This book covers cell-cell channels at all levels of biological organization. The purpose of this book is to document that cells are not physically separated and fully autonomous units of biological life as stated by the currently valid Cell Theory. If not the cell then some lower level unit must fulfill this role. The book deals also with the identity of this elusive unit of biological life.
he biological sciences are dominated by the idea that cells are the functionally autonomous, physically separated, discrete units of life. TThis concept was propounded in the 19th century by discoveries of the cellular structuring of both plants and animals. Moreover, the ap parent autonomy of unicellular eukaryotes, as well as the cellular basis of the mammalian brain (an organ whose anatomy for a long while defied attempts to validate the idea of the cellular nature of its neurons), seemed to provide the final conclusive evidence for the completeness of *cell theory', a theory which has persisted in an almost dogmatic form up to the present day. However, it is very obvious that there are numerous observations which indicate that it is not the cells which serve as the basic units of biological life but that this property falls to some other, subcellular assemblage. To deal with this intricate problem concerning the fundamental unit of living matter, we proposed the so-called Cell Body concept which, in fact, devel ops an exceedingly original idea proposed by Julius Sachs at the end of the 19th century. In the case of eukaryotic cells, DNA-enriched nuclei are intimately associated with a microtubular cytoskeleton. In this configuration—as a Cell Body—these two items comprise the fundamental functional and struc tural unit of eukaryotic living matter. The Cell Body seems to be inherent to all cells in all organisms.
This book investigates molecular events that occur in different channels and specialized membrane domains during cell interactions with the external world as well as between cells of the same or different organs. The text addresses the impact of cell and molecular biology, biophysics, and molecular genetics techniques in the study of ion channels. Contributions discuss such topics as the molecular origin of voltage dependence in ion channels, different aspects of calcium-activated K+ channels of large conductance, progress in gap junction tunnels, and the process of exocytosis.
A Top 25 CHOICE 2016 Title, and recipient of the CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title (OAT) Award. How much energy is released in ATP hydrolysis? How many mRNAs are in a cell? How genetically similar are two random people? What is faster, transcription or translation?Cell Biology by the Numbers explores these questions and dozens of others provid
Piezo Channels, Volume 79, the latest volume in the Current Topics in Membranes series provides the necessary membrane research to assist readers in discovering the current state of a particular field and future directions. New chapters in the updated volume include A Tour de Force: The Discovery, Properties, and Function of Piezo Channels, Piezo1 Channels in Vascular Development and the Sensing of Shear Stress, the Origin of the Force: The Force-From-Lipids Principle Applied to Piezo Channels, Genetic Diseases of PIEZO1 and PIEZO2 Dysfunction, and The Structural Basis for Sensing by the Piezo1 Protein. Users of this series will find an up-to-date presentation of the current knowledge in the field of Piezo Channels. Written by leading experts in the field Contains original material, both textual and illustrative, that make it a very relevant reference Presented in a very comprehensive manner Ideal reference for both researchers in the field and general readers who will find this book to be relevant and up-to-date
Cellular Signal Processing offers a unifying view of cell signaling based on the concept that protein interactions act as sophisticated data processing networks that govern intracellular and extracellular communication. It is intended for use in signal transduction courses for undergraduate and graduate students working in biology, biochemistry, bioinformatics, and pharmacology, as well as medical students. The text is organized by three key topics central to signal transduction: the protein network, its energy supply, and its evolution. It covers all important aspects of cell signaling, ranging from prokaryotic signal transduction to neuronal signaling, and also highlights the clinical aspects of cell signaling in health and disease. This new edition includes expanded coverage of prokaryotes, as well as content on new developments in systems biology, epigenetics, redox signaling, and small, non-coding RNA signaling.
Ion channels are crucial components of living cells. Situated in the cell's membranes. they allow particular ions to pass from one side of the membrane to the other. In recent years the patch clamp technique has allowed the activity of individual channels to be measured, and recombinant DNA technology has led to fascinating detail on their structure. Together, these technical advances have produced a great flowering of knowledge and understanding about the subject, itself leading to further breakthroughs in science and medicine. Ion Channels provides an introduction to this scientific endeavour. It emphasises the molecular structure of channels as determined by gene cloning technology. This knowledge illuminates discussions of the permeability and selectivity of channels, their gating and modulation, their responses to drugs and toxins and the human diseases caused when they do not function properly.
A volume in the Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology series. This book reviews the recent advances in our understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms that control the assembly, transport, targeting and anchoring of the protein complexes making up the most important ion channels and receptor families, fundamental to synaptic function. Improved understanding of these processes is expected to reveal novel therapeutic targets relevant to a range of disease states. The first section of the book contains three chapters dealing with cation channels and provides an accessible, succinct and comprehensive account of what is known about the structures and the assembly and targeting of these multimeric proteins. The focus of the book then moves on to cover ligand-gated ion channels with two chapters on accetylcholine receptors. The final section of the book contains four chapters covering the excitatory and inhibitory amino acid receptors. Receptor and Ion-Channel Trafficking provides an integrated overview of the significant recent advances in the field of molecular neurobiology and will be essential reading for all researchers in neuroscience, neurobiology, biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology.
