A survey of cell biology /

Table Of Contents:
Contributors vii

Mechanisms of Gradient Detection: A Comparison of Axon Pathfinding with Eukaryotic Cell Migration 1(62)

Anne von Philipsborn

Martin Bastmeyer

Introduction 2(2)

Mechanisms of Gradient Detection in Selected Eukaryotic Cell Types 4(37)

Chemotaxis of Dictyostelium 4(6)

Chemotaxis of mammalian neutrophils 10(4)

Chemotaxis of mammalian fibroblasts 14(5)

Pathfinding of neuronal growth cones 19(22)

Common Grounds and Diversity 41(10)

Signaling pathways 41(6)

Signal amplification 47(2)

Adjustment of sensitivity/adaptation 49(1)

Biological and functional context 50(1)

Concluding Remarks 51(12)

Acknowledgments 52(1)

References 52(11)

Leptin and the Regulation of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis 63(40)

Ludwik K. Malendowicz

Marcin Rucinski

Anna S. Belloni

Agnieszka Ziolkowska

Gastone G. Nussdorfer

Introduction 64(1)

Biology of Leptin and Its Receptors 65(4)

Leptin 65(3)

Leptin receptors 68(1)

Expression of Leptin and Its Receptors in the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis 69(7)

Hypothalamus 69(1)

Anterior pituitary 70(3)

Adrenal gland 73(3)

Effects of Leptin on the Central Branch of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis 76(2)

Hypothalamus and CRH secretion 76(1)

Anterior pituitary and ACTH secretion 77(1)

Effects of Leptin on the Peripheral Branch of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis 78(7)

Adrenal cortex 78(5)

Other steroid-secreting cells 83(1)

Adrenal medulla 84(1)

Involvement of Leptin in the Pathophysiology of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis 85(3)

Response to stresses 85(1)

Pituitary adenomas 86(1)

Adrenocortical tumors and pheochromocytomas 86(1)

Macronodular adrenal hyperplasia 87(1)

Hyperreninemic hypoaldosteronism 87(1)

Concluding Remarks 88(15)

Acknowledgments 89(1)

References 89(14)

Focal Adhesion Kinase and p53 Signaling in Cancer Cells 103(52)

Vita M. Golubovskaya

William G. Cance

Introduction 104(1)

Structure and Function of Focal Adhesion Kinase Protein 105(17)

FAK structure 105(6)

FAK functioning in cells 111(3)

FAK-protein binding partners 114(8)

FAK in Tumorigenesis 122(7)

Overexpression in tumors 122(6)

FAK and stem cells 128(1)

FAK and p53 Association 129(7)

Structure and function of the p53 protein 130(2)

p53 mutations in cancer cells 132(1)

p53 binds the FAK promoter 132(1)

Direct FAK and p53 protein binding 133(1)

Cytoplasmic-nuclear protein shuttling 133(1)

Feedback model of FAK-p53 protein interaction 134(2)

FAK and p53 Targeted Therapy 136(2)

Downregulation of FAK 136(1)

FAK inhibitors 136(1)

Targeting protein-protein interactions 137(1)

p53 therapy 137(1)

Summary 138(17)

Acknowledgments 138(1)

References 138(17)

Cell and Molecular Biology of the Spindle Matrix 155(52)

Kristen M. Johansen

Jørgen Johansen

Introduction 156(1)

Microtubule Spindle Dynamics and Force Production 157(4)

Evidence for a Spindle Matrix 161(27)

Early indications of abundant nonmicrotubule components of the spindle and spindle remnants 163(1)

Chromosome movement after UV microbeam severing of microtubules 164(1)

Molecular identification of a multiprotein spindle matrix complex in Drosophila 165(8)

Spindle length and the spindle matrix 173(1)

Membranes and the spindle matrix 174(1)

Other molecular candidates for an internal spindle matrix structural element 175(9)

Spindle assembly factors (SAFs) and the spindle matrix 184(4)

Concluding Remarks 188(19)

Acknowledgments 190(1)

References 190(17)

Mitochondrial Biology and Disease in Dictyostelium 207(46)

Christian Earth

Phuong Le

Paul R. Fisher

Introduction 208(1)

Mitochondrial Biology 209(14)

Mitochondrial genetics 209(6)

Protein import into mitochondria 215(2)

Mitochondrial morphology and division 217(4)

Mitochondria and programmed cell death in Dictyostelium 221(2)

Mitochondrial Disease 223(19)

Mitochondrial disease in humans 223(2)

Genetic methods for creating mitochondrial disease in Dictyostelium 225(4)

Mitochondrial disease phenotypes and associated signaling pathways 229(6)

Phenotypic thresholds in mitochondrial disease in Dictyostelium 235(1)

Phenotypes associated with mitochondrial defects not known to affect respiration 236(2)

AMPK---the missing link between phenotype and genotype in mitochondrial disease 238(3)

Implications 241(1)

Concluding Remarks 242(11)

References 243(10)

Oxytocin and the Human Prostate in Health and Disease 253(34)

Helen D. Nicholson

Kate Whittington

Introduction 254(1)

The Human Prostate 254(5)

Structure 254(3)

Functions 257(2)

Oxytocin and Oxytocin Receptor 259(5)

Regulation and structure 260(2)

Signaling pathways used by the oxytocin receptor 262(2)

Oxytocin and the Prostate 264(10)

Overview of oxytocin and neurophysin in the male reproductive tract 264(3)

Local production of oxytocin and neurophysin in the prostate 267(3)

Functions of oxytocin in the prostate 270(2)

Oxytocin and prostate disease 272(2)

Possible Roles of Oxytocin in the Pathophysiology of Prostate Disease 274(4)

Benign prostatic hyperplasia 275(1)

Carcinoma of the prostate 275(1)

Problems with animal models of human prostate disease 276(1)

Possible therapeutic roles for oxytocin 277(1)

Concluding Remarks 278(9)

References 278(9)
Index 287