Publisher's Synopsis
The history of molecular genetics shows that the study of simple microbial models, provided first by bacteriophages and then bacteria, yields data of fundamental importance to the whole of biology. The genomes of eukaryotic microbes, although many times smaller than those of mammals and flowering plants, also provide essential keys to our general understanding of biology. This volume reviews how much has been achieved with these more complex microbial models and points the way forward in this exciting and burgeoning field.
