Essential Cell Biology, Third Edition

Abstract

Alberts, B., Bray, D., Hopkin, K., Johnson, A., Lewis, L., Raff, M., Roberts, K., and Walter, P., Garland Science, New York, NY, 2010, 860 pp., ICBN 978-0-8153-4129-1, $135. Akif Uzman*, * Department of Natural Sciences, University of Houston-Downtown, Houston, TX 77002. It has been 6 years since the previous edition of Essential Cell Biology (ECB), which I reviewed here (BAMBED, 2004, Vol. 32, No. 4, pp. 282–288). The third edition of ECB is largely an update of the previous edition. As discussed in my review of the second edition of ECB, this is an excellent text for sophomore, junior, and, in some cases, senior level courses in cell biology. Superficially, ECB is reminiscent of the larger text by Bruce Alberts et al., Molecular Biology of the Cell (MBoC), also reviewed here (BAMBED, 2008, Vol. 36, No. 4, pp. 316–321); however, the authors of ECB have done a good job keeping this text unique in its presentation. The size and level of detail of ECB is similar to that seen in other cell biology texts of its physical size (e.g., Cell and Molecular Biology by Karp; The World of the Cell by Becker, Kleinsmith, and Hardin; or The Cell by Cooper). The general layout of the third edition of ECB is unchanged and is similar to MBoC, incorporating a couple of nice features from MBoC: “Panels” in which key concepts are elaborated (several identical to those found in MBoC) and many of the same figures. ECB retains some of its unique features from the previous edition as well. In particular, the margins of the text still prompt students to apply their knowledge or think more deeply about what they have been reading; the answers to these questions can be found in the backside of the book. In addition, every chapter contains a section called “How We Know,” which discusses how key knowledge has been obtained through experiment. While the authors choose rather interesting experiments for the “How We Know” sections, they are highly descriptive and devoid of analytical content; instead, the authors focus on either the technology or basic strategy of the experiments. In recognition of this omission, the authors refer students in their “Preface” to Hunt and Wilson's MBoC: The Problems Book for explorations in the analysis of real experimental data. Hunt and Wilson's book has also been recently updated, though it is not the subject of this review. I should note that it is still one of the richest books for teaching students analytical thinking in cell and molecular biology. The end of each chapter contains a set of questions that focus the student on key ideas of the chapter (the answers of which are also in the appendix at the backside of the text). I continue to maintain that the textbooks that provide all the answers presented to students foster dependence and do not force the student to find the answer more creatively. However, as an author of a “problems book,” I have lost the battle to withhold a complete set of answers with my own editors and publishers; so the fact that all the answers are available in ECB is probably a reflection of publication policy rather than a pedagogic issue. Twenty chapters divide the text into the traditional topics of cell biology, which include (1) four chapters devoted to introductory chemistry and biochemistry; (2) six chapters cover the “Central Dogma” and the cell biology of meiosis and mitosis; (3) five chapters cover membranes, secretion, organelles, and energy capture; (4) one chapter covers the cell cycle and cell division; and (5) four chapters covering the cytoskeleton, cell communication, and “Tissues and Cancer.” The last chapter, Tissues and Cancer, is an excellent chapter providing a nice synthesis of the previous 19 chapters for students, as they are introduced in cancer biology. Chapters 9 “How Genes and Genomes Evolve” and 10 “Manipulating Genes and Cells” still do not appear to be well integrated into the flow of the other chapters. As I stated in my previous review, connections to the issues in cell biology do not emerge in Chapter 9. The DNA technologies most relevant to cell biology (reporter gene constructs and yeast two-hybrid methods) are not presented in Chapter 10. Proteomics is not well developed either in Chapter 4, “Protein Structure and Function,” or in Chapter 9, which surprised me. A couple of confusions in the text remain from the previous edition. The authors continue to present hydrophobic interactions as a fourth weak molecular force, which is an oversimplification that ignores the significance of entropy in molecular organization. Figure 12.2 still lists water as a molecule that easily penetrates synthetic lipid bilayers, which is also an oversimplification. Chapter 16, “Cell Communication,” still lacks a coherent theme such that it reads like a compendium of pathways with little attention paid to how these pathways participate in the cell's ability to interpret and respond to its surroundings. Insulin receptor signaling still gets no attention, which is unfortunate, as the authors miss a wonderful opportunity to integrate numerous ideas in cell communication, including the importance of this signaling pathway in human health. ECB includes a DVD for the student that contains excellent videos and quizzes. The website for the text contains useful supplements including the Classwire course management system and a test bank. The “Panel” sections are available on the DVD as pdf files; I hope that the authors might consider converting the information and images in “Panels” to image files or into PowerPoint content in future editions as these are excellent for classroom discussion. Despite my criticisms, ECB is a solid cell biology text with solid writing, excellent figures, self-assessment and introspection integrated with the reading, and a nice collection of animations and videos on its DVD. If you are a fan of MBoC but need something a bit more digestible for students, ECB is a satisfying alternative.