Bruce Alberts received his PhD from Harvard University and is Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the
University of California, San Francisco. He is the editor-in-chief of Science magazine. 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.
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 is 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 Cell Biology Unit and in the Biology Department at University College London.
Keith Roberts received his PhD from the University of Cambridge and is Emeritus Fellow at the John Innes Centre,
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.
Summary
Essential Cell Biology provides an accessible introduction to the fundamental concepts of cell biology. Its lively writing and exceptional illustrations make it the ideal textbook for a first course in cell and molecular biology. The text and figures are easy-to-follow, accurate, clear, and engaging for the introductory student. Molecular detail has been kept to a minimum in order to provide the reader with a cohesive, conceptual framework of the basic science that underlies our current understanding of biology.
The Third Edition is thoroughly updated scientifically, yet maintains the academic level and size of the previous edition. The book is accompanied by a Media DVD-ROM with over 130 animations and videos, all the figures from the book, and a new self-test quizzing feature for students.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Ch. 1 Introduction to Cells 1
Ch. 2 Chemical Components of Cells 39
Ch. 3 Energy, Catalysis, and Biosynthesis 83
Ch. 4 Protein Structure and Function 119
Ch. 5 DNA and Chromosomes 169
Ch. 6 DNA Replication, Repair, and Recombination 195
Ch. 7 From DNA to Protein: How Cells Read the Genome 229
Ch. 8 Control of Gene Expression 267
Ch. 9 How Genes and Genomes Evolve 293
Ch. 10 Manipulating Genes and Cells 323
Ch. 11 Membrane Structure 365
Ch. 12 Membrane Transport 389
Ch. 13 How Cells Obtain Energy from Food 427
Ch. 14 Energy Generation in Mitochondria and Chloroplasts 453
Ch. 15 Intracellular Compartments and Transport 497
Ch. 16 Cell Communication 533
Ch. 17 Cytoskeleton 573
Ch. 18 Cell-Cycle Control and Cell Death 611
Ch. 19 Cell Division 637
Ch. 20 Genetics, Meiosis, and the Molecular Basis of Heredity 659
Ch. 21 Tissues and Cancer 697
