International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology presents current advances and comprehensive reviews in cell biology--both plant and animal. Articles address structure and control of gene expression, nucleocytoplasmic interactions, control of cell development and differentiation, and cell transformation and growth. Impact factor for 2012: 4.973. Ideas from the fields of biophysics, physical chemistry, of polymer and colloid, and soft matter science have helped clarify the structure and functions of the cell nucleus. The development of powerful methods for modeling conformations and interactions of macromolecules has also contributed. The book aims to encourage cell and molecular biologists to become more familiar with and understand these new concepts and methods, and the crucial contributions they are making to our perception of the nucleus. This is the first volume to present a comprehensive review of New Models of the Cell Nucleus
Giant vesicles are widely used as a model membrane system, both for basic biological systems and for their promising applications in the development of smart materials and cell mimetics, as well as in driving new technologies in synthetic biology and for the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industry. The reader is guided to use giant vesicles, from the formation of simple membrane platforms to advanced membrane and cell system models. It also includes fundamentals for understanding lipid or polymer membrane structure, properties and behavior. Every chapter includes ideas for further applications and discussions on the implications of the observed phenomena towards understanding membrane-related processes. The Giant Vesicle Book is meant to be a road companion, a trusted guide for those making their first steps in this field as well as a source of information required by experts. Key Features • A complete summary of the field, covering fundamental concepts, practical methods, core theory, and the most promising applications • A start-up package of theoretical and experimental information for newcomers in the field • Extensive protocols for establishing the required preparations and assays • Tips and instructions for carefully performing and interpreting measurements with giant vesicles or for observing them, including pitfalls • Approaches developed for investigating giant vesicles as well as brief overviews of previous studies implementing the described techniques • Handy tables with data and structures for ready reference
The purpose of this work is to critically assess Errol E. Harris’s process philosophy in the face of contemporary research in the special sciences. Harris devoted his life to grappling with the big questions concerning the relationships between nature, mind, and knowledge. His 70-plus year career was distinguished, his texts on the history of philosophy, philosophy of science, political philosophy, philosophy of religion, and consciousness were widely published, and yet his metaphysics has until now remained excluded from mainstream discussions. This book’s contention is that Harris’s work reveals as yet unnoticed connections between theories in numerous scientific disciplines ranging from psychology to cosmology and that an examination of certain theories within these disciplines may serve to strengthen his original arguments. This work maintains that the resulting metaphysics frames a transdisciplinary paradigm shift and provides a viable solution to the hard problem of consciousness.
In each generation, scientists must redefine their fields: abstracting, simplifying and distilling the previous standard topics to make room for new advances and methods. Sethna's book takes this step for statistical mechanics - a field rooted in physics and chemistry whose ideas and methods are now central to information theory, complexity, and modern biology. Aimed at advanced undergraduates and early graduate students in all of these fields, Sethna limits his main presentation to the topics that future mathematicians and biologists, as well as physicists and chemists, will find fascinating and central to their work. The amazing breadth of the field is reflected in the author's large supply of carefully crafted exercises, each an introduction to a whole field of study: everything from chaos through information theory to life at the end of the universe.
Nuclear Architecture and Dynamics provides a definitive resource for (bio)physicists and molecular and cellular biologists whose research involves an understanding of the organization of the genome and the mechanisms of its proper reading, maintenance, and replication by the cell. This book brings together the biochemical and physical characteristics of genome organization, providing a relevant framework in which to interpret the control of gene expression and cell differentiation. It includes work from a group of international experts, including biologists, physicists, mathematicians, and bioinformaticians who have come together for a comprehensive presentation of the current developments in the nuclear dynamics and architecture field. The book provides the uninitiated with an entry point to a highly dynamic, but complex issue, and the expert with an opportunity to have a fresh look at the viewpoints advocated by researchers from different disciplines. - Highlights the link between the (bio)chemistry and the (bio)physics of chromatin - Deciphers the complex interplay between numerous biochemical factors at task in the nucleus and the physical state of chromatin - Provides a collective view of the field by a large, diverse group of authors with both physics and biology backgrounds
Autophagy: Cancer, Other Pathologies, Inflammation, Immunity, Infection, and Aging is an eleven volume series that discusses in detail all aspects of autophagy machinery in the context of health, cancer, and other pathologies. Autophagy maintains homeostasis during starvation or stress conditions by balancing the synthesis of cellular components and their deregulation by autophagy. This series discusses the characterization of autophagosome-enriched vaccines and its efficacy in cancer immunotherapy. Autophagy serves to maintain healthy cells, tissues, and organs, but also promotes cancer survival and growth of established tumors. Impaired or deregulated autophagy can also contribute to disease pathogenesis. Understanding the importance and necessity of the role of autophagy in health and disease is vital for the studies of cancer, aging, neurodegeneration, immunology, and infectious diseases. Comprehensive and forward-thinking, these books offer a valuable guide to cellular processes while also inciting researchers to explore their potentially important connections. - Presents the most advanced information regarding the role of the autophagic system in life and death - Examines whether autophagy acts fundamentally as a cell survivor or cell death pathway or both - Introduces new, more effective therapeutic strategies in the development of targeted drugs and programmed cell death, providing information that will aid in preventing detrimental inflammation - Features recent advancements in the molecular mechanisms underlying a large number of genetic and epigenetic diseases and abnormalities, including atherosclerosis and CNS tumors, and their development and treatment - Includes chapters authored by leaders in the field around the globe—the broadest, most expert coverage available
This book develops the theory of continuous and discrete stochastic processes within the context of cell biology. In the second edition the material has been significantly expanded, particularly within the context of nonequilibrium and self-organizing systems. Given the amount of additional material, the book has been divided into two volumes, with volume I mainly covering molecular processes and volume II focusing on cellular processes. A wide range of biological topics are covered in the new edition, including stochastic ion channels and excitable systems, molecular motors, stochastic gene networks, genetic switches and oscillators, epigenetics, normal and anomalous diffusion in complex cellular environments, stochastically-gated diffusion, active intracellular transport, signal transduction, cell sensing, bacterial chemotaxis, intracellular pattern formation, cell polarization, cell mechanics, biological polymers and membranes, nuclear structure and dynamics, biological condensates, molecular aggregation and nucleation, cellular length control, cell mitosis, cell motility, cell adhesion, cytoneme-based morphogenesis, bacterial growth, and quorum sensing. The book also provides a pedagogical introduction to the theory of stochastic and nonequilibrium processes – Fokker Planck equations, stochastic differential equations, stochastic calculus, master equations and jump Markov processes, birth-death processes, Poisson processes, first passage time problems, stochastic hybrid systems, queuing and renewal theory, narrow capture and escape, extreme statistics, search processes and stochastic resetting, exclusion processes, WKB methods, large deviation theory, path integrals, martingales and branching processes, numerical methods, linear response theory, phase separation, fluctuation-dissipation theorems, age-structured models, and statistical field theory. This text is primarily aimed at graduate students and researchers working in mathematical biology, statistical and biological physicists, and applied mathematicians interested in stochastic modeling. Applied probabilists should also find it of interest. It provides significant background material in applied mathematics and statistical physics, and introduces concepts in stochastic and nonequilibrium processes via motivating biological applications. The book is highly illustrated and contains a large number of examples and exercises that further develop the models and ideas in the body of the text. It is based on a course that the author has taught at the University of Utah for many years.
This volume is based on presentations by the world-renowned investigators who gathered at the 75th annual Cold Spring Harbor Symposium on Quantitative Biology to discuss the organization and function of the cell nucleus. It reviews the latest advances in research into nuclear structure, the organization of the genome within the nucleus, and spatiotemporal coordination of nuclear processes. The topics examined include nuclear domains, chromatin organization, transcription and RNA processing, DNA replication, nuclear reprogramming, and epigenetics. Cancer, premature aging syndromes, and other diseases that may be associated with altered nuclear organization are also covered.
This volume explores some of the most exciting recent advances in basic research on cellular RNA interference mechanisms and how this knowledge is leading to advances in the various fields. This series provides a forum for discussion of new discoveries, approaches, and ideas Contributions from leading scholars and industry experts Reference guide for researchers involved in molecular biology and related fields
