‘reju- venates’ them. In fact, periodical nuclear reorgani- zations are needed to restore clonal vitality in all sexual Protozoans.

In its second part the book discusses the evolution- ary implications involved in the aging of protozoans and metazoans. In the author’s view, these two phenomena have quite different causes: senescence in

unicells is a consequence of the accumulation of deleterious mutations in the genome (a process known as Muller’s ratchet), while in pluricellular organisms it is an adaptative life-history strategy: selection will favour fecundity in young individuals, even though this will decrease their vitality later in life.

In the conclusive chapters, Dr. Bell goes back to the initial question of the general significance of sex in Protozoa: in Ciliates, conjugation produces new light- loaded micronuclei from which undamaged somatic macronuclei can be synthesised. Moreover, as in finite populations Muller’s ratchet is active whenever genet- ic information is transmitted, a general repair system has evolved to reduce the effect of the ratchet: ‘recombination creates variation with respect to the number of deleterious elements in the genome, so that selection can extract uncontaminated lines of descent which remain adapted in a uniform environment’ (p. 173). Sexuality is thus interpreted as an ‘exogenous repair mechanism’ which prevents the accumulation of mutations in the germ line.

Muller’s ratchet is a theoretically well documented and fascinating theory. However, the author himself is aware that this theory cannot explain some features of sexuality, such as its irregular distribution in Protozoa and Metazoa and its uncertain relations with eco- logical variables.

Sex and death in Protozoa is a concise and easily readable book. The historical survey on protozoan senescence is excellent and represents a bright analysis on this unusual subject. But the main originality of this volume is to have considered Protozoa an adequate model for investigating, theoretically and experiment- ally, the general function of sex. Such a book should be of great interest for protozoologists, and should stimulate all biologists concerned in the evolution of sex. A cheaper paperback edition could reach under- graduate students and be useful to them.

Sebastian0 Salvidio Istituto di Zoologia

Universim di Genova 16126 Genova

* ‘Obsession’ refers to the many-decades long debate, given up in the thirties, about whether ciliate cultures are ever immortal and, if so, whether or not only when allowed to have conjugation. Editorial note.

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Books received

Cellular Basis of Morphogenesis. Ciba Foundation Symposium 144. Wiley, Chichester 1989. viii + 307~~. e32.50 (board).

Drosophila: A Laboratory Handbook. Michael Ash- burner. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York 1989. xliii + 1331~~. Genes and genetic variations, subject, and taxonomic indexes. $110 (board); with the Manual (following), $135.

Drosophila: A Laboratory Manual. Michael Ashburner. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York 1989. $45 (plastic combinding); with the (foregoing) Handbook, $135.

Cytogenetics of Amphibians and Reptiles. Edited by Ettore Olmo. Birkhauser, Base1 1990. xiv •t 268~~. SFr70.00 (cloth).

DNA Methylation and Gene Regulation. Edited by R. Holliday, M. Monk and J.E. Pugh. Royal Society, London 1990. viii + 160 (21 X 29.7) pp. No indexes, no consolidated bibliography. E37.50 (U.K.) and 40.00 (overseas), cloth, jacket.

Molecular Biology of Chromosome Function. Edited by Kenneth W. Adolph. Springer, Berlin 1990. xiii + 43 lpp. Non alphabetical and non consolidated biblio- graphy; subject index. DM198 (cloth).

Genes W. Benjamin L&n. Oxford University Press, 4 January 1990. xxii + 857 (21 X 28) pp. Text on two columns. 245.00 (hardbound) and 25.00 (paper).

Origins of Sex. Lynn Margulis and Dorion Sagan. Yale University Press, 26 April 1990. xx + 258~~. Subject Index. g10.95 (paper).