Written and illustrated with unsurpassed clarity, Molecular Biology: Principles and Practice introduces fundamental concepts while exposing students to how science is done. The authors convey the sense of joy and excitement that comes from scientific discovery, highlighting the work of researchers who have shaped—and who continue to shape—the field today.

I. Foundations

1. Evolution, Science, and Molecular Biology
2. DNA: The Repository of Biological Information
3. Chemical Basis of Information Molecules
4. Protein Structure
5. Protein Function

II.Nucleic Acid Structure and Methods

6. DNA and RNA Structure
7. Studying Genes
8. Genomes, Transcriptomes, and Proteomes
9. Topology: Functional Deformations of DNA
10. Nucleosomes, Chromatin, and Chromosome Structure

III. Information Transfer

11. DNA Replication
12. DNA Mutation and Repair
13. Recombinational DNA Repair and Homologous Recombination
14. Site-Specific Recombination and Transposition
15. Transcription: DNA-Dependent Synthesis of RNA
16. RNA Processing
17. The Genetic Code
18. Protein Synthesis

IV. Regulation

19. Regulating the Flow of Information
20. The Regulation of Gene Expression in Bacteria
21. The Transcriptional Regulation of Gene Expression in Eukaryotes
22. The Posttranscriptional Regulation of Gene Expression in Eukaryotes

Appendix: Model Organisms

Glossary

Solutions to Problems

Index

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