Means to an End: Apoptosis and Other Cell Death Mechanisms

by Douglas R Green

Overview

One million cells in our bodies die every second—they commit suicide by a mechanism known as apoptosis. Apoptosis is essential for survival of the body as a whole and has critical roles in various developmental processes and the immune system. In Means To An End, Douglas Green provides a clear and comprehensive view of apoptosis and other cell death mechanisms. Taking a bottom-up approach, he starts with the enzymes that perform the execution process (a family of proteases termed caspases) and examines their cellular targets and the ways in which they are activated. He then looks at the molecular machinery that links signals that cause cell death to caspases, emphasizing the importance of the BCL-2 family of proteins and the role of cytochrome c released from mitochondria. The final stage of the process, phagocytic removal of dead or dying cells, is also covered. Green outlines the roles of apoptosis and death mechanisms such as necrosis in embryogenesis, neuronal selection, and the development of self-tolerance in the immune system. In addition, he explains how cell death defends the body against cancer and traces the evolutionary origins of the apoptosis machinery back over a billion years. The book is thus of great use to all biologists interested in how cells function in the context of multicellular organisms and will appeal to everyone from undergraduates encountering the topic for the first time to researchers actively working in the field.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780879698881
Publisher:	Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press
Publication date:	10/29/2010
Pages:	220
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.40(d)

Editorial Reviews

"This book gracefully covers a wide variety of subjects and, in my opinion, distills our knowledge of cell death into an accessible text that is both enjoyable to read and appropriate for a broad audience.

Green covers more territory than many specialized books and does this by elimination of detail. Because of this approach, the book is a must read for students, clinicians, and experts in other fields wanting to learn more about cell death. Although the content may be very familiar to experts in the field, my suspicion is that they too will enjoy and benefit from reading this entertaining book.”

Cell

Means to an End is a complex—but improbably thrilling—read that manages to convey not only the hard work associated with cell biology but also the joy of its eureka moments. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals. — S. K. Sommers Smith, Boston University

Choice

...any student, medic, mature biologist, or even an interested layman would be attracted and inspired by this book...

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