Lewin's Essential GENES, Third Edition, provides students with a comprehensive overview of
molecular biology and molecular genetics. The authors have carefully modified the chapter flow in an
effort to provide a clearer and more student-friendly presentation of course material. Chapter material
has been updated throughout, including a completely revised chapter on regulatory RNA. The Third
Edition's exceptional pedagogy enhances student learning and helps readers understand and retain key
material like never before. Concept and Reasoning Checks at the end of each chapter section, End-of-
Chapter Questions and Further Readings sections, as well as several categories of special topics boxes,
expand and reinforce important concepts.
Special Topics Boxes promote greater understanding of key material. They fall into four-categories:
Essential Ideas boxes reinforce and clearly explain concepts critical to the chapter topics,
Medical Applications boxes provide links between basic molecular principles and human health,
Historical Perspectives boxes illuminate the experimental paths that led to current knowledge,
Methods and Techniques reveal the powerful methods used in molecular biology.

Table of Contents
Chapter 1 Genes Are DNA
Chapter 2 Genes Code for Proteins
Chapter 3 Methods in Molecular Biology and Genetic
Engineering
Chapter 4 The Interrupted Gene
Chapter 5 The Content of the Genome
Chapter 6 Genome Sequences and Gene Number
Chapter 7 Clusters and Repeats
Chapter 8 Genome Evolution
Chapter 9 Chromosomes
Chapter 10 Chromatin
Chapter 11 Replication is Connected to the Cell Cycle
Chapter 12 The Replicon: Initiation of Replication
Chapter 13 DNA Replication
Chapter 14 Extrachromosomal Replication
Chapter 15 Homologous and Site-Specific Recombination
Chapter 16 Repair Systems
Chapter 17 Transposons, Retroviruses and Retrotransposons
Chapter 18 Immune Diversity Chapter 19 Prokaryotic
Transcription
Chapter 20 Eukaryotic Transcription
Chapter 21 RNA Splicing and Processing
Chapter 22 mRNA Stability and Localization
Chapter 23 Catalytic RNA
Chapter 24 Translation
Chapter 25 Using the Genetic CodeChapter 26 The Operon
Chapter 27 Phage Strategies
Chapter 28 Eukaryotic Transcription Regulation
Chapter 29 Epigenetic Effects are Inherited
Chapter 30 Regulatory RNA