Essential Cell Biology / Edition 4

by Bruce Alberts, Dennis Bray, Karen Hopkin, Alexander D. Johnson, Julian Lewis

Overview

Sets the standard for teaching the central concepts of cell biology

This text provides a readily accessible introduction to the central concepts of cell biology. And its lively, clear writing and exceptional illustrations make it the ideal text for a first course in both cell and molecular biology. Molecular detail has been kept to a minimum. This decision delivers a cohesive conceptual framework for the basic science that underlies our current understanding of all of biology—including the biomedical sciences.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780815344544
Publisher:	Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	10/15/2013
Edition description:	Fourth Edition
Pages:	864
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 10.90(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Bruce Alberts received his PhD from Harvard University and is Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of California, San Francisco. For 12 years, he served as President of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (1993-2005).

Dennis Bray received his PhD from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is currently an active emeritus professor at University of Cambridge. In 2006 he was awarded the Microsoft European Science Award.

Karen Hopkin received her PhD in biochemistry from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and is a science writer in Somerville, Massachusetts. She is a regular columnist for The Scientist and a contributor to Scientific American's daily podcast, "60-Second Science."

Alexander Johnson received his PhD from Harvard University and is Professor of Microbiology and Immunology and Director of the Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Genetics, and Developmental Biology Graduate Program at the University of California, San Francisco.

Julian Lewis received his DPhil from the University of Oxford and was a Principal Scientist at the London Research Institute of Cancer Research UK.

Martin Raff received his MD from McGill University and is at the Medical Research Council Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology and the Biology Department at University College London.

Keith Roberts received his PhD from the University of Cambridge and is Emeritus Professor at the University of East Anglia, Norwich.

Peter Walter received his PhD 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.

Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Cells: The Fundamental Units of Life
2. Chemical Components of Cells
3. Energy, Catalysis, and Biosynthesis
4. Protein Structure and Function
5. DNA and Chromosomes
6. DNA Replication, Repair, and Recombination
7. From DNA to Protein: How Cells Read the Genome
8. Control of Gene Expression
9. How Genes and Genomes Evolve
10. Modern Recombinant DNA Technology
11. Membrane Structure
12. Transport Across Cell Membranes
13. How Cells Obtain Energy from Food
14. Energy Generation in Mitochondria and Chloroplasts
15. Intracellular Compartments and Protein Transport
16. Cell Signaling
17. Cytoskeleton
18. The Cell Division Cycle
19. Sexual Reproduction and the Power of Genetics
20. Cellular Communities: Tissues, Stem Cells, and Cancer

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Latha Malaiyandi, PhD (Midwestern University)
Description: Significant advances in the field of cell biology necessitate this update, which incorporates new information and cutting-edge research, and further simplifies both text and figures to emphasize key concepts. The previous edition was published in 2010.
Purpose: The goal is to provide a foundation in cell biology for beginner biologists. A basic cell biology book is necessary given that most such books are highly technical, detail oriented, and exhaustive in their coverage. The authors write for a general population, using simplified explanations, lay descriptions of research advances, and clear and concise schematics and figures.
Audience: As the authors also of Molecular Biology of the Cell, 5th edition (Garland Science, 2008) (a standard in the field referred to as MBoC), they are preeminent authorities on the subject. However, their self-stated criticism is that MBoC is not an appropriate general resource because it is aimed at advanced undergraduate and graduate students. With this book, the authors tell a less complicated story that, in their view, is suitable for anyone in the general public who is curious about the inner workings of the cell. The authors do a fine job of explaining the basic mechanisms in relation to health and disease. The book succeeds, perhaps beyond the authors' intent, and in fact is an appropriate resource for many undergraduate courses, including ones currently using MBoC.
Features: This book covers nearly every major topic in cell biology that is found in MBoC. Each chapter builds on the previous one, from macromolecules to living cells and tissues. Spectacular microscopy images depict the cell's interior. Special topics like centrifugation or examples of chemical assays help readers understand basic scientific tools. Other special sections, titled "How We Know," describe the Nobel prize-winning discoveries critical to our understanding of cell functions. Each chapter concludes with a list of "Essential Concepts," similar to learning objectives. Questions appear in the margins, such as multiple-choice or short essay, offering readers many opportunities for self-assessment. Because cellular processes are not static, animations representing the dynamic cellular environment are available from a companion website.
Assessment: Students and educators at the undergraduate level should use this book. The writing is straightforward, concise, and so effective that readers can understand basic concepts without referring to the figures. Indeed one wonders that it might make a fine audiobook, a potential few biology books can claim. Educators and students alike will appreciate the complete statements that head each chapter section, which encapsulates a take-home message. The figures are refreshingly clean and straightforward, without the overlabeling or excessive lists typical of many textbooks. Everyday analogies are used to explain difficult concepts. Finally, the book achieves an interdisciplinary tone by including clinical examples, relating what happens at the cellular level to the whole body.

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