Cell and Molecular Biology: Concepts and Experiments 6th Edition

Book Preface

Cells, and the structures they comprise, are too small to be directly seen, heard, or touched. In spite of this tremendous handicap, cells are the subject of hundreds of thousands of publications each year, with virtually every aspect of their minuscule structure coming under scrutiny. In many ways, the study of cell and molecular biology stands as a tribute to human curiosity for seeking to discover, and to human creative intelligence for devising the complex instruments and elaborate techniques by which these discoveries can be made. This is not to imply that cell and molecular biologists have a monopoly on these noble traits. At one end of the scientific spectrum, astronomers are searching the outer fringes of the universe for black holes and whirling pulsars whose properties seem unimaginable when compared to those of Earth. At the other end of the spectrum, nuclear physicists are focusing their attention on subatomic particles that have equally inconceivable properties. Clearly, our universe consists of worlds within worlds, all aspects of which make for fascinating study.

As will be apparent throughout this book, cell and molecular biology is reductionist; that is, it is based on the view that knowledge of the parts of the whole can explain the character of the whole.When viewed in this way, our feeling for the wonder and mystery of life may be replaced by the need to explain everything in terms of the workings of the “machinery” of the living system. To the degree to which this occurs, it is hoped that this loss can be replaced by an equally strong appreciation for the beauty and complexity of the mechanisms underlying cellular activity.

Brief Contents
1 Introduction to the Study of Cell and Molecular Biology 1
2 The Chemical Basis of Life 31
3 Bioenergetics, Enzymes, and Metabolism 85
4 The Structure and Function of the Plasma Membrane 117
5 Aerobic Respiration and the Mitochondrion 173
6 Photosynthesis and the Chloroplast 206
7 Interactions Between Cells and Their Environment 230
8 Cytoplasmic Membrane Systems: Structure, Function, and Membrane
Trafficking 264
9 The Cytoskeleton and Cell Motility 318
10 The Nature of the Gene and the Genome 379
11 Gene Expression: From Transcription to Translation 419
12 The Cell Nucleus and the Control of Gene Expression 475
13 DNA Replication and Repair 533
14 Cellular Reproduction 560
15 Cell Signaling and Signal Transduction: Communication Between Cells 605
16 Cancer 650
17 The Immune Response 682
18 Techniques in Cell and Molecular Biology 715
Glossary G-1
Additional Readings A-1
Index I-1