Cellular Organelles (Volume 2) (Principles of Medical Biology, Volume 2)

The purpose of this volume is to provide a synopsis of present knowledge of the structure, organisation, and function of cellular organelles with an emphasis on the examination of important but unsolved problems, and the directions in which molecular and cell biology are moving. Though designed primarily to meet the needs of the first-year medical student, particularly in schools where the traditional curriculum has been partly or wholly replaced by a multi-disciplinary core curriculum, the mass of information made available here should prove useful to students of biochemistry, physiology, biology, bioengineering, dentistry, and nursing. It is not yet possible to give a complete account of the relations between the organelles of two compartments and of the mechanisms by which some degree of order is maintained in the cell as a whole. However, a new breed of scientists, known as molecular cell biologists, have already contributed in some measure to our understanding of several biological phenomena notably interorganelle communication. Take, for example, intracellular membrane transport: it can now be expressed in terms of the sorting, targeting, and transport of protein from the endoplasmic reticulum to another compartment. This volume contains the first ten chapters on the subject of organelles. The remaining four are in Volume 3, to which sections on organelle disorders and the extracellular matrix have been added. Content: List of contributors Pages ix-x Preface Page xi E. Edward Bittar, Neville Bittar Chapter 1 The plasma membrane: Membrane proteins and their interactions Original Research Article Pages 1-18 S.K. Malhotra, T.K. Shnitka Chapter 2 The transport of macromolecules across the nuclear envelope Original Research Article Pages 19-54 N. Pokrywka, D. Goldfarb, M. Zillmann, A. DeSilva Chapter 3 Chromosomes, chromatin, and the regulation of transcription Original Research Article Pages 55-71 Nico Stuurman, Paul A. Fisher Chapter 4 The nucleolus Original Research Article Pages 73-92 Danielle Hernandez-Verdun, Henriette R. Junera Chapter 5 Centromeres and telomeres Original Research Article Pages 93-120 J.B. Rattner Chapter 6 The cytoskeleton Original Research Article Pages 121-145 David S. Ettenson, Avrum I. Gotlieb Chapter 7 Intermediate filaments: A medical overview Original Research Article Pages 147-188 Michael W. Klymkowsky, Robert M. Evans Chapter 8 The endoplasmic reticulum Original Research Article Pages 189-214 Gordon L.E. Koch Chapter 9 The sarcoplasmic reticulum Original Research Article Pages 215-251 Anthony N. Martonosi Chapter 10 The ribosome Original Research Article Pages 253-273 Richard Brimacombe Index Pages 275-287 Presents a synopsis of the knowledge on the structure, organisation, and function of cellular organelles with an emphasis on the examination of important but unsolved problems, and the directions in which molecular and cell biology are moving. This volume includes chapters on the subject of organelles, and organelle disorders.