The chromosomes of living organisms were once thought to be very stable with changes in genetic content infrequent and generally small. We now know all chromosomes contain a multitude of mobile genetic elements that can change position, cause mutation, and proliferate. This book describes how such elements can influence the biology and evolution of all organisms and provides important unifying information on mechanisms of element mobility. Moreover, the book contains invaluable methodologies for using mobile genetic elements as tools in the analysis of gene structure and function.

Readership: Supplementary/essential reading for postgraduates, postdocs, and established research scientists in genetics, molecular biology, biochemistry, and cell biology. Supplementary reading for undergraduates in these areas.

Edited by David J. Sherratt, Professor of Microbiology, University of Oxford

"clear and perfectly well comprehensible so that all cellular and molecular biologists will take profit of this book, which will look, soon, as the indispensable "companion" of the every day research." - Cellular & Molecular Biology, Vol. 42, No. 3, 1996

"I found the book highly readable. The authors have all worked hard to keep their arguments clear and concise and the very comprehensive use of primary references (there are around 500 in the book) is admirable. If you want an up-to-date coverage of the very broad field of mobile genetic elements, you rerally ought to buy this book." - Andy Flavell, University of Dundee, Heredity, 77

"clearly written and well illustrated ... This book is aimed at those who do not currently work with transposable elements but have an academic interest in them or are thinking about using them. Such readers will find much of interest." - Kevin O'Hare, Imperial College of Science, Technology, and Medicine, Science, Vol. 272, May 1996

"an excellent overview of mobile genetic elements ... The utility and strength of this book is that mobile genetic elements from a wide diversity of organisms are discussed in a single text." - Journal of Heredity 89 (1)

1.: The discovery and significance of mobile genetic elements
2.: Mechanisms of DNA transposition
3.: Transposable elements as tools for molecular analyses in bacteria
4.: Eukaryotic transposable elements as tools to study gene structure and function
5.: Topological selectivity in site-specific recombination
6.: Transposable elements as selfish DNA
7.: Retrons in bacteria