Mechanics of Motor Proteins & the Cytoskeleton [Hardcover]

Jonathon Howard (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0878933344 | ISBN-13: 978-0878933341 | Publication Date: January 2001

This text is for biology, biochemistry and chemistry students who want to learn about the principles of protein mechanics and how it applies to the morphology and motility of cells. Understanding how motors and the cytoskeleton operate requires mechanical concepts such as force, elasticity and damping. Introductory physics textbooks address these concepts, yet they are concerned primarily with macroscopic systems, whose motions are qualitatively different from the highly damped, diffusive motion of individual molecules; this book provides a physical foundation for molecular mechanics. Part I explains how small particles like proteins respond to mechanical, thermal, and chemical forces, Part II focuses on cytoskeletal filaments, and Part III focuses on motor proteins. The treatments are unified in the respect that they are organized around principles rather than proteins: chapters are centered on topics such as structure, chemistry, and mechanics, and different filaments or motors are discussed together.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The cytoskeleton is an area of intense research and we are in danger of drowning in a sea of facts. What should we try to teach our students about it? . . . a textbook is needed which starts from first principles and leads to an understanding of the dynamics of the system. And here is that book." --Edwin Taylor, Nature

"The book is a great launching point for gaining a biophysical understanding of the current detailed literature of motility which is increasingly filled with mathematical models describing motility data. As such, it will benefit students of a wide range of biological and physical backgrounds who are interested in understanding the nuts-and-bolts of cellular motility." --Stephen J. King, Cell --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

JONATHON HOWARD is Professor of Physiology and Biophysics at the University of Washington in Seattle.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 367 pages
• Publisher: Sinauer Associates (January 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0878933344
• ISBN-13: 978-0878933341
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,124,663 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bridging the gap from physics to cell biology, February 19, 2002

By 

Edmund Paley "Lutheran Biochemist" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mechanics of Motor Proteins & the Cytoskeleton (Hardcover)

I wish there was a way to give a book more than five stars, because if there was, this book would get them! One of the most important trends in cell biology in recent years is the study of mechanics at a single molecule level. Since most of the really interesting processes in cell biology, such as division and motility, ultimately are carried out by molecules that convert energy into motion, the question of how these molecules actually move has very broad implications and impinged on everyone. However, in order to understand this, one has to understand some basic physics which of course involves some math. The biologist who is interested in this subject thus has two, and only two options. one is to bury one's head in the sand and say its just too hard to understand, and the other is to read Joe Howard's book. Although the mathematical content is readily apparent, only the basics are needed to get started. The author has thoughtfully compiled detailed derivations at the end in an appendix, so that one can see the details without becoming enmired in them on first reading. Considering the potential difficulties of taking a "hard science" approach to cell biology, the book is remarkably easy to read, which is a tribute to the thought the author has put into presenting the subject in the most logical possible way.
In addition to being an excellent entry point for biologists into this subject, this book would also be an excellent resource for engineers who become interested in cell biology (like myself) because it presents many of the current research frontiers in cell biology from an essentially engineering perspective and using quantitative reasoning. Again, the author has taken great pains to present the subject in a logical way that does not require much prior knowledge about biology on the part of the reader. Thus, either for biologists who want to learn about the quantitative/physical approach to cell biology, and for engineers or physicists who want to learn how they can apply their type of thinking to problems of cell biology, this book is highly recommended.