image: The cover of "Cell Biology of Bacteria" shows segmented features from an ECT reconstruction of an H. neapolitanus cell. The features highlight the complex organization of this bacterial cell. (Courtesy of Cristina V. Iancu, Dylan M. Morris, H. Jane Ding, and Grant J. Jensen.) view more
Credit: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press
COLD SPRING HARBOR, N.Y. (Nov. 24, 2010) -- The bacterial cell is often thought of as a "bag of enzymes"—a single compartment with limited internal structure, a primitive cell cycle, and relatively simple metabolism. However, as summarized in a new book, Cell Biology of Bacteria, advanced technologies have recently revealed how bacterial cells possess distinct intracellular compartments that help orchestrate complex biochemical processes.
"As we now know, and despite its small size, the bacterial cell has an intricate and dynamic three-dimensional organization that is inseparable from its biology," write the editors, Lucy Shapiro and Richard Losick, in the Preface of the book. "It is this revolution in our understanding of the bacterial cell that is the subject of this volume."
Cell Biology of Bacteria covers all aspects of current research in bacterial cell biology. The first few chapters relate how the nucleoid behaves during cell division, how the cytoskeletal filaments—reminiscent of those in eukaryotes—guide cell growth and chromosome movement, how organelles and molecular machines carry out specialized tasks, and how specific proteins are localized within the cell.
The next series of chapters covers the specialized roles of individual bacterial cells in larger, multicellular communities such as biofilms, and the communication mechanisms used among those cells. Finally, the last few chapters discuss advanced imaging methods that, in conjunction with whole-genome sequences and bioinformatics tools, are currently being used to provide an even deeper understanding of prokaryote biology.
All chapters in Cell Biology of Bacteria were written by one or more senior figures in their respective fields. The book was just released by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press and will be essential reading for all engaged and interested in bacterial cell biology.
About the book: Cell Biology of Bacteria was edited by Lucy Shapiro (Stanford University) and Richard M. Losick (Harvard University). It is published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press (ISBN 978-0-879699-07-9; © 2011) and is available in hardcover (264 pp., 7" × 10"). For more information, see http://www.cshlpress.com/link/cellbiobac.htm.
About Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press is an internationally renowned publisher of books, journals, and electronic media, located on Long Island, New York. Since 1933, it has furthered the advance and spread of scientific knowledge in all areas of genetics and molecular biology, including cancer biology, plant science, bioinformatics, and neurobiology. It is a division of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, an innovator in life science research and the education of scientists, students, and the public. For more information, visit www.cshlpress.com.