Alexander N. Glazer and Hiroshi Nikaido. Cambridge University Press, 2007, 554 p., $75.

Some applied microbiology books we've come across typically contain information about prokaryotes with limited information about other organisms used for biotechnological purposes. However, we were very pleased when we opened the second edition of Alexander Glazer and Hiroshi Nikaido's Microbrobial Biotechnology: Fundamentals of Applied Microbiology, to discover that they not only provided information about prokaryote's roles in biotechnological research but also provided sufficient information about the use of fungi species. Glazer and Nikaido's book perfectly executes the difficult task of relating the vast information gathered about the practical application of bacteria, archaea, and fungi in a fluid and wellorganized manner.

The book is divided into 14 major chapters. Chapters 1 and 4 provide background information on the microbial organisms and the powerful innovative technologies of molecular biology (the "omics": genomics, proteonomics, etc.), respectively. Chapter 2 serves as an overview of the main applications of microbial biotechnology. The remaining chapters of the book represent in-depth reviews of each application (vaccines, transgenic plants, microbial insecticides, and antibiotics, to name a few).

In Chapter 3, "Production of Proteins in Bacteria and Yeast," the authors begin by providing us with information on the benefits of cloning desirable genes into suitable hosts. Several reasons are provided, giving the reader a complete understanding of the advantages of using competent cells. The chapter continues by providing multiple processes for which DNA can be introduced into a cell, and one thing that stands out is that a history of the process is provided for each introduced technique. Another particularly interesting fact about this chapter is that it provides techniques for introducing foreign DNA into yeast cells. However, the authors deviate from their earlier trend of providing historical information about the gene introductory technique and rather provide information about the genome sizes and copy number levels.

Chapter 9 is entitled "Primary Metabolites: Organic Acids and Amino Acids." As can be inferred from the title, the chapter deals mainly with organic acids and amino acids. In this chapter the history of metabolites, synthesis of these metabolites and their roles in our society are addressed. One interesting note about this chapter is the fact that it flows as if divided into two sections, with the "introductory" section dealing with the history, importance and commercial uses of several metabolites. The latter half of the chapter then deals with metabolite production in bacterial species. The second half of the chapter provides synthesis mechanisms and techniques used to make these metabolites, while providing examples on how the production of these metabolites can be repressed.

Overall we were very impressed by this book's ability to relay information in a "conversational" manner; it provides a plethora of information while making it relevant and coherent and above all, interesting. The brief summaries at the end of each chapter are key aspects in preserving the coherence of the book. In an unconventional method a list of references are provided at the end of each chapter, making it easier for anyone to find more information about topics that they found interesting in chapter. However, one of the book's shortcomings is the lack of color in its diagrams and schematics. The lack of color diminished the cohesiveness of the book because the barrage of black and white made it especially difficult to separate text from diagrams. Another addition that would also help this book might be introducing pictures of the various scientists mentioned. Inclusion of pictures of these people would greatly "humanize" the book, helping introduce the reader to some of these innovative biotechnologists. Despite these drawbacks, the book remains a valuable resource for upperlevel undergraduate and graduate students who are interested in some aspect of applied microbiology.

Dennis O. Ankrah
Christos Stathopoulos
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona