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A brief and accessible introduction to molecular biology for students and professionals who want to understand this rapidly expanding field.

Recent research in molecular biology has produced a remarkably detailed understanding of how living things operate. Becoming conversant with the intricacies of molecular biology and its extensive technical vocabulary can be a challenge, though, as introductory materials often seem more like a barrier than an invitation to the study of life. This text offers a concise and accessible introduction to molecular biology, requiring no previous background in science, aimed at students and professionals in fields ranging from engineering to journalism--anyone who wants to get a foothold in this rapidly expanding field. It will be particularly useful for computer scientists exploring computational biology. A reader who has mastered the information in The Processes of Life is ready to move on to more complex material in almost any area of contemporary biology.

Tabla de contenidos provista por Syndetics

• Preface(p. xi)
• 1 In the Beginning ...(p. 1)
• 1.1 Approaching the Study of Life(p. 1)
• 1.2 Billions and Billions of Creatures ...(p. 5)
• 1.3 ... All Alike(p. 11)
• 1.4 Where To from Here(p. 16)
• 2 Evolution(p. 19)
• 2.1 Inheritance(p. 23)
• 2.2 Variation(p. 28)
• 2.3 Selection(p. 34)
• 2.4 A Brief History of Life on Earth(p. 41)
• 2.5 Evolution and Life(p. 47)
• 2.6 Suggested Readings(p. 47)
• 3 A Little Bit of Chemistry(p. 49)
• 3.1 Matter(p. 49)
• 3.1.1 Atoms(p. 50)
• 3.1.2 Molecules and Bonds(p. 54)
• 3.2 Reactions(p. 58)
• 3.3 Organic Chemistry(p. 62)
• 3.4 Energy and Thermodynamics(p. 66)
• 3.5 Chemistry and Life(p. 70)
• 3.6 Suggested Readings(p. 71)
• 4 The Structure and Function of Bacteria(p. 73)
• 4.1 Membranes and Boundaries(p. 75)
• 4.2 Cytoplasm and Metabolism(p. 77)
• 4.3 Chromosomes and Genomes(p. 82)
• 4.4 Bacterial Life(p. 86)
• 4.5 Suggested Readings(p. 88)
• 5 Biological Macromolecules(p. 91)
• 5.1 Protein(p. 92)
• 5.1.1 Protein Structure(p. 95)
• 5.1.2 Protein Evolution(p. 102)
• 5.1.3 Protein Function(p. 103)
• 5.2 Nucleic Acids(p. 104)
• 5.2.1 DNA(p. 104)
• 5.2.2 RNA(p. 107)
• 5.2.3 DNA Evolution(p. 111)
• 5.3 Macromolecules and Life(p. 116)
• 5.4 Suggested Readings(p. 117)
• 6 Eukaryotes(p. 119)
• 6.1 Eukaryotic Gene Structure and Transcription(p. 120)
• 6.2 Components of the Eukaryotic Cell(p. 124)
• 6.2.1 The Nucleus(p. 124)
• 6.2.2 The Endoplasmic Reticulum and Golgi Apparatus(p. 126)
• 6.2.3 The Mitochondrion(p. 126)
• 6.2.4 The Chloroplast(p. 130)
• 6.2.5 Other Plastids(p. 133)
• 6.2.6 The Proteasome, the Lysosome, and the Peroxisome(p. 133)
• 6.3 Lifestyles of the Single-Celled Eukaryote(p. 134)
• 6.4 Suggested Readings(p. 137)
• 7 Multicellular Organisms and Development(p. 139)
• 7.1 The Origin of Multicellular Organisms(p. 139)
• 7.2 Development(p. 145)
• 7.2.1 Molecular Maps(p. 148)
• 7.2.2 Cell-to-Cell Signaling(p. 151)
• 7.2.3 Cell Motion(p. 153)
• 7.2.4 Differentiation(p. 156)
• 7.2.5 Organogenesis(p. 158)
• 7.3 Growth(p. 159)
• 7.4 Multicellular Life and Humanity(p. 162)
• 7.5 Suggested Readings(p. 163)
• 8 Anatomy, Physiology, and Systems Biology(p. 165)
• 8.1 Homeostasis(p. 165)
• 8.2 Tissues(p. 168)
• 8.3 Organ Systems(p. 175)
• 8.3.1 The Cardiovascular System(p. 175)
• 8.3.2 The Immune System(p. 178)
• 8.3.3 The Nervous System(p. 181)
• 8.4 Systems Biology(p. 186)
• 8.5 Suggested Readings(p. 187)
• 9 Disease and Its Treatment(p. 189)
• 9.1 General Principles of Pathology and Therapeutics(p. 190)
• 9.1.1 Cellular Stress and Responses to It(p. 190)
• 9.1.2 Cell Injury(p. 192)
• 9.1.3 Cell Death(p. 193)
• 9.1.4 General Principles of Therapeutics(p. 194)
• 9.2 Healing(p. 196)
• 9.3 Genetics and Disease(p. 198)
• 9.4 Infectious Disease and Antibiotics(p. 200)
• 9.5 Cardiovascular Disease(p. 201)
• 9.6 Cancer(p. 205)
• 9.7 Drug Discovery(p. 208)
• 9.8 Molecular Medicine(p. 211)
• 9.9 Suggested Readings(p. 212)
• 10 Molecular Biotechnology(p. 215)
• 10.1 Molecular Instrumentation(p. 215)
• 10.1.1 Measurements of Mass and Charge(p. 216)
• 10.1.2 Macromolecular Structure Determination(p. 221)
• 10.1.3 Assays of Molecular Activity(p. 233)
• 10.1.4 Distribution of Molecules Through Space and Time(p. 224)
• 10.1.5 Nucleic Acid Instrumentation(p. 225)
• 10.2 Model Organisms: Germs, Worms, Weeds, Bugs, and Rodents(p. 230)
• 10.2.1 Escherichia coli(p. 232)
• 10.2.2 Saccharomyces cerevisiae(p. 232)
• 10.2.3 Arabidopsis thaliana(p. 233)
• 10.2.4 Caenorhabditis elegans(p. 233)
• 10.2.5 Drosophila melanogaster(p. 234)
• 10.2.6 Danio rerio(p. 234)
• 10.2.7 Mus musculus(p. 235)
• 10.3 Genetic Engineering(p. 235)
• 10.4 Molecular Biotechnology and Human Life(p. 238)
• 10.5 Suggested Readings(p. 239)
• 11 Molecular Bioethics(p. 241)
• 11.1 Molecular Biology and Medicine(p. 242)
• 11.2 Molecular Biology and Agriculture(p. 245)
• 11.3 Molecular Biology and Society(p. 246)
• 11.4 Regulation and Control of Molecular Biotechnology(p. 249)
• 11.5 Learning about Life(p. 250)
• 11.6 Suggested Readings(p. 251)
• Glossary(p. 253)
• Index(p. 285)

Reseñas proporcionadas por Syndetics

CHOICE Review

The goal of this work by computational biologist Hunter (Univ. of Colorado School of Medicine) is to introduce molecular biology to students and professionals who do not have a background in biology. The author achieves his goal by presenting various aspects of biological sciences from prokaryotes to eukaryotes, and from normal development to diseases and molecular biotechnology in a clear, easy-to-understand style. However, this book also has some quirks. Some biological concepts are inaccurately defined or inconsistently introduced. For example, meiosis is defined in the glossary as the process of cell division that produces gametes, yet it is also introduced in chapter 2 as the reproductive process that combines traits from two parents, which is inaccurate. In addition, in chapter 6 protists are inaccurately defined as a large class of single-celled eukaryotes, and chapter 8 states that glucagon is excreted by alpha cells instead of beta cells. Overall, this work provides useful information for general readers and serves as a good transition resource for nonbiology students and professionals switching to computational biology. Summing Up: Recommended. With reservations. General readers, lower-division undergraduates, technical program students, and professionals. H. Zhou Seton Hall University

Notas de autor provistas por Syndetics

Lawrence E, Hunter, a founder of the International Society for Computational Biology, is Director of the Computational Bioscience Program and of the Center for Computational Pharmacology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.