Advanced Genetic Analysis - Finding Meaning In A Genome

Advanced Genetic Analysis brings a state-of-the-art, exciting new approach to genetic analysis. Focusing on the underlying principles of modern genetic analysis, this book provides the 'how' and 'why' of the essential analytical tools needed. The author's vibrant, accessible style provides an easy guide to difficult genetic concepts, from mutation and gene function to gene mapping and chromosome segregation. Throughout, a balanced range of model organisms and timely examples are used to illustrate the theoretical basics.



Basic principles - Focuses students attention on the 'how' and 'why' of the essential analytical tools.

Vibrant, accessible style provides an easy guide through difficult genetic concepts and techniques.

Text boxes highlight key questions and timely examples.

Boxes of key information in each chapter, chapter summaries and extensive references - prompt the student to synthesise and reinforce the chapter material.

Special reference section addressing a range of model organisms to help provide a particularly relevant context for students' research interests.

R. Scott Hawley is a Senior Scientist at the Stowers Institute of Medical Research. Before joining the Stowers Institute in 2001, he was a Professor of Genetics at the University of California at Davis for 10 years. An accomplished textbook author, he has also published over 50 papers and articles in scientific journals. He has also served on the Board of Directors of the Genetics Society of America and is currently on the Editorial Board of Genetics.

Michelle Walker is an Intellectual Property Specialist for Galileo Laboratories in Santa Clara, California. She earned an MS in Genetics from the University of California at Davis, has written several scientific articles, served as an Editor for the entomological journal Sociobiology, and spent numerous hours volunteering her time in the field of bioethics and as a scientific mentor for inner-city children.

"...succeeds in provoking students to think like geneticists...its emphasis on foundational principles sets it apart from many of its contemporaries. I heartily recommend it. Although the book is intended for advanced undergraduates, its analytical approach, combined with a strong emphasis on principles, could lend itself to reading by first-year students." Paul B. Rainey, Times Higher Education Supplement, March 2004

"Necessarily the text is detailed and highly technical in content, but the literary style is direct, lively and personal...Overall, this book is an accessible and well-presented reference resource." Chris Clegg, Journal of Biological Education, August 2003

"This is a book that you will want to own. It is the only text in which I have found definitive explanations of several key concepts that are presented in the course. The primary author, Scott Hawley, is an accomplished Drosophila geneticist who takes the education of new geneticists very seriously." Steve Mount, University of Maryland

"Geneticists are certain to go on devising further ingenious screens and methods for analysis, exploiting advances in technology and novel ideas, but always building on the same basic strategies. This book should help to inspire new and deeper experimentation; I recommend it strongly to any serious practitioner of genetics, and particularly to any graduate student embarking on research in genetics." Jonathan Hodgkin, University of Oxford, BioEssays, June 2004

Preface.

Introduction.

1. Mutation:.

Types Of Mutations.

Dominance And Recessivity.

The Genetic Utility Of Dominant And Recessive Mutants.

Summary.

Gallery Of Model Organisms.

2. Mutant Hunts:.

Why Look For New Mutants?.

Mutagenesis And Mutational Mechanisms.

What Phenotype Should You Screen (Or Select) For?.

Actually Getting Started.

Summary.

3. The Complementation Test:.

The Essence Of The Complementation Test.

Rules For Uing The Complementation Test.

How Might The Complementation Test Lie To You?.

Second-Site Non-Complementation (SSNC) (Non-Allelic Non-Complementation).

An Extension Of Second-Site Non-Complementation: Dominant Enhancers.

Summary.

4. Suppression:.

A Basic Definition Of Genetic Suppression.

Intragenic Suppression (Pseudo-Reversion).

Extragenic Suppression.

Transcriptional Suppression.

Translational Suppression.

Suppression By Post-Translational Modification.

Extragenic Suppression As A Result Of Protein-Protein Interaction.

Suppression Without Physical Interaction.

Suppression Of Dominant Mutations.

Designing Your Own Screen For Suppressor Mutations.

Summary And A Warning.

5. Determining When And Where Genes Function:.

Epistasis: Ordering Gene Function In Pathways.

Mosaic Analysis: Where Does A Given Gene Act.

Summary.

6. Genetic Fine-Structure Analysis:.

Intragenic Mapping (Then).

Intragenic Mapping (Now).

Intragenic Complementation Meets Intragenic Recombination: The Basis Of Fine-Structure Analysis.

An Example Of Fine-Structure Analysis For A Eukaryotic Gene Encoding A Multifunctional Protein.

Fine-Structure Analysis Of Genes With Complex Regulatory Elements In Eukaryotes.

Pairing-Dependent Intragenic Complementation.

Summary.

7. Meiotic Recombination:.

An Introduction To Meiosis.

Crossingover And Chiasmata: Recombination Involves The Physical Interchange Of Genetic Material And Ensures Homolog Separation.

The Classical Analysis Of Recombination.

Measuring The Frequency Of Recombination.

The Mechanism Of Recombination.

Summary.

8. Meiotic Chromosome Segregation:.

Types And Consequences Of Failed Segregation.

The Origin Of Spontaneous Non-Disjunction.

The Centromere.

Segregational Mechanisms.

Summary.

Epilogue.

References.

Partial author index.

Subject index.