New Co-Authors
Two new authors—visionary researchers as well as charismatic teachers—bring their considerable strengths to the Sixth Edition:
• Anthony Bretscher of Cornell University is known for identifying and characterizing new components of the actin cytoskeleton and elucidating their biological functions in relation to cell polarity and membrane traffic.
• Hidde Ploegh of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has made major contributions to our understanding of immune system behavior, particularly in regard to the various tactics that viruses employ to evade our immune system responses and the ways our immune system responds.
Increased Clarity and Accessibility
In the Sixth Edition, the authors have intensified their commitment to accessibility, balancing their coverage of the latest scientific developments with students’ need for clear explanations of the fundamentals. In this edition:
• New concept-based heads outline key principles
• Improved chapter overviews give students the big picture and a solid foundation for what is to come
Exciting New Developments
A more complete listing of new scientific advances covered in the Sixth Edition can be found in the Annotated Table of Contents.Highlights include:
• Expanded coverage of proteomics, including organelle proteome profiling and advances in mass spectroscopy [Ch. 3]
• Expanded coverage of RNAi [Chs. 5, 8]
• Updated discussions of chromatin, including: structure and condensation [Ch. 6]; control of gene expression by chromatin remodeling [Ch. 7]; chromatin remodeling proteins and tumor development [Ch. 25]
• Evolution of chromosomes and the mito- chondrion [Ch. 6]
• Molecular models, including: pre-initiation complex and mediator complex [Ch. 7]; annular phospholipids [Ch.10]; Ca2+ ATPase [Ch. 11]; rhodopsin, transducin, and protein kinase A [Ch. 15]; myosin ATPase [Ch. 17]
• Latest advances in light and electron microscopy, including cryoelectron tomography [Ch. 9]
• Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) [Ch.12]
• Role of supercomplexes in electron transport [Ch. 12]
• Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptors (HERs) and treatment of cancer [Ch. 16]
• Myosin ATPase cycle [Ch. 17] [see Figure 17-24]
• Kinesin 1 ATPase cycle [Ch. 18]
• Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and cancer [Ch. 19]
• Use of retrovirus infection for tracing cell lineage [Ch. 21]
• Axon guidance molecules [Ch. 23]
• Cancer stem cells [Ch. 25]
• Use of DNA microarray analysis in tumor typing [Ch. 25]
Integrated Media featuring New Podcasts
New e-Book fully integrates the complete contents of the text and its interactive media in a format that features a variety of helpful study tools. The e-Book is easily accessible on any Internet-connected computer via a standard Web browser.
Podcasts narrated by the authors give students a deeper understanding of key figures in the text and a sense of the thrill of discovery.
Layered PowerPoint files of every figure, optimized for projection, which instructors can edit or project section by section, allowing students to follow underlying concepts.
Emphasis on Experiments
Molecular Cell Biology, Sixth Ediion provides a clear introduction to the techniques and experiments of scientists past and present, showing how important
discoveries led to the formation of the field’s key concepts. This experimental approach is evident not only in the text and figures, but also in the following:
• Students answer a research problem by looking at real experimental data in the thoroughly revised Analyze the Data problem at the end of each chapter.
Medical Relevance
The authors include medically relevant examples in every chapter, demonstrating the connection between basic research in molecular cell biology and human health and disease.
New Chapters
In addition to incorporating these and other exciting new developments, the Sixth Edition of Molecular Cell Biology also includes three new chapters:
• The Molecular Cell Biology of Development [22], presenting the fundamentals of development from fertilization through pattern formation, with increased focus on mammalian development.
• Nerve Cells [23], providing unified coverage of the cell biology of these specialized cells, including the latest advances in axonal pathfinding and sensory reception.
• Immunology [24], a capstone chapter applying principles of molecular cell biology to the vertebrate immune system.
New Organization
In consultation with over 100 professors of cell biology from around the country, the authors have revised the table of contents to unite related topics and mirror the organization of most courses.