Genetics of Bacteria

For many years there has been a need for an up-to-date advanced textbook on bacterial genetics. Genetics of Bacteria has been designed for this purpose. The text is primarily intended for students who are close to or already engaged in research involving bacteria. An introductory chapter has been included for newcomers to the field. Each chapter has a supplementary reading list and detailed references for the topic in question.
The book covers all the major genetic aspects of bacteria, their plasmids, and phages mutation: gene transfer and recombination, the transposition of genetic elements, the mechanism and control of gene expression. Special emphasis is placed on Escherichia coli. In addition, Bacillus subtilis is introduced, a Gram-positive organism which has unique features as a genetic system. For those wishing to study other bacteria a list of helpful references is provided at the end of Chapter One.
From the Preface:
Bacterial systems have several major roles to play in molecular biology. They contribute to the analysis of fundamental biological processes: mutation, replication, recombination and transposition, and the expression of genes and the processing of their products. In addition, bacteria occupy a pivotal position in recombinant DNA technology, allowing the genetic material of many organisms to be analyzed and expressed. Equally, genetic manipulation in vivo provides an approach in the analysis of genes and their products which complements both classical studies and in vitro cloning techniques. We discuss here the major aspects of manipulation in vivo including genetic fusions and the different kinds of transposable elements. This book should be particularly valuable to gene cloners in this respect and as an account of the basic biology of the bacteria, phages, and plasmids commonly used in their work.
The purpose of this book is to give an up-to-date account of the molecular genetics of bacteria for advanced students and new recruits to research using bacterial systems. To this end each chapter reviews a topic of central importance and provides a list of major references for those active in the field. We have not intended the lists to be exhaustive since we refer the reader to current review articles on specialist topics. For the benefit of new recruits we provide an introductory chapter discussing the basic concepts of bacterial genetics and the organization of phage
The material presented is intended to illustrate the underlying principles in the field. It is based on the large body of work which has exploited the gram-negative organism Escherichia coli over the years. In addition, we introduce the gram-positive Bacillus subtilis which has unique features as a genetic system. Those wishing to study other bacteria will find a list of helpful references at the end of Chapter 1.