Molecular Biology of Bacteriophage T4 highlights the value of this biological system as a research and teaching tool. The book is a sequel to the 1983 edition and is organized into six major sections: DNA metabolism, regulation of gene expression, phage morphogenesis, structure and function of selected proteins, host-phage interactions, and experiments in T4 molecular genetics. This last section presents research protocols while the other sections provide major reviews covering all aspects of T4 molecular biology.

Researchers and students alike will particularly benefit from the overview chapters that introduce each section and from clearly outlined laboratory procedures that emphasize concepts in microbial molecular genetics. Since T4 has played a central role in the development of molecular biology as an academic discipline, the themes and experiments presented in this book provide an excellent framework for designing graduate and undergraduate courses in prokaryotic genetics and biochemistry. The Appendixes include detailed information on the T4 genomic map and gene products as well as guidelines for accessing important DNA sequence and literature databases. A comprehensive bibliography (over 3,400 entries) provides the most thorough and up-to-date compilation of T4 literature available in print.