Molecular Cytology, Volume 2: Cell Interactions deals with the morphology and biochemistry of the cell, with emphasis on the more dynamic aspects of cytology. It looks at gene transfer in somatic cells, nucleocytoplasmic interactions in oocytes and eggs, and cell differentiation, transformation, malignancy, aging, and death. Organized into four chapters, this volume begins with a discussion of nucleocytoplasmic interactions in somatic cells and unicellular organisms. The next chapter examines the experimental interventions at early stages in the egg cytoplasm with reference to Xenopus oocytes, as well as oogenesis, the structure and composition of the cytoplasm and the nucleus, fertilization of sea urchin eggs, and the nuclear determinants of early embryogenic development. Additionally, a chapter explains the mechanisms underlying cell senescence, arrest of cell growth, and cell death; the mechanisms of cell differentiation as the normal outcome of embryonic development; the morphological and biochemical changes that occur in cells when they become senescent; and the metastasis of cancer cells. The book concludes with a chapter that presents a few general ideas about biochemical cytology. This book is a valuable reference for cell biologists, biochemists, cytologists, advanced students, research workers, and laypersons interested in learning the fundamentals of descriptive cytology, biochemistry, embryology, genetics, and molecular biology.
