The cell cycle: an introduction

Abstract

In the last decade there has been a revolution in our comprehension of how cells grow and divide. Results from experiments on yeast, embryos, and cultured mammalian cells have unified seemingly disparate viewpoints into a single set of principles for normal cellular reproduction in plants, animals and bacteria. Written by two leading participants in that revolution, The Cell Cycle provides the first thorough, authoritative account of the new philosophy of normal cellular reproduction and how it emerged. It is a vivid portrayal of the molecular logic of the cell: how the cell engine induces DNA replication and chromosome replication; how the integrity of genetic information is preserved; and how cell size and environmental signals regulate the cycle of growth and division. By describing important breakthroughs in their historical and experimental context, The Cell Cycle traces the development of the new vision of cell biology and shows its relevance to other areas of modern biology. It is the ideal introduction to the current understanding of cell growth and division for advanced undergraduate and graduate level cell biology courses.