Excerpt
Molecular Biology of the Cell is the classic in-depth text reference in cell biology.
By extracting fundamental concepts and meaning from this enormous and ever-growing
field, the authors tell the story of cell biology, and create a coherent framework
through which non-expert readers may approach the subject. Written in clear and
concise language, and illustrated with original drawings, the book is enjoyable to
read, and provides a sense of the excitement of modern biology. Molecular Biology of
the Cell not only sets forth the current understanding of cell biology (updated as
of Fall 2001), but also explores the intriguing implications and possibilities of
that which remains unknown.
Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Preface
- A Note to the Reader
- Part I. Introduction to the Cell
- Chapter 1. Cells and Genomes
- The Universal Features of Cells on Earth
- The Diversity of Genomes and the Tree of Life
- Genetic Information in Eucaryotes
- References
- Chapter 2. Cell Chemistry and
Biosynthesis
- The Chemical Components of a Cell
- Catalysis and the Use of Energy by Cells
- How Cells Obtain Energy from Food
- References
- Chapter 3. Proteins
- The Shape and Structure of Proteins
- Protein Function
- References
- Part II. Basic Genetic Mechanisms
- Chapter 4. DNA and Chromosomes
- The Structure and Function of DNA
- Chromosomal DNA and Its Packaging in the Chromatin Fiber
- The Global Structure of Chromosomes
- References
- Chapter 5. DNA Replication, Repair, and Recombination
- The Maintenance of DNA Sequences
- DNA Replication Mechanisms
- The Initiation and Completion of DNA Replication in Chromosomes
- DNA Repair
- General Recombination
- Site-Specific Recombination
- References
- Chapter 6. How Cells Read the Genome: From DNA to Protein
- From DNA to RNA
- From RNA to Protein
- The RNA World and the Origins of Life
- References
- Chapter 7. Control of Gene Expression
- An Overview of Gene Control
- DNA-Binding Motifs in Gene Regulatory Proteins
- How Genetic Switches Work
- The Molecular Genetic Mechanisms That Create Specialized Cell Types
- Posttranscriptional Controls
- How Genomes Evolve
- References
- Part III. Methods
- Chapter 8. Manipulating Proteins, DNA, and
RNA
- Isolating Cells and Growing Them in Culture
- Fractionation of Cells
- Isolating, Cloning, and Sequencing DNA
- Analyzing Protein Structure and Function
- Studying Gene Expression and Function
- References
- Chapter 9. Visualizing Cells
- Looking at the Structure of Cells in the Microscope
- Visualizing Molecules in Living Cells
- References
- Part IV. Internal Organization of the Cell
- Chapter 10. Membrane Structure
- The Lipid Bilayer
- Membrane Proteins
- References
- Chapter 11. Membrane Transport of Small Molecules and the Electrical Properties of Membranes
- Principles of Membrane Transport
- Carrier Proteins and Active Membrane Transport
- Ion Channels and the Electrical Properties of Membranes
- References
- Chapter 12. Intracellular Compartments and Protein
Sorting
- The Compartmentalization of Cells
- The Transport of Molecules between the Nucleus and the Cytosol
- The Transport of Proteins into Mitochondria and Chloroplasts
- Peroxisomes
- The Endoplasmic Reticulum
- References
- Chapter 13. Intracellular Vesicular Traffic
- The Molecular Mechanisms of Membrane Transport and the Maintenance of Compartmental Diversity
- Transport from the ER through the Golgi Apparatus
- Transport from the Trans Golgi Network to Lysosomes
- Transport into the Cell from the Plasma Membrane: Endocytosis
- Transport from the Trans Golgi Network to the Cell Exterior: Exocytosis
- References
- Chapter 14. Energy Conversion: Mitochondria and Chloroplasts
- The Mitochondrion
- Electron-Transport Chains and Their Proton Pumps
- Chloroplasts and Photosynthesis
- The Genetic Systems of Mitochondria and Plastids
- The Evolution of Electron-Transport Chains
- References
- Chapter 15. Cell Communication
- General Principles of Cell Communication
- Signaling through G-Protein-Linked Cell-Surface Receptors
- Signaling through Enzyme-Linked Cell-Surface Receptors
- Signaling Pathways That Depend on Regulated Proteolysis
- Signaling in Plants
- References
- Chapter 16. The Cytoskeleton
- The Self-Assembly and Dynamic Structure of Cytoskeletal Filaments
- How Cells Regulate Their Cytoskeletal Filaments
- Molecular Motors
- The Cytoskeleton and Cell Behavior
- References
- Chapter 17. The Cell Cycle and Programmed Cell Death
- An Overview of the Cell Cycle
- Components of the Cell-Cycle Control System
- Intracellular Control of Cell-Cycle Events
- Programmed Cell Death (Apoptosis)
- Extracellular Control of Cell Division, Cell Growth, and Apoptosis
- References
- Chapter 18. The Mechanics of Cell Division
- An Overview of M Phase
- Mitosis
- Cytokinesis
- References
- Part V. Cells in Their Social Context
- Chapter 19. Cell Junctions, Cell Adhesion, and the Extracellular
Matrix
- Cell Junctions
- Cell-Cell Adhesion
- The Extracellular Matrix of Animals
- Integrins
- The Plant Cell Wall
- References
- Chapter 20. Germ Cells and
Fertilization
- The Benefits of Sex
- Meiosis
- Primordial Germ Cells and Sex Determination in Mammals
- Eggs
- Sperm
- Fertilization
- References
- Chapter 21. Development of Multicellular Organisms
- Universal Mechanisms of Animal Development
- Caenorhabditis Elegans: Development from the Perspective of the Individual Cell
- Drosophila and the Molecular Genetics of Pattern Formation: Genesis of the Body Plan
- Homeotic Selector Genes and the Patterning of the Anteroposterior Axis
- Organogenesis and the Patterning of Appendages
- Cell Movements and the Shaping of the Vertebrate Body
- The Mouse
- Neural Development
- Plant Development
- References
- Chapter 22. Histology: The Lives and Deaths of Cells in Tissues
- Epidermis and Its Renewal by Stem Cells
- Sensory Epithelia
- The Airways and the Gut
- Blood Vessels and Endothelial Cells
- Renewal by Multipotent Stem Cells: Blood Cell Formation
- Genesis, Modulation, and Regeneration of Skeletal Muscle
- Fibroblasts and Their Transformations: The Connective-Tissue Cell Family
- Stem-Cell Engineering
- References
- Chapter 23. Cancer
- Cancer as a Microevolutionary Process
- The Preventable Causes of Cancer
- Finding the Cancer-Critical Genes
- The Molecular Basis of Cancer-Cell Behavior
- Cancer Treatment: Present and Future
- References
- Chapter 24. The Adaptive Immune System
- Lymphocytes and the Cellular Basis of Adaptive Immunity
- B Cells and Antibodies
- The Generation of Antibody Diversity
- T Cells and MHC Proteins
- Helper T Cells and Lymphocyte Activation
- References
- Chapter 25. Pathogens, Infection, and Innate
Immunity
- Introduction to Pathogens
- Cell Biology of Infection
- Innate Immunity
- References
- Glossary
Bruce Alberts received his Ph.D. from Harvard University and is
President of the National Academy of Sciences and Professor of Biochemistry and
Biophysics at the University of California, San Francisco. Alexander
Johnson received his Ph.D. from Harvard University and is a Professor
of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of California, San Francisco.
Julian Lewis received his D.Phil. from the University of Oxford
and is a Principal Scientist at the Imperial Cancer Research Fund, London.
Martin Raff received his M.D. from McGill University and is at
the Medical Research Council Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology and Cell
Biology Unit and in the Biology Department at University College London.
Keith Roberts received his Ph.D. from the University of
Cambridge and is Associate Research Director at the John Innes Centre, Norwich.
Peter Walter received his Ph.D. from The Rockefeller University
in New York and is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Biochemistry and
Biophysics at the University of California, San Francisco, and an Investigator
of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
