by Robert J. White. Blackwell Science (2001) 273 pages. ISBN 0-632-04888-3 £29.50
The study of transcription and its regulation must be one of the most rapidly progressing fields in modern molecular biology. It seems that advances are made on a weekly basis, with pivotal discoveries appearing with phenomenal regularity and frequency. It is a daunting task to attempt to write a definitive text on this dynamic field. However, Bob White has set out to achieve this aim in his new text book Gene transcription. A minor quibble is that a more accurate title would be ‘Gene transcription in eukaryotes’ since the space constraints, by the authors own admission, forced him to restrict his work to an analysis of the vast body of work available in eukaryotes.
The author divides this subject into 14 chapters. The book begins with an elementary summary of core molecular biology and then plunges into a chapter covering the intricacies of the structure and function of eukaryotic nuclear RNA polymerases. This is followed by a chapter containing a discussion of the various DNA-binding modules present in eukaryotic transcription factors. The subsequent two chapters focus on the mechanism and regulation of RNA polymerase II transcription. In a logical and easily followed progression, the author describes the molecular interplay between the general transcription factors leading to the recruitment of RNA polymerase itself and then reveals the mechanisms by which gene-specific regulators can impinge, either directly or via co-factors, upon the basal machinery. The RNA polymerase I and III systems are then discussed.
Having set the stage and introduced the principal players, the author embarks on a discussion of the fundamentally important interplay between the transcription machinery and chromatin. Regulation of the regulators is the topic of the next three chapters, followed by a description of how transcription is regulated during the cell cycle. The penultimate chapter describes the growing body of data revealing how transcription is integrated with other nuclear events, such as RNA processing and DNA repair. Finally, the key role of transcription in controlling developmental processes is discussed.
Throughout, this book is eminently readable and flows readily over the vast array of data available on the regulation of eukaryotic transcription. The breadth of coverage accurately reflects the innate complexity of the subject matter; yet the appropriate use of examples allows the reader to grasp the underlying principles. An excellent feature is the critical description of the techniques employed to analyse events in the regulation of transcription, ranging from gel shift and footprinting assays to chromatin immunoprecipition. These techniques are described in boxes separated from the main text, meaning that readers already familiar with the techniques do not have to wade through unnecessary detail. The book is well supplied with diagrams cartooning the various processes being described. These are generally a useful aid to interpretation, although the monochrome representations of some of the many crystal structures depicted are poorly reproduced and can be rather hard to interpret.
So does this work ‘demystify the subject’ of eukaryotic transcription? Largely, I feel that it does. It is an inevitable consequence of the time between writing and publishing of any book on such a rapidly developing field that significant recent advances will not be included. In this respect, it is a shame that the recent development of a high-resolution model of RNA polymerase II structure and elucidation of the function of TBP homologues in developmental processes and Drosophila RNA polymerase III transcription are not included. However, given these temporal limitations, this book supplies an excellent, comprehensive analysis of the recent state of transcription research. It is aimed at an advanced undergraduate/postgraduate audience and hits the mark almost perfectly. Basic principles are well described, appropriate examples are used and a selective bibliography provides a good launch pad to the experimental literature. This book can definitely be recommended to students with an interest in transcription and the cash to spare. In addition, the work provides a valuable reference volume and course framework for those of us involved in teaching this fascinatingly complex subject.
