Tools and techniques in molecular biology

This chapter explores tools and techniques frequently used in molecular biology. Molecular biology methods range from genome-wide analysis to the dissection of interactions between isolated single molecules. A key aspect of molecular biology is the study of processes both in vivo and in vitro. The chapter begins by describing the organisms that have served as models for the study of biology in all types of cells and studies how cells and viruses can be grown in culture. It then looks at genome manipulation and genome sequencing, as well as cellular imaging and molecular structure determination. The chapter considers the amplification and cloning of nucleic acids and how such cloning, known as recombinant DNA technology, can be used both to identify new genes and to construct modified genes and chromosomes.