A Pox on You

nature of mutations. The finding that chemical changes tition and interrelatedness of research activities, as well in the protein could be correlated with changes in the as the scientists and opinions involved are described nucleic acid portion of the virus encouraged the use of with an engaging narrative style, enabling the reader to TMV as a central tool in efforts to crack the genetic code. experience the scientific excitement and atmosphere of TMV's role in cracking the code, however, diminished the time. Angela N.H. Creager explains to us the way in when, in the mid-1960s, cell free translation systems which research on a tobacco disease led to the develop-became available, which turned out to be more practical ment of new scientific concepts and disciplines as well than the virus. TMV also inspired Max Dellbrü ck to work as to new technologies, instrumentation, and industries. with the " T " bacteriophages of E. coli and to develop a Its major impact on the development of vaccines saved quantitative experimental system to study virus multipli-many lives. Thus, this book vividly underscores the in-cation and genetics, and thus contributed to the emerg-trinsic value of non-targeted research for the economy ing identity of molecular biology. Creager describes the and for human health. conceptual battle between biochemistry and molecular biology during the 1950s and 1960s, when TMV and Manfred Heinlein bacteriophages provided competing models for molec-Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research ular explanations. Whereas TMV inspired the conceptu-Novartis Research Foundation alization of viruses and other subcellular entities in bio-CH-4058 Basel chemical terms, based on chemical techniques as well Switzerland as on technologies for visualizing macromolecules, bac-teriophages guided scientists toward studying viruses using molecular genetic techniques. Although bacterio-phages prevailed as the major model during the development of molecular biology as a discipline, TMV nevertheless retained its status as a major research object. fully sequenced protein (after insulin) and data obtained Washington, DC: ASM Press (2002). from chemically produced TMV mutants with altered 495 pp. $115.95 coat proteins provided the key evidence that nucleotide triplets encoding individual amino acids do not overlap. In the field of plant virus research, TMV RNA became Ring around the roses, the first plant viral genome to be sequenced completely A pocketful of posies, 1982) and the second plant viral RNA that was com-We all fall down. pletely cloned as cDNA. TMV also served as a model —Childrens' rhyme in reference to …