This book is about mobile genes, the transfer of DNA between unrelated cells. It discusses the machinery
of gene transfer and its wide-ranging biological and health consequences. Mobile DNA makes possible the
development of antibiotic resistance in microbes, the conversion of harmless to pathogenic bacteria,
and the triggering of cancerous growth in cells. It also contributes to human evolution. This well-illustrated
volume contains an up-to-date account of a topic now seen as increasingly important, and will be invaluable
for both working scientists and as a textbook for advanced courses.
Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: DNA and Lateral Transfer
Chapter 3: Conjugation, Transposition, and Antibiotic Resistance
Chapter 4: Phage Transduction and Bacterial Pathogenesis
Chapter 5: Microbial Genomes and DNA Exchange
Chapter 6: Gene Transfer by Retroviruses
Chapter 7: Lateral DNA Transfer and the AIDS Epidemic
Chapter 8: Genes Floating on a Sea of Retrotransposons
Chapter 9: The DNA Transposons of Eukaryotes: Mariners Sailing to Survive?
Chapter 10: Lateral Transfer in Eukaryotic Genomes: Fluidity in the Human Blueprint
Chapter 11: A Transposon Progenitor of the Vertebrate Immune System
Chapter 12: DNA Transfer Among the Domains of Life
Chapter 13: Controlling Mobile Element Activity
Chapter 14: Lateral DNA Transfer: Themes and Evolutionary Implications
