The Cell Revised Edition The Cell Nature’s First Life-form Revised Edition Joseph PANNO, Ph.D THE CELL: Nature’s First Life-form, Revised Edition Copyright © 2010, 2005 by Joseph Panno, Ph.D All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher For information contact: Facts On File, Inc An imprint of Infobase Publishing 132 West 31st Street New York NY 10001 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Panno, Joseph The cell : nature’s first life-form / Joseph Panno — Rev ed p cm — (New biology) Includes bibliographical references and index ISBN 978-0-8160-6849-4 (hardcover) ISBN 978-1-4381-3316-4 (e-book) Cells—Popular works Cells—Evolution—Popular works I Title QH582.4.P36 2010 571.6—dc22 2009040063 Facts On File books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk quantities for businesses, associations, institutions, or sales promotions Please call our Special Sales Department in New York at (212) 967-8800 or (800) 322-8755 You can find Facts On File on the World Wide Web at http://www.factsonfile.com Excerpts included herewith have been reprinted by permission of the copyright holders; the author has made every effort to contact copyright holders The publishers will be glad to rectify, in future editions, any errors or omissions brought to their notice Text design by Erik Lindstrom Composition by Hermitage Publishing Services Illustrations by the author Photo research by Diane K French Cover printed by Bang Printing, Brainerd, Minn Book printed and bound by Bang Printing, Brainerd, Minn Date printed: August 2010 Printed in the United States of America 10 This book is printed on acid-free paper Contents Preface Acknowledgments Introduction ix xiii xiv 1 The Origin of Life The Big Bang The Importance of Violent Storms Essential Molecules Formed Spontaneously Life Began in an RNA World Ocean Waves Helped Create the First Cells The Classification of Cells Life on Other Planets 15 16 20 22 2 Prokaryotes: Laying the Foundations Overview The Quest for Power Cells Are Self-Sufficient A New Genetic Order Bacterial Populations 26 26 32 39 40 46 3 Eukaryotes: Dawn of a New Era Overview The Nucleus Protein Synthesis 52 53 60 63 Designing a Molecular Forest Symbiosis and the Quest for Power Recycling and Defense The Cellular Railway Summary 4 ↜The Cell Cycle DNA Replication Binary Fission Mitosis Meiosis 67 72 74 75 76 78 81 87 87 90 5 ↜Genes The Human Genome Project The Future of Genomic Research Turning Genes On and Off Gene Silencing Gene Monitors and Repair Crews Mobile Genetic Elements 95 96 105 106 111 112 115 6 ↜From Cells to Bodies The Road to Multicellular Organisms Cell Junctions The Extracellular Matrix Cell Communication 118 118 124 127 127 7 ↜Cells in the Human Body Embryonic Development Epithelium Connective Tissue Muscle 133 135 136 143 154 8 ↜Neurons: Pushing Back the Night Neural Anatomy Signal Transduction 162 163 165 The Synaptic Junction Myelination Neurotransmitters Neural Circuits Vision Summary 171 171 173 176 179 183 9 ↜Plants The Plant Cell Unicellular Plants The Seaweeds Terrestrial Plants Plant Communities 184 185 189 194 196 199 10 ↜Resource Center Light Microscopy Electron Microscopy Histology and Histochemistry Biotechnology Gene and Protein Nomenclature Weights and Measures 200 200 207 209 211 231 232 Glossary Further Resources Index 234 263 273 Preface W hen the first edition of this set was being written, the new biology was just beginning to come into its potential and to experience some of its first failures Dolly the sheep was alive and well and had just celebrated her fifth birthday Stem cell researchers, working 12-hour days, were giddy with the prospect of curing every disease known to humankind, but were frustrated by inconsistent results and the limited availability of human embryonic stem cells Gene therapists, still reeling from the disastrous Gelsinger trial of 1998, were busy trying to figure out what had gone wrong and how to improve the safety of a procedure that many believed would revolutionize medical science And cancer researchers, while experiencing many successes, hit their own speed bump when a major survey showed only modest improvements in the prognosis for all of the deadliest cancers ix ... synthesis, the glycocalyx, intercellular traffic, and cell- to -cell communication (or cell signaling) A cell s ability to communicate with other cells was essential for the development of multicellular... to Bodies The Road to Multicellular Organisms Cell Junctions The Extracellular Matrix Cell Communication 118 118 124 127 127 7 ↜Cells in the Human Body Embryonic Development Epithelium Connective.. .The Cell Revised Edition The Cell Nature’s First Life-form Revised Edition Joseph PANNO, Ph.D THE CELL: Nature’s First Life-form, Revised Edition Copyright © 2010, 2005 by Joseph Panno,