Preface

Preface

Since its first edition in 1974, Introduction to Genetic Analysis has emphasized the power and incisiveness of the genetic approach in biological research and its applications. Over its many editions, the text has continuously expanded its coverage as the power of traditional genetic analysis has been extended with the introduction of recombinant DNA technology and then genomics. In the eleventh edition, we continue this tradition and show how the flowering of this powerful type of analysis has been used for insight into research in biology, agriculture, and human health.

Pedagogical Tools

One of the important new features in this edition is the inclusion of lists of learning outcomes at the beginning of each chapter. Learning outcomes are crucial components of understanding. One of the tenets of the constructivist theory of learning is that although understanding might be a series of new mental circuits, the learner can never be sure of what is in his or her brain until called upon for some type of performance. Indeed, understanding has even been defined by some as flexible performance capacity. The lists of goals show learners what precise performances are expected of them. The notes that follow show how the benefits of the learning outcomes in this book can be maximized for instructors who wish to use them.

Classroom sessions large and small (for example, lectures and tutorials) should be structured as far as possible on learning outcomes closely paralleling those in these chapters. At various stages in the classes students should be asked to demonstrate their understanding of the material just covered by attaining one or more learning outcomes. In writing examination or test questions, the instructor should try to stick closely to learning outcomes. When reviewing test results, show in what ways the outcomes have been attained or not attained by the learner.

Students should read the list of learning outcomes before embarking on a chapter. Although it will not be possible to understand most of them before reading the chapter, their wording gives a good idea of the lay of the land, and shows the extent of what the instructor’s expectations are. Ideally, after reading a section of the chapter, it is a good idea for a student to go back to the list and match the material covered to an outcome. This process should be repeated at the end of the chapter by scanning the sections and making a complete match with each outcome as far as possible. In solving the end-of-chapter problems, try to focus effort on the skills described in the learning outcomes. Students should use the learning outcomes for rapid review when studying for exams; they should try to imagine ways that they will be expected to demonstrate understanding through the application of the outcomes.

The general goal of a course in genetics is to learn how to think and work like a geneticist. The learning outcomes can fractionate this general goal into the many different skills required in this analytical subject.

In this edition we have replaced “Messages” with “Key Concepts.” Messages have been in the book since its first edition in 1974. In the 1960s and 1970s, perhaps due to the popularity of Marshall McLuhan’s principle “The medium is the message,” the word message was in common use, and teachers were often asked, “What is your message?” Although with the rise of electronic media it is perhaps time for a resurgence of McLuhan’s principle, we felt that the word message no longer has the meaning it had in 1974.

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New Coverage of Modern Genetic Analysis

One of our goals is to show how identifying genes and their interactions is a powerful tool for understanding biological properties. In the eleventh edition, we present a completely rewritten introductory Chapter 1, with a focus on modern applications of genetics. From there, the student follows the process of a traditional genetic dissection, starting with a step-by-step coverage of single-gene identification in Chapter 2, gene mapping in Chapter 4, and identifying pathways and networks by studying gene interactions in Chapter 6. New genomic approaches to identifying and locating genes are explored in Chapters 10, 14, and 19.

Figure 1-21: SUB1 gene increases rice yield under flooding
Figure 1-21: Yield comparison between variety Swarna that is not tolerant to flooding (purple circles) and variety Swarna-Sub1 that is tolerant (green circles). Yield in tons per hectare (y-axis) versus duration of flooding in days (x-axis).
[Data from Ismail et al., “The contribution of submergence-tolerant (Sub 1) rice varieties to food security in flood-prone rainfed lowland areas in Asia,” Field Crops Research 152, 2013, 83-93.]
Figure 1-20: Flood-intolerant and flood-tolerant rice
Figure 1-20: An Indian farmer with rice variety Swarna that is not tolerant to flooding (left) compared to variety Swarna-sub1 that is tolerant (right). This field was flooded for 10 days. The photo was taken 27 days after the flood waters receded.
[Ismail et al., “The contribution of submergence-tolerant (Sub 1) rice varieties to food security in flood-prone rainfed lowland areas in Asia,” Field Crops Research 152, 2013, 83-93, © Elsevier]

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Focus on Key Advances in Genetics

We have enhanced coverage of several cutting-edge topics in the eleventh edition.

Chromatin remodeling and epigenetics: Previously spread among several chapters, the flourishing field of epigenetics is now consolidated and completely updated in Chapter 12. In section 12.3, “Dynamic Chromatin,” we discuss the three major mechanisms of altering chromatin structure: chromatin remodeling, histone modification, and histone variants. Changes throughout this section provide more detail and clarity, based on recent advances in the field.

Genome surveillance: Cutting-edge research in transposable elements has uncovered genome surveillance systems in plants, animals, and bacteria similar to that previously identified in C. elegans. Chapter 15 now provides an overview of piRNAs in animals and crRNAs in bacteria, and allows students to compare and contrast those approaches to Tc1 elements in worms and MITEs in plants.

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Enduring Features

Coverage of model organisms

The eleventh edition retains the enhanced coverage of model systems in formats that are practical and flexible for both students and instructors.

Problem sets

No matter how clear the exposition, deep understanding requires the student to personally engage with the material. Hence our efforts to encourage student problem solving. Building on its focus on genetic analysis, the eleventh edition provides students with opportunities to practice problem-solving skills—both in the text and online through the following features.

How genetics is practiced today

A feature called “What Geneticists Are Doing Today” suggests how genetic techniques are being used today to answer specific biological questions, such as “What is the link between telomere shortening and aging?” or “How can we find missing components in a specific biological pathway?”

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Media and Supplements

The LaunchPad is a dynamic, fully integrated learning environment that brings together all the teaching and learning resources in one place. It features the fully interactive e-Book, end-of-chapter practice problems now assignable as homework, animations, and tutorials to help students with difficult-to-visualize concepts.

This learning system also includes easy-to-use, powerful assessment tracking and grading tools, a personalized calendar, an announcement center, and communication tools all in one place to help you manage your course. Some examples:

Teaching resources for instructors

Electronic teaching resources are available online at the LaunchPad, at http://www.whfreeman.com/launchpad/iga11e

Includes all the electronic resources listed below for teachers. Contact your W. H. Freeman sales representative to learn how to log on as an instructor.

e-Book

The e-Book fully integrates the text and its interactive media in a format that features a variety of helpful study tools (full-text, Google-style searching; note taking; book-marking; highlighting; and more). Available as a stand-alone item or on the LaunchPad.

Clicker Questions

Jump-start discussions, illuminate important points, and promote better conceptual understanding during lectures.

Layered PowerPoint Presentations

Illuminate challenging topics for students by deconstructing intricate genetic concepts, sequences, and processes step-by-step in a visual format.

All Images from the Text

More than 500 illustrations can be downloaded as JPEGs and PowerPoint slides. Use high-resolution images with enlarged labels to project clearly for lecture hall presentations. Additionally, these JPEG and PowerPoint files are available without labels for easy customization in PowerPoint.

67 Continuous-Play Animations

A comprehensive set of animations, updated and expanded for the eleventh edition, covers everything from basic molecular genetic events and lab techniques to analyzing crosses and genetic pathways. The complete list of animations appears on page xix.

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Assessment Bank

This resource brings together a wide selection of genetics problems for use in testing, homework assignments, or in-class activities. Searchable by topic and provided in MS Word format, as well as in LaunchPad and Diploma, the assessment bank offers a high level of flexibility.

Student Solutions Manual

(ISBN: 1-4641-8794-0)

The Student Solutions Manual contains complete worked-out solutions to all the problems in the textbook, including the “Unpacking the Problem” exercises. Available on the LaunchPad and the Instructor’s Web site as easy-to-print Word files.

Understanding Genetics: Strategies for Teachers and Learners in Universities and High Schools

(ISBN: 0-7167-5216-6)

Written by Anthony Griffiths and Jolie-Mayer Smith, this collection of articles focuses on problem solving and describes methods for helping students improve their ability to process and integrate new information.

Resources for students

at http://www.whfreeman.com/launchpad/iga11e

LaunchPad 6-month Access Card (ISBN: 1-4641-8793-2)

The LaunchPad contains the following resources for students:

Student Solutions Manual (ISBN: 1-4641-8794-0)

The Solutions Manual contains complete worked-out solutions to all the problems in the textbook, including the “Unpacking the Problem” exercises. Used in conjunction with the text, this manual is one of the best ways to develop a fuller appreciation of genetic principles.

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Other genomic and bioinformatic resources for students:

Text Appendix A, Genetic Nomenclature, lists model organisms and their nomenclature.

Text Appendix B, Bioinformatic Resources for Genetics and Genomics, builds on the theme of introducing students to the latest genetic research tools by providing students with some valuable starting points for exploring the rapidly expanding universe of online resources for genetics and genomics.

Animations

Sixty-seven animations are fully integrated with the content and figures in the text chapters. These animations are available on the LaunchPad and the Book Companion site.

CHAPTER 1

A Basic Plant Cross (Figure 1-3)

The Central Dogma (Figure 1-10)

CHAPTER 2

Mitosis (Chapter Appendix 2-1)

Meiosis (Chapter Appendix 2-2)

X-Linked Inheritance in Flies (Figure 2-17)

CHAPTER 3

Punnett Square and Branch Diagram Methods for Predicting the Outcomes of Crosses (Figure 3-4)

Meiotic Recombination Between Unlinked Genes by Independent Assortment (Figures 3-8 and 3-13)

Analyzing a Cross: A Solved Problem (Solved Problem 2)

CHAPTER 4

Crossing Over Produces New Allelic Combinations (Figures 4-2 and 4-3)

Meiotic Recombination Between Linked Genes by Crossing Over (Figure 4-7)

A Molecular Model of Crossing Over (Figure 4-21)

A Mechanism of Crossing Over: A Heteroduplex Model (Figure 4-21)

A Mechanism of Crossing Over: Genetic Consequences of the Heteroduplex Model

Mapping a Three-Point Cross: A Solved Problem (Solved Problem 2)

CHAPTER 5

Bacterial Conjugation and Mapping by Recombination (Figures 5-11 and 5-17)

CHAPTER 6

Interactions Between Alleles at the Molecular Level, RR: Wild-Type

Interactions Between Alleles at the Molecular Level, rr: Homozygous Recessive, Null Mutation

Interactions Between Alleles at the Molecular Level, rr′: Homozygous Recessive, Leaky Mutation

Interactions Between Alleles at the Molecular Level, Rr: Heterozygous, Complete Dominance

Screening and Selecting for Mutations

A Model for Synthetic Lethality (Figure 6-20)

CHAPTER 7

DNA Replication: The Nucleotide Polymerization Process (Figure 7-15)

DNA Replication: Coordination of Leading and Lagging Strand Synthesis (Figure 7-20)

DNA Replication: Replication of a Chromosome (Figure 7-23)

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CHAPTER 8

Transcription in Prokaryotes (Figures 8-7 to 8-10)

Transcription in Eukaryotes (Figures 8-12 and 8-13)

Mechanism of RNA Splicing (Figures 8-16 and 8-17)

CHAPTER 9

Peptide-Bond Formation (Figure 9-2)

tRNA Charging (Figure 9-7)

Translation (Figure 9-14 to 9-16)

Nonsense Suppression at the Molecular Level: The rodns Nonsense Mutation (Figure 9-18)

Nonsense Suppression at the Molecular Level: The tRNA Nonsense Suppressor (Figure 9-18)

Nonsense Suppression at the Molecular Level: Nonsense Suppression of the rodns Allele (Figure 9-18)

CHAPTER 10

Polymerase Chain Reaction (Figure 10-3)

Plasmid Cloning (Figure 10-9)

Finding Specific Cloned Genes by Functional Complementation: Functional Complementation of the Gal Yeast Strain and Recovery of the Wild-Type GAL gene

Finding Specific Cloned Genes by Functional Complementation: Making a Library of Wild-Type Yeast DNA

Finding Specific Cloned Genes by Functional Complementation: Using the Cloned GAL Gene as a Probe for GAL mRNA

SDS Gel Electrophoresis and Immunoblotting

Dideoxy Sequencing of DNA (Figure 10-17)

Creating a Transgenic Mouse (Figures 10-29 and 10-30)

CHAPTER 11

Regulation of the Lactose System in E. coli: Assaying Lactose Presence/Absence Through the Lac Repressor (Figure 11-6)

Regulation of the Lactose System in E. coli: OC lac Operator Mutations (Figure 11-8)

Regulation of the Lactose System in E. coli: I Lac Repressor Mutations (Figure 11-9)

Regulation of the Lactose System in E. coli: IS Lac Superrepressor Mutations (Figure 11-10)

CHAPTER 12

Three-Dimensional Structure of Nuclear Chromosomes (Figure 12-11)

Gal4 Binding and Activation (Figures 12-6 through 12-9)

Chromatin Remodeling (Figures 12-13 and 12-14)

CHAPTER 13

Drosophila Embryonic Development

Sex Determination in Flies (Figure 13-23)

CHAPTER 14

DNA Microarrays: Using an Oligonucleotide Array to Analyze Patterns of Gene Expression (Figure 14-20)

DNA Microarrays: Synthesizing an Oligonucleotide Array

Yeast Two-Hybrid Systems (Figure 14-21)

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CHAPTER 15

Replicative Transposition (Figure 15-9)

Life Cycle of a Retrovirus (Figure 15-11)

The Ty1 Mechanism of Retrotransposition (Figures 15-13 and 15-14)

CHAPTER 16

Replication Slippage Creates Insertion or Deletion Mutations (Figure 16-8)

UV-Induced Photodimers and Excision Repair (Figure 16-19)

Base-Excision Repair, Nucleotide Excision Repair, and Mismatch Repair (Figures 16-20, 16-22, and 16-23)

CHAPTER 17

Autotetraploid Meiosis (Figure 17-6)

Meiotic Nondisjunction at Meiosis I (Figure 17-12)

Meiotic Nondisjunction at Meiosis II (Figure 17-12)

Chromosome Rearrangements: Paracentric Inversion, Formation of Paracentric Inversions (Figure 17-27)

Chromosome Rearrangements: Paracentric Inversion, Meiotic Behavior of Paracentric Inversions (Figure 17-28)

Chromosome Rearrangements: Reciprocal Translocation, Formation of Reciprocal Translocations (Figure 17-30)

Chromosome Rearrangements: Reciprocal Translocation, Meiotic Behavior of Reciprocal Translocations (Figure 17-30)

Chromosome Rearrangements: Reciprocal Translocation, Pseudolinkage of Genes by Reciprocal Translocations (Figure 17-32)