Oxford University Press Intervening Sequences in Evolution and Development

Biologists have long been puzzled by the peculiar arrangement of genes on the strands of DNA found in the cell. In particular, many genes are interrupted by non-coding regions - intervening sequences of introns - that nonetheless function in some developmental systems and probably were involved in the evolution of the earliest genes. Furthermore, biologists did not anticipate the ubiquitous existence of introns on either functional or evolutionary grounds. Thus, many questions about the evolution and operation of the genetic system remain unresolved. In Intervening Sequences in Evolution and Development , issues of fundamental importance to molecular, developmental and evolutionary biology are addressed as follows: gene structure in primordial organisms; the relationship between gene and protein structure; and gene regulation via differential RNA processing. Review "Readers of different levels of technical sophistication will prefer different chapters. But there is a great deal in this volume to recommend it to experts and novices alike. It will be a worthwhile addition to the libraries of working molecular geneticists and evolutionary biologists interested in the origins of genomic structure." --BioScience"This book serves as a good introduction to selected evolutionary and developmental aspects raised by the presence of intervening sequences. Readers interested in an overall picture of the field will find this an accessible entry point." Cell"The various authors have presented a great deal of detailed information and the result is a valuable source book on exon and intron structure and processing." --Biologist"Provides a readable summary of the natural history of these systems, which could provide an excellent starting point for the careful study of how gene structure affects the dynamics of evolution." --The Quarterly Review of Biology"The editors have succeeded admirably. . . .The volume serves as a useful introduction." --American Journal of Human Biology"The various authors have presented a great deal of detailed information and the result is a valuable source book on exon and intron structure and processing." --Biologist"The idea that introns were present in protein-coding genes of the common ancestor of all surviving organisms is intriguing and has some evidence. . . . the book is good for what it does." --Evolutionary Theory and Review "Readers of different levels of technical sophistication will prefer different chapters. But there is a great deal in this volume to recommend it to experts and novices alike. It will be a worthwhile addition to the libraries of working molecular geneticists and evolutionary biologists interested in the origins of genomic structure." --BioScience "This book serves as a good introduction to selected evolutionary and developmental aspects raised by the presence of intervening sequences. Readers interested in an overall picture of the field will find this an accessible entry point." Cell "The various authors have presented a great deal of detailed information and the result is a valuable source book on exon and intron structure and processing." --Biologist "Provides a readable summary of the natural history of these systems, which could provide an excellent starting point for the careful study of how gene structure affects the dynamics of evolution." --The Quarterly Review of Biology "The editors have succeeded admirably. . . .The volume serves as a useful introduction." --American Journal of Human Biology "The various authors have presented a great deal of detailed information and the result is a valuable source book on exon and intron structure and processing." --Biologist "The idea that introns were present in protein-coding genes of the common ancestor of all surviving organisms is intriguing and has some evidence. . . . the book is good for what it does." --Evolutionary Theory and Review "Readers of different levels of technical sophistication will prefer dif