Beschreibung:
A small number of signaling pathways, no more than a dozen or so, form a control layer that is responsible for all signaling in and between cells of the human body. The signaling proteins belonging to the control layer determine what kinds of cells are made during development and how they function during adult life. Malfunctions in the proteins belonging to the control layer are responsible for a host of human diseases 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.
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
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.