Basic Molecular Biology Techniques

Abstract

Analysis at the molecular level is the cornerstone of modern biosciences and the utility of new and powerful ways of isolating, analysing, manipulating and exploiting nucleic acids is now essential. In recent years there has been much focus on ‘omics’ technology in a number of fields such as ‘genomics’, ‘proteomics’ and ‘transcriptomics’, among many others. This developing area attempts to address critical biological problems as a whole and the interactions within the area. This chapter details current molecular biology techniques and is intended to provide an overview of the general features of nucleic acid structure and function and to describe some of the basic methods used in their isolation and analysis. The techniques developed and employed in the manipulation of nucleic acids are essential for the analysis of cells and tissues and interactions at the molecular level.