The last few years have seen the rapid development of new methodology in the field of molecular biology. New techniques have been regularly intro­ duced and the sensitivity of older techniques greatly improved upon. Developments in the field of genetic engineering in particular have con­ tributed a wide range of new techniques. In Volume 1, published in 1983, we introduced the reader to a selection of the more advanced analytical and preparative techniques which we considered to be frequently used by research workers in the field of molecular biology. In choosing techniques for Volume 1 we obviously had to be selective and were unable to cover as broad a spectrum of techniques as we would have liked. However, the pro­ duction of Volume 2 has allowed us to develop the theme initiated in Volume 1 and also expand to include a wider range of subject areas. As with Volume 1, the majority of chapters relate to nucleic acid method­ ology, but we have also covered immunological methodology and protein 1. Obviously, we purification techniques that were not included in Volume see Volume 2 as simply a continuation of Volume 1. As with Volume 1, a knowledge of certain basic biochemical techniques and terminology has been assumed. However, since many areas of molecular biology are developing at a formidable rate and constantly generating new termin­ ology, a glossary of terms has been included.

1. Micromethods in Protein Chemistry.- 2. Peptide Synthesis.- 3. Affinity Chromatography.- 4. The Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA).- 5. Monoclonal Antibodies.- 6. Plasmid Derived Cloning Vectors.- 7. The Ti-Plasmid of Agrobacterium tumefaciens as a Tool for Genetic Engineering in Plants.- 8. Cloning in Yeast.- 9. Cloning in Bacteriophage Lambda.- 10. The Dot-Blot Technique.- 11. DNA-mediated Gene Transfer into Mammalian Cells.- 12. In vitro Transcription.- 13. Chemical Synthesis of Oligodeoxyribonucleotides.- 14. Targeted Mutagenesis of Cloned DNA.- 15. DNA Footprinting and Related Techniques for Analysing Protein-DNA Interactions.- 16. Autoradiography and Fluorography.- 17. Computer Applications to Studying DNA.- List of Contributors.