Biophysicists and medical doctors have learned that malfunction of the control layer in cells is responsible for a host of human disorders ranging from neurological disorders to cancers. Most drugs target components in the control layer, and difficulties in drug design are intimately related to the architecture of the control layer. Intended for a broad audience of students and others interested in furthering their understanding of how cells regulate and coordinate their core activities, this overview explains how the cellular control level works. The audience includes students in chemistry, physics and computer science who intend to work in biological and medical physics, and bioinformatics and systems biology. The first five chapters of the book are supply the background and review chapters, after which signaling in the immune, endocrine (hormonal) and nervous systems is explained, as well as cancer, apoptosis and gene regulation

Chapters on cancers and apoptosis, and on bacteria and viruses In those chapters not specifically devoted to pathogens, connections between diseases, drugs and signaling are made The first five chapters of the book are mainly background and review chapters Signaling in the immune, endocrine (hormonal) and nervous systems is covered along with cancer, apoptosis and gene regulation Each chapter ends with a problem section to facilitate discussion Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Autorentext

Martin Beckerman, Ph.D. is Senior Scientist at the Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration's Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, TN. Prior to assuming his current position at the Y-12 NSC, Dr. Beckerman held teaching and research positions at the Weizmann Institute of Science, the University of Rochester, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Tennessee and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He has over 130 publications, 1400 citations, and is the author of a previously published book entitled Adaptive Cooperative Systems.

Inhalt
The Control Layer.- Exploring Protein Structure and Function.- Macromolecular Forces.- Protein Folding and Binding.- Stress and Pheromone Responses in Yeast.- Two-Component Signaling Systems.- Organization of Signal Complexes by Lipids, Calcium, and Cyclic AMP.- Signaling by Cells of the Immune System.- Cell Adhesion and Motility.- Signaling in the Endocrine System.- Signaling in the Endocrine and Nervous Systems Through GPCRs.- Cell Fate and Polarity.- Cancer.- Apoptosis.- Gene Regulation in Eukaryotes.- Cell Regulation in Bacteria.- Regulation by Viruses.- Ion Channels.- Neural Rhythms.- Learning and Memory.