Molecular Biology of the Cell - Volume 1 - Alberts B., Bray D., Lewis J., Raff M., Roberts K., Watson J. 1994

Preface

The Russian Translation of "Molecular Biology of The Cell" by B. Alberts, D. Bray, J. Lewis, M. Raff, and J. Watson was published in 19861987 and immediately won wide recognition and popularity among domestic biologists. It is hard to overstate The Significance of this book for undergraduate and graduate students who use it as a textbook.

There is no doubt that the second edition of "Molecular Biology of the Cell," published by the same authors in 1989, will also be highly beneficial for both biologists and medical professionals in our country. The six years separating these books have been extremely fruitful for biology as a whole; new fundamental data have been obtained, many controversial issues resolved, and new scientific concepts have emerged in the fields of molecular biology, Cytology, developmental biology, cellular immunology, and neurobiology. The authors have significantly revised the content, bringing it in line with the Current state of knowledge.

While the overall Structure OF THE book remains unchanged, two new chapters have been added: control of Gene activity (Ch. 10) and Cancer (Ch. 21). The order of the chapters has been rearranged to make the presentation of the material more logical. Thus, Chapter 7, which covers Bioenergetics, naturally follows the material on Membrane Structure, and the chapter on Gene Expression now follows the "The Cell Nucleus" chapter.

Chapter 8, which focuses on intracellular Organelles, has been significantly updated and is now titled "Intracellular Sorting of Macromolecules and Intracellular Compartments." It now includes an Analysis of the Molecular Basis of lysosomal and secretory protein sorting.

Great attention is paid to Modern Methods of molecular and cell biology. The authors aim to show how, in what way, and through what kind of experiments specific data were obtained. This effort to connect concrete material with the logic of experimentation is of great pedagogical value.

This second edition of "Molecular Biology of the Cell" can be recommended as a primary textbook for undergraduate and graduate students majoring in molecular biology, as well as for students taking courses in specialties such as cytology, genetics, Histology, Embryology, general physiology, and others. Moreover, reading this book will significantly broaden the horizons of any biologist, regardless of their specialty, and update their understanding of the molecular, cellular, and tissue Organization of living nature.

Yu. S. Chentsov

Preface TO THE Second Edition

More than 50 years ago, Wilson wrote that "the key to every biological problem must finally be sought in the cell." Until recently, however, cell biology was taught in universities as a specialized, minor course based primarily on Electron Microscopy. In most medical schools, many areas of cell biology—such as the mechanisms of endocytosis, chemotaxis, cell motility, and Cell Adhesion—were barely taught at all. They were considered too "cellular" for a biochemistry course and too "molecular" for a histology course. However, due to the tremendous progress made in cell biology recently, it is beginning to take its rightful, central place in biological and medical education. An increasing number of universities are introducing it as a required year-long course for all biology or biochemistry majors. Cell biology is also becoming a core first-year subject in most medical schools. The first edition of "Molecular Biology of the Cell" appeared on the eve of these urgently needed reforms and, as we hoped, was intended to facilitate them. We will be satisfied if the second edition helps to deepen these reforms and accelerate their Implementation.

In revising the book, we found only a few instances where new discoveries completely overturned old concepts. However, in the six years since the publication of the first edition, a vast amount of new data has been obtained; these findings have revealed new connections between different topics and, in many places, radically shifted the emphasis. Thus, the book has been extensively revised for the second edition: every chapter has undergone significant changes, many sections have been almost entirely rewritten, and two new chapters have been added, focusing on the Control of Gene Expression and The problem of cancer.

Some readers of the first edition, particularly instructors, suggested providing more detailed descriptions of the experiments that support the theories discussed. We did not want to interrupt the narrative flow or increase the size of an already very large book, but we agree that students need to understand how the discoveries described in the book were made. To this end, John Wilson and Tim Hunt have compiled a problem book in molecular biology. Each section of this problem book corresponds to a specific section of "Molecular Biology of the Cell" and focuses primarily on experiments described in the relevant original literature. This serves as a basis for discussing a range of questions—both simple and more challenging—designed to actively engage the reader in the reasoning behind the discoveries.

The second edition, like the first, has been a long time in preparation. As before, each chapter was passed from the author who wrote the first draft to the other authors for critical comment and active revision. Thus, every part of this book is a collaborative effort. Tim Hunt and John Wilson frequently helped us in this shared endeavor. In deciding whether a particular section needed revision, we sought the advice of outside experts. We are especially grateful to James Rothman (Princeton University) for his contributions to Chapter 8, and to Jeremy Hyams (University College London), Tim Mitchison (University of California, San Francisco), and Paul Nurse (Oxford University) for their work on Chapter 13. All sections of the revised text were reviewed by independent experts whose comments and suggestions were invaluable.

Once again, Miranda Robertson played a major role in making the book readable. She ensured that every sentence was clear and logical, rewriting many pages that lacked these qualities. We are also grateful to the staff of Garland Publishing, particularly Ruth Adams, Alison Walker, and Gavin Borden, for their kindness, humor, hard work, and the great help they provided throughout the four years it took to prepare this edition. We owe a special debt of gratitude to Carol Winter for her painstaking work in typing the entire manuscript and preparing the disks for printing. Finally, we thank our wives, families, colleagues, and students, and apologize to them for our lack of attention over several years; without their help and patience, this book would never have been written.

Preface to the First Edition

Scientific discovery is a paradox. Out of the chaos of facts accumulated in a rapid stream of information, an unexpectedly simple explanation of previously mysterious phenomena is born. Thus, the very essence of things is gradually revealed. Modern cell biology is a case in point. The Use of the latest methods in molecular biology has revealed the astonishing elegance and economy of the processes occurring in living Cells, and the remarkable unity of their principles of operation. In seeking to convey The Essence of these principles to the reader, we did not intend to write an encyclopedia of scientific facts; rather, we wanted to provide an opportunity to reflect on the available evidence. To be sure, vast areas of cell biology remain unexplored, and many known facts still lack explanation. But these unsolved problems are precisely the most exciting, and we have tried to present them in a way that encourages readers to join the search for Answers. Therefore, when discussing poorly understood areas, rather than simply presenting facts, we have often ventured to propose hypotheses, leaving them to the reader's judgment and hoping for a critical response.

"Molecular Biology of the Cell" focuses primarily on Eukaryotic cells rather than Bacteria. The title of the book reflects the paramount importance of approaches defined at THE MOLECULAR LEVEL of research. It is from the perspective of molecular biology that cells are examined in the first two PARTS OF THE book, which together cover the content of traditional cell biology courses. But molecular biology alone is not enough. The eukaryotic cells that make up Multicellular animals and plants are highly "social" organisms: they live through cooperation and specialization. To understand how they function, we must investigate The Role and place of cells within multicellular communities, as well as how isolated cells of a given type function. These are two completely different yet deeply interconnected levels of study. Therefore, Part III of the book is devoted to The behavior of cells in multicellular animals and plants. Consequently, much more attention is paid here to developmental biology, histology, immunology, and neurobiology than in other cell biology textbooks. Although this material may be considered optional or supplementary in a basic cell biology course, it represents an important branch of cell science and should be of particular interest to those who decide to pursue further studies in biology or medicine. The broad scope of topics in the book reflects our conviction that a course in cell biology should occupy a central place in modern biological education.

The book is intended primarily for undergraduate biology or medical students studying cell biology systematically for the first time. We assume that most readers are familiar with at least an introductory biology course; nevertheless, we have tried to write the book so that even a reader with no Background in biology can understand it, provided they start from the beginning. At the same time, we hope the book will be useful to researchers who need a guide to help them navigate vast areas of knowledge. For this reason, we provide a bibliography that is much more detailed than what an average undergraduate might need. At the same time, we have tried to select only those papers that can be found in most libraries.

This is a large book, and its gestation period has been long—three times that of an elephant and five times that of a whale. Many people have contributed their labor to it. Chapters were repeatedly returned to the author of the first draft, discussed and revised by the other authors, criticized again, and rewritten, so that each chapter in its final form is the result of a joint effort. In addition, some material was provided by several outside specialists. This material was revised by us to bring it into line with the rest of the book. All chapters were further read by experts whose comments and corrections were invaluable. Paul Burton (University of Kansas), Douglas Chandler (Arizona State University), Ursula Goodenough (Washington University), Robert Pollack (Columbia University), Robert Savage (Swarthmore College), and Charles Yocum (University of Michigan) read all or parts of the manuscript and made many helpful suggestions. Students who read the manuscript helped identify unclear passages that were difficult to understand.

The advice of students and experts was gathered and organized mainly by Miranda Robertson. By insisting that every page be clear and logical, and by rewriting pages that did not meet these standards, she played a major role in creating a textbook that students will read with ease. Lydia Malim drew many of the illustrations for Chapters 15 and 16. A number of scientists generously provided us with photographs; their names are indicated in the captions of the respective figures. We thank our colleagues for their indulgence and understanding in taking over some of our duties, as well as our families and students, whom we neglected for several years. Finally, it is our particularly pleasant duty to thank our editors and publisher. Tony Adams did much to improve the writing style, and Ruth Adams, whose good nature and high efficiency often put the authors to shame, completely organized the preparation of the book's publication. Gavin Borden took on the task of publishing the book, and his constant kindness and warmth made working on it both pleasant and intellectually rewarding.

Note to the Reader

The chapters of this book can be read independently of one another. Nevertheless, they are arranged in a logical sequence. The first three chapters of Part I cover elementary principles and basic biochemistry and can serve as an Introduction for those who have studied it. Part I concludes with Chapter 4, which describes the principles of the main experimental approaches to the Study of Cells. It is not essential to read this chapter to master the material in subsequent chapters, but keep in mind that it contains useful reference data.

Part II is devoted to the central issues of cell biology; it examines the General Properties of most eukaryotic cells, discusses their inherent MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF heredity, and addresses the problems of cell adhesion and the Extracellular matrix.

Part III describes the behavior of cells in The formation of Multicellular Organisms, starting from The production of eggs and sperm and ending with the disruption of multicellular organization in cancer.

Chapter 4 contains several tables listing the most important milestones in The Development of molecular cell biology and the names of the scientists involved in these discoveries. Elsewhere in the book, we avoid referencing specific researchers. The authors of major discoveries are listed in the References at the end of each chapter. This list typically includes the original papers in which important results were first reported. The numbers in the text headings refer to the number of the cited paper in the reference list.

Bold type is used in the book to highlight key terms in the section where they are discussed most fully. Less important terms are italicized.

The problems book serves as a valuable Supplement to the textbook.¹ It allows readers to appreciate the elegance of the experiments and the ingenuity of their authors. The problems cover the central section of the book (Chs. 5-14) and are closely linked to the data presented therein.

Most of the experimental problems are covered in the main text. For example, the symbol 5-4 above a section heading indicates that the material presented there is formulated as Problem 4 in Chapter 5 of the problems book. In addition, each section of the problems book begins with a series of fill-in-the-blank statements and true/false questions designed to help the reader master the terminology and Key Concepts related to the topic. The problems book can be useful for students' self-study and seminar sessions. It can also be used by instructors during exams.

¹ Wilson J., Hunt T. Molecular Biology of the Cell. The Problems Book. Russian translation in press. Editor's note.