Microbial Genomes

Taking a broad approach at a relatively introductory level, this volume describes some of the most common computational tools for genomics, illustrates how genomics can be used to reconstruct the history and dynamism of the microbial world, and indicates the biological information that can be extracted by genomic studies. Horizontal gene transfer, the importance of comparative genomic analysis, and microarray-based gene expression analysis are recurring themes. Specific topics of the 28 contributions include the bioinformatics of prophage identification, comparative microbial metabolism, an overview of prokaryotic evolution and taxonomy, a survey of plant pathogen genomes, and a genomic approach to vaccine development. Annotation c2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)