Drosophila Protocols edited by William Sullivan, Michael Ashburner and R. Scott Hawley

Abstract

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, 2000, £90.00 hbk (728 pages) ISBN: 0879695862There was a time a few years ago when many biologists were confidently predicting that the age of Drosophila for geneticists was over and that everyone would turn to the mouse, given the advances in mammalian transgenic technology. Well, it hasn't happened yet. The fly still rules the roost, and not simply for the trivial reason that it is much cheaper to maintain. It turns out that the fly really is a little mouse, of course in terms of development, but also in the functioning of the nervous system, which, as you may recall, is the tissue in which most fly and mammalian genes are expressed. It is less cuddly to be sure, but whether you are investigating such complex phenotypes as sleep, learning, circadian clocks or drug abuse, Flies 'R Us. In addition, the completion of the fly genome project earlier this year provides an Aladdin's cave for sequence mining and for searching out homologies between the different taxa, with all the exciting functional implications that this will provide. The genomic era is upon us (note I didn't say ‘post-genomic’, a term I find really irritating) and yeast, worms, flies and mammals will all play their part.In 1989, Ashburner performed an enormous service to fly folk by publishing his massive ‘Laboratory Handbook’ plus the associated Manual (Cold Spring Harbor Press). The Manual dealt with basic fly protocols plus some newer techniques that were emerging in the mid 1980s. Molecular biology, transgenesis and reporter genes are now standard approaches for the fly worker and so, after more than a decade, something that would accommodate recent technological developments was required. This new book, ‘Drosophila Protocols’, has Ashburner, Sullivan and Hawley, editing 37 chapters written by various experts, and takes off where the earlier Lab Manual ends. It is ‘chattier’ than its predecessor, with each chapter having a short introduction written by the appropriate afficianados. The book is divided into six sections, Chromosomes, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Genomics, Biochemistry and The Organism, but bear in mind that it is an advanced book, so keep your old Manual handy to help you, particularly if you are just starting in a fly lab. Protocols for ‘cutting edge’ techniques are offered, such as RNA interference, targeted cell ablation, biochemical preparations, use of arrays and more. The protocols are well described and are easy to follow for the ‘initiated’, but it may be a difficult book for the novice who might have problems in understanding which steps are crucial for the success of the procedure, particularly as there is little troubleshooting described. All the sexy, topical areas in Drosophila research are covered, and there are some useful appendices, including a list of hazardous materials and some nice anatomical drawings. I've no doubt that this book will become an indispensable item for any Drosophila laboratory that can afford to buy it (it ain't cheap). The fly community is evolving, its tastes are becoming increasingly refined and its work becomes more interdisciplinary by the year. ‘Drosophila Protocols’ reflects this changing mood and I expect it will become the fly pushers’ techniques bible for the coming decade.