Means to an End: Apoptosis and Other Cell Death Mechanisms

by Douglas R. Green

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.

Genres: Science

278 pages, Paperback

First published October 29, 2010

Reviews

[Frank Gibbons · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of short books, especially for non fiction. I feel that if the author can't explain it succinctly, then they're not doing a good job of explaining it at all. Perhaps this just reflects my preference for learning in a layered style, starting with a high-level overview, then descending into detail as needed. That's what Green is offering here: A comprehensive overview, in which you can easily read a chapter in a sitting, and come away feeling like you learned something useful. Wish there were more like this!

[#1 Baz lover · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly love this book so far! I believe this book should ONLY be for those who are in this field, or studying it, or interested in it. If you have no idea what EXACTLY a protein is, or protease, or cell cycle, organelles and their parts, then you'll see this book as: 01101110011. If you heard these words before or know them, have the right discipline, are ready to search something up and ask for help, then you might be able to catch a thing or too. I am currently on chapter 7 which is about different caspase activation platforms on apoptosis, and so far, i only had to search up a few things. I have also been reading the book, "Immune", by Phillip Dettmer (halfway through!) and i think ive already made my mind to either becoming a cell death researcher and/or immunologist. I have been writing summaries for each chapter/part of each book and i think it'll help me a lot. To be honest, i partially believe the reason i enjoyed this book is since im a nerdy gal, but i still greatly enjoy other genres, such as YA, horror, mystery, thriller, and of course, scary mystery is one of my TOP faves, but still i somehow REALLY like science and enjoyed this book, even though, DONT JUDGE, im still a grade student. this book also had MANY charts and illustrations, which helped A LOT. it also talks about different pathways of apoptosis, other forms of cell death, and cancer, which is simply a cell that divides uncontrollably due to a mistake in cell division, but dont WORRY, cell death tries to save the day and stop that. Last thing, if u enjoyed this book u will LOVE Immune, more detailed and colored illustrations and WAYYYY more suited to pretty much ANYONE...