140 BioEssays Vol. 2, No. 3

Genes: Where to Find Them Genetic Maps 1984, Volume 3. Edited by STEPHEN J. O’BRIEN. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, 1984, Pp. 583. $28.00 ($33.60 outside US). By R. K. Herman It is curious that unknown places are made immediately less obscure by seeing them represented on a map in relation to places with more familiar names. And so it is with genes. A favorite question asked of genetic seminar speakers has long been ‘Where does it map?’ Some may wonder if it matters. But the birth of many a gene has depended on the geneticist’s ability to place a mutation at a particular site on a linkage map and then to conduct allelism tests: genetic mapping has been part of the legitimizing ofmany genes. And as with geographical maps, there is something satisfying to the soul in seeing a previously unknown gene mapped with respect to trusted landmarks. This book is an atlas of genetic maps, containing the updated maps of all of the major organisms that have been studied genetically. It has the maps for the bacteriophages lambda, 4x174, T4, P1, P2 and P4; the animal viruses polyoma, SV40, herpes simplex, hepatitis B, adenovirus and retroviruses; a dozen species of bacteria including E. coli, S . typhimurium, and B. subtilis; the protozoans Paramecium tetraurelia and Tetrahymena thermophila, the alga Chla- mydomonas reinhardtii; six species of fungi, including the budding yeast and Neurospora; the nematode Caenorhab- ditis elegans; Drosophila melanogaster and the mosquito; tomato, wheat, Zea mays and barley; the Poeciliid and Salmonid fishes; the leopard frog; the rat, mice and hamsters; the cat, dog, horse, pig, rabbit and cow; the chicken; and primates, including chimpanzee, gorilla, monkeys and Homo sapiens.

The editor has neither imposed a common format, which would have been next to impossible owing to differences among cartographers, nor, apparently, edited the submitted contri- butions. Each contribution, generally consisting of amap, a table of definitions of gene symbols, and a list of references, has been reproduced directly from camera-ready pages prepared by the organism’s acknowledged mapkeeper. The reproduction is excellent, with even the smallest details clearly legible; the plastic binding allows one to open the book flat to any page.

The publication of this book, now in its third updating, originally grew out of the desire to identify conserved linkage

relationships of homologous genes among mammals. Such conservations arc: surprisingly apparent : genes for glu- cose-6-phosphate-dehydrogenase and hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase, for example, are located on the X chromosomes of the mouse, cat, dog, rabbit, Chinese hamster, pig, cow, horse and human. The relationships among the maps of E. coli, SV40 and barley, however, are less clear. It is fun to scan quickly the maps one does not inspect routinely: I was impressed, for example, with the gene density on the current E. coli map - about one gene for every 4 kb of DNA. It is also interesting to see that most eukaryotic linkage groups are about 50-150% recombina- tion long. The book should be a useful reference in biomedical or genetics libraries, but it seems unlikely that most geneticists would want to buy their own copies. Some may want to own a copy in order to have at hand information about the particular organism(s) they work with, but most will probably obtain such information from elsewhere. Sotme, for example, will obtain the latest miip directly from the appropriate mapkeeper (the book is a good source of mapkeeper names and addresses); others will obtain updated information from newsletters. Then for intensively studied organisms like Salmonella, E. coli, yeast, Drosophila and humans, Genetic Maps 1984 is incomplete and includes only excerpts of material pub- lished more completely elsewhere. The Dirosophilamap shows only biochemical loci (loci affecting known proteins or identified transcripts) and obviously cannot substitute for the eagerly awaited new edition of Genetic Variations of Drosophila melanogaster by Lindsley, Girell and Zimm. The B. subtilis map does not include any of the sporulation genes, which are now under intensive investigation.

In addition to gene maps, the book contains maps of restriction enzyme sites for viruses, Chlamydomonas chlor- oplast DNA, and various mitochondria1 DNAs. I cannot imagine that these would interest anyone but those working orL the particular bits of mapped DNA. Also presented is information on how to gain access to the protein and nucleic acid sequence databases of the Protein Identification Resource (Georgetown University) and the nucleotide sequence da.ta banks of GenBank (Los Alamos) and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory. Lists of material available in these data banks are also given.

I appreciated the short introductions given to most maps; it was nice to read of particular experimental questions being addressed with PI phage, for example. A few maps were not supplied with definitions of gene symbols, al- though references were in every case provided. It is difficult to judge accuracy in a work of this kind, but obvious mistakes seemed to me rare, and the few slip-ups I detected were readily deciphered.

ROBERT K. H E R M A N is in the Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Minnesota, St Paul, Minnesota 551 08, USA.

I I

Genes: Can One Use Them In Therapy? Gene Therapy: Fact and Fiction. Edited by THEODORE FRIEDMAN. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, 1983. Pp. 132. $1 1.95 paperback. By Jeffery Williams This is a report on a meeting held at the Banbury Conference Centre at Cold Spring Harbor to discuss the correction of human genetic diseases by gene transfection. The conference was held in 1982, the book was published in 1983 and a recent article in Nature (312, 393) reveals that the editor, Ted Friedman, has just been given permission to attempt correction of the genetic defect responsible for Lesch-Nyhan disease. While it remains to be seen whether progression, from ‘fiction to fact’, will be realized within the near future, there now appears to be sufficient confidence in the possibility of human gene therapy for several other research groups also to be nearing clinical trials (ibid.:).

The participants were molecular bio- logists and clinical geneticists, with a smattering of scientists, such as the editor, who could fairly claim to have a foot in both camps. The aim of the conference was to discuss the scientific feasibility and desirability of using gene manipulation to cure human genetic diseases. The successes and limitations of present forms of therapy are de- scribed and these serve to indicate the potential importance of gene therapy. While there are only relatively brief references to possible methods of gene therapy, with no detailed description of any one potential route, the potential

BioEssays Vol. 2, No. 3 141

BIOCHRONICLE problems involved are discussed exten- sively - with both optimists and pessi- mists at the meeting being quoted at length. Some idea of the magnitude of the medical problem can be gained from the section of the book which catalogues just a few of the 3,000 diseases for which there is a genetic basis or in which genetic factors appear to be important.

In general, the book succeeds in its aims. The balance between the editor’s and participants’ comments is excellent and there is a real feel for the flavour of the meeting. If there is a fault then it is one of brevity. Many questions are raised which could have been explored in much greater depth, and, for the non-scientist, the background informa- tion will probably prove inadequate to appreciate fully the meeting’s discus- sions. Inevitably such a book dates rapidly. In the three years since the meeting there have been major advances - such as availability of reliable retro- virus vectors and the tissue-specific expression of genes in transgenic mice - which increase the likelihood of success- ful gene therapy. However, many problems remain, such as ‘ targetting’ of the gene to the correct tissue, and the discussion of these is as relevant now as it was then.

During the meeting there was very little discussion of the wider sociological implications of gene therapy. The editor has, however, provided his personal overview of these questions. He draws a clear distinction between somatic-cell therapy, which can only be of benefit since it may alleviate or cure the disease in those already afflicted, and the much more contentious subject of germ-cell therapy. Hopefully, by making clear the fundamental difference between these two forms of genetic intervention, in a form amenable to the public at large, this book will help to smooth the path

of those attempting to cure genetic diseases.

J E F F E R Y W I L L I A M S is at the Imperial Cancer Research Fund, Mill Hill Laboratories, Burionhole Lane, London

Genes: How to Use Them In Industry Biotechnology : A New Industrial Revolu- tion. By STEVE PRENTIS. Orbis, 1984. 192 Pp. E9.99. By David Thomas Enthusiastic, entertaining and enlight- ening, Steve Prentis’s work will, one hopes, make the wise more lucid and eloquent in the explanation of the concepts of biotechnology, and will make the unwise, if not wise, more able to understand those concepts. The foreword by Dr Magnus Pyke sets the tone, but unlike Dr Magnus Pyke’s windmilling arms, which often appear to be flailing at clouds of unclarity (in the majority of cases successfully), Steve Prentis’s book is a systematic unveiling of the mystique surrounding the con- cepts of biotechnology.

The analogy of the motor-car assem- bly line to describe the highly complex network of reactions occasioned by enzymes, the use of positive and negative photographic prints to clarify DNA replication, and the descriptions of the fundamentals of biotechnology - plasmids, proteases, monoclonal anti- bodies (‘magic bullets’), and so on- help the layman glean a sound understanding of the complexity of molecular biology, genetic engineering, fermentation and the many other aspects of biotechnology. Steve Prentis has simplified concepts without destroy- ing them. His work is an excellent refer- ence for clear and simple explanation, is

very readable and is an up-to-date and balanced introductory book.

A book admirably suited to the non-scientist - the pupil contemplating a career in biotechnology, the scientist’s spouse wanting an understanding of ‘what goeson ’ at the officeor laboratory, the journalist seeking to pass on comprehension, and even the scientist wishing to explain more clearly the basic concepts of the work of the ‘bio- technologist’. In each case the book succeeds.

Steve Prentis’s work is deserving of much praise, but there is room for criticism. Perhaps cost is the culprit in making the majority of illustrations used less clear than the written word. Colour photography would havecertain- ly helped - at least, colour graphics. More surprisingly, the reader (in this case anyway) was forced to interrupt the flow of the book and ponder over the less-than-clear illustration legends in comparison to the otherwise laudably clear text.

Nevertheless, Steve Prentis’s work should be a welcome addition to every library, and will help the major audiences understand the concepts behind the imminent industrial revolution. Steve Prentis’s predictions of the speed of its arrival are certainly not overstated, but only time will tell if he has got these as right as his book. From concepts to application, from farm to supermarket, from Z Ching and cow dung to natural gas and methane, from hydrocarbon- laden air via Pseudomonus to ‘air fit to breathe’, and from basic to applied science, from scientist to entrepreneur, from academia to industry, Steve Pren- tis’s aperitif is an excellent choice for all but the connoisseur.

D A V I D T H O M A S is with Cell Tech Limited, 244-250 Bath Rd., Slough SLI 7DY, UK.

A selection of forthcoming California, Los Angeles, Ca. 90024, (AIDS Conference, Bldg. 1, Rm. events USA.) 2047, Centers for Disease Control,

14-18 April 19&5. Ribosome Conference, Texas Marine Science Institute, Port 16-18 April 1985. International Sym- MEETINGS

(An asterisk indicates a new listing in Aransas. Texas. USA. (Dr Boyd posiumonThe ImpactofBiotechnology

Atlanta, Ga. 30333, USA.)

BioChronicle) Hardest;, Department of Chemistiy, on Diagnostics, Rome, Italy. (Fonda- 13-19 April 1985. Molecular Genetics of zione Giovanni Lorenzini, Via Monte

Filamentous Fungi, Keystone, Colo- Napoleone, 23-201 21 Milano, Italy.) rado, USA. (UCLA symposia, Mol- 15-17 April 1985. International Confer- 2C25 April 1985. Options for the ecular Biology Institute, University of ControlofInfluenza(aViratek-UCLA

University of Texas, Austin, Texas, 78712, USA.)

ence on AIDS, Atlanta, Ga, USA.