Des Nicholl presents a new, fully revised, and expanded edition of his popular undergraduate-level textbook. The book retains many of the features of the original edition and still offers a concise technical introduction to the subject of genetic engineering. It is divided into three main sections: basic molecular biology, methods of gene manipulation, and modern applications of genetic engineering. Applications covered in the book include genomics, protein engineering, gene therapy, cloning, transgenic animals and plants, and bioethics. An Introduction to Genetic Engineering is essential reading for undergraduate students of biotechnology, genetics, molecular biology, and biochemistry.
Genetic engineering refers to the direct manipulation of DNA to alter an organism’s characteristics (phenotype) in a particular way. Genetic engineering, sometimes called genetic modification, is the process of altering the DNA in an organism’s genome. This may mean changing one base pair (A-T or C-G), deleting a whole region of DNA, or introducing an additional copy of a gene. It may also mean extracting DNA from another organism’s genome and combining it with the DNA of that individual. Genetic engineering is used by scientists to enhance or modify the characteristics of an individual organism. Genetic engineering can be applied to any organism, from a virus to a sheep. For example, genetic engineering can be used to produce plants that have a higher nutritional value or can tolerate exposure to herbicides.