Mending molecules: DNA Damage and Repair Vol. 1: DNA Repair in Prokaryotes and Lower Eukaryotes edited by J.A. Nickoloff and M.F. Hoekstra

Humana Press, 1997. $125.00 hbk (xiii + 626 pages)ISBN 0 896 03356 2Volume 1 of DNA Damage and Repair is a collection of chapters by various experts in the field of DNA repair. As with all such books (especially those associated with meetings), the contents are something of a mixed bag. Some chapters, including those describing the regulation of Escherichia coli endonuclease IV, the SOS response, dam-directed mismatch repair, recombination repair in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, damage checkpoints in yeast, and DNA damage-inducible genes and mismatch repair in S. cerevisiae, are excellent, in-depth and enjoyable summaries. In contrast, some of the chapters, including those describing translation DNA synthesis, oxidative DNA damage and mutagenesis, and nucleotide excision repair in E. coli, suffer from an over-emphasis of work from the authors’ own laboratories. Others, such as those covering DNA repair in Aspergillus, Neurospora, Ustilago, Caenorhabditis elegans, Xenopus and higher plants, are interesting in that they describe systems that many researchers will not be familiar with.However, the major problem with the book is its organization. The division of DNA repair between higher eukaryotes (in a subsequent volume) and everything else (in this volume) leads to an extremely awkward presentation. Although this volume includes chapters on bacteria, numerous fungi, C. elegans, Xenopus and higher plants (what is a ‘lower eukaryote’?), it lacks chapters on phage or Drosophila. More importantly, the division between the two volumes downplays one of the most exciting and important aspects of recent DNA repair research: the close relationship between the mechanisms/functions of DNA repair proteins in yeast and those in mammals and the exploitation of such similarities for the understanding of diseased states in mammals. Indeed, much of the material refers to mammalian systems, at the expense of the supposed topic of this volume, but, by necessity, can only be treated in a parenthetical manner. Conversely, such topics as base excision repair are universal, necessitating the repetition of the same material in both volumes. In the case of neutrophils, myloperoxidases and mammalian enzymes, the material seems to be scattered throughout the volumes and does not seem to fit in with the organization at all. The same is true for the coverage of DNA damage, which would have benefited from being allocated its own chapter.The ‘Overview’ discusses only mammalian systems and cites problems for the future rather than giving a general survey of the field; hence, it would be better located at the end of Vol. II. The book could also benefit from a good review of transcription-coupled repair in yeast (certainly one of the most important topics of recent studies) and the large amount of recent information on structural aspects of DNA repair proteins. The chapters on recombination are not well-coordinated, with the same models being repeated many times and being interchanged among the various organisms without regard to the organism that they were developed for. There is only very minimal cross-referencing between chapters, so much of the material is difficult to locate, a problem that is exacerbated by a virtually non-existent index. Finally, few chapters contain references dating beyond 1995, and only the ‘Overview’ has references later than 1996.In conclusion, this book contains a wealth of information on DNA repair, albeit in a somewhat disorganized and out-dated presentation. It would be a worthwhile addition to the library of someone working in the field, but not a resource for a newcomer in this currently active and exciting line of research.