Article

Lab Ref. A Handbook of Recipes, Reagents, and Other Reference Tools for Use at the Bench (Roskams, J., and Rodgers, L. (eds.), Humana Press, Humana, 2002, 272 p., $35)

This book undoubtedly occupies an “honored place” in many laboratories. There is a simple explanation of popularity of this book: the whole information accumulated there is for everyday use in any (experimental) biochemical laboratory.

The book consists of seven parts. The first part contains many recipes of commonly used solutions. One can find description of preparation of various buffers and standard solutions of many proteins, enzymes, and antibiotics. The first chapter ends with two tables. The first contains information on concentration, molarity, pH, and other characteristics of commercially available organic and inorganic acids, ethanolamine, beta-mercaptoethanol, etc. The second table contains information on sterilization cycles and drying cycles for surgical instruments and glass and plastic ware and tips.

The second part describes methods of isolation and purification of DNA, RNA, use of protease and ribonuclease inhibitors and also detergents. The third part of this book deals with various solutions for electrophoresis of proteins and nucleic acids and use of polyacrylamide and agarose gels and also nitrocellulose.

The fourth part contains description of methods for visualization of genes and their protein products in cells and tissues. It contains optimal protocols of antibody use for detection of genes and proteins. Methods of cell fixation and use of chromogenic reagents for visualization of intracellular proteins are also given here.

The fifth part contains recipes of solutions, cell media, and buffers employed for cultivation of cell and tissue cultures and isolation of DNA, RNA, and proteins from bacteria, yeast, mammalian cells, and Xenopus.

The sixth part contains information on short- and long-term storage and conditions for transportation of various biological preparations, including bacterial, yeast, and mammalian cells and DNA samples.

The last, seventh, part of this book contains various formulas, conversion and information tables, nomenclature information, and addresses of many Web sites containing valuable information on numerous aspects of studies in biology and medicine.

The book also contains several important appendices and an alphabetical index.

In conclusion, I should say that Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press has issued a very good and valuable laboratory reference book, which may be used by wide audience of experimental biochemists, molecular biologists, and specialists in medicine. The book of very convenient small format is well designed; parts are clearly separated by means of projected indexes and the book is spiral bound.

G. Ya. Wiederschain Doctor of Biological Sciences