Author Description

The aim of this handbook is to survey key areas in modern cellular and molecular physiology. The topics covered range from the most fundamental biophysical and biochemical bases of cellular physiology to more concerted cellular biological processes. A more elusive goal of this volume is to provide a framework for future research linking these various processes in whole animal systems.The chapters begin with descriptions of basic membrane processes including membrane structure as it relates to function, the biophysics of membrane transport, and cell volume regulatory mechanisms. The organization and function of the plasma membrane and intracellular organelles involved in membrane trafficking and the biogenesis of cell polarity are then reviewed in depth. Energy generation and transduction subserving cellular function are covered in another series of chapters. The structure and function of the cytoskeleton and its relationship to events regulated by interaction with the extracellular matrix are examined in detail. Chapters on the integrative aspects of cellular physiology including immunobiology, cellular interactions, fertilizaton, and interactions of cells with the extracellular matrix round out this authoritative survey of contemporary cellular physiology. Researchers, instructors, post-doctorate and graduate students will find it a uniquely useful resource.