- Email: [email protected]
Cell movement and cell behaviour
Book Reviews a43
is involved in ordered cell migration into aggregates and that it binds to ceils by the Arg-Gly-Asp tripeptide, which it shares with the mammalian adhesion molecule fibronectin. But the function of the carbohydrate-binding site of discoidin I is unclear. Even more enigmatic is the function of the lectin from M. xanthus, discussed by D. R. Zusman et al. As with discoidin I, an endogenous glycoconjugate ligand for MBHA has not been identified. Furthermore, its role in development remains obscure, since structural mutations in the MBHA gene are not correlated with any abnormality, at least when cellular development has been examined under normal laboratory conditions. In my view, the major value of this book lies in its juxtaposition of studies of many microbial lectins, which emphasizes both recurrent basic findings and recurrent unsolved problems. Although the chapters are of uneven quality and there are some annoying technical problems (such as mismatches between figures and legends), this volume will surely help stimulate further work on lectins by both biologists and medical scientists. Interested readers may also want to examine two related books that have appeared recently: Molecular Biology of Seed Storage Proteins and Lectins (eds. L. M. Shannon and M. J. Chrispeels, American Society of Plant Physiologists, Rockville, Maryland, 1986) and The Lectins: Properties, Functions, and Applications in Biology and Medicine (eds. I. E. Liener, N. Sharon, and I. J. Goldstein, Academic Press, Orlando, Florida, 1986). Samuel H. Barondes Department of Psychiatry Langley Porter Psychiatric Institute University of California San Francisco, California 94143
Cell Traffic
Patterns
Cell Movement and Ceil Behaviour. By J. M. Lackie. London: Allen & Unwin. (1986). 316 pp. $45.00.
Cell Movement and Cell Behaviour, by John M. Lackie, is a valuable book. The value lies not so much in the early chapters, which treat the molecular aspects of cell motility, as in the later chapters, which deal with the movements of individual and populations of intact living cells. There is an extensive literature on cell behavior, but it is not well known by molecular cell biologists. Lackie reviews this information with authority, identifying elements of the complex and coordinated events of cell motility that must eventually be explained in molecular terms. One of the books contributions is its excellent review of the observations and experiments that have led to our current understanding of fibroblast locomotion. Another is its description of the factors that determine the paths taken
by cells. These factors include the inherent tendencies of cells to move with a given velocity and persistence, and the chemical and physical features of the environment, which alter these tendencies. Here, Lackie emphasizes the roles of the texture, deformability, and three-dimensional structure of the substrate, covering the molecular nature of the extracellular matrix in a single paragraph. This perspective, although not in vogue, is refreshing. The book is well written. It will be useful in teaching because the style is conversational, encouraging the reader to think actively about the issues of cell motility rather than to absorb facts passively. This is accomplished in part through an analogy of a moving cell to a motorcar. Cars (cells) can have rotary or reciprocating motors, and front-, rear-, or four-wheel drive. And cells, like cars, do not move completely at random but obey certain rules, such as stopping at certain points and avoiding collisions. The analogy is thought-provoking, since it encourages the use of intuition that we derive from our everyday experience; but it can also be misleading if applied too simplistically to the microscale of cells, where the relative importance of different mechanical forces varies dramatically from that on the macroscale. Nevertheless, when used with care, as it is by Lackie, the analogy helps define questions to be addressed and provides a unifying theme for the book. There has been much progress recently in defining the molecules that appear to be involved in cell motility. We now have the technology to inject these molecules into cells and observe their effects: the holistic and molecular approaches to cell motility are being united. This volume illuminates the beginnings of such a unification and provides an excellent review of the work of the holistic tradition. Sally H. Zigmond Department of Biology University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-8018
is involved in ordered cell migration into aggregates and that it binds to ceils by the Arg-Gly-Asp tripeptide, which it shares with the mammalian adhesion molecule fibronectin. But the function of the carbohydrate-binding site of discoidin I is unclear. Even more enigmatic is the function of the lectin from M. xanthus, discussed by D. R. Zusman et al. As with discoidin I, an endogenous glycoconjugate ligand for MBHA has not been identified. Furthermore, its role in development remains obscure, since structural mutations in the MBHA gene are not correlated with any abnormality, at least when cellular development has been examined under normal laboratory conditions. In my view, the major value of this book lies in its juxtaposition of studies of many microbial lectins, which emphasizes both recurrent basic findings and recurrent unsolved problems. Although the chapters are of uneven quality and there are some annoying technical problems (such as mismatches between figures and legends), this volume will surely help stimulate further work on lectins by both biologists and medical scientists. Interested readers may also want to examine two related books that have appeared recently: Molecular Biology of Seed Storage Proteins and Lectins (eds. L. M. Shannon and M. J. Chrispeels, American Society of Plant Physiologists, Rockville, Maryland, 1986) and The Lectins: Properties, Functions, and Applications in Biology and Medicine (eds. I. E. Liener, N. Sharon, and I. J. Goldstein, Academic Press, Orlando, Florida, 1986). Samuel H. Barondes Department of Psychiatry Langley Porter Psychiatric Institute University of California San Francisco, California 94143
Cell Traffic
Patterns
Cell Movement and Ceil Behaviour. By J. M. Lackie. London: Allen & Unwin. (1986). 316 pp. $45.00.
Cell Movement and Cell Behaviour, by John M. Lackie, is a valuable book. The value lies not so much in the early chapters, which treat the molecular aspects of cell motility, as in the later chapters, which deal with the movements of individual and populations of intact living cells. There is an extensive literature on cell behavior, but it is not well known by molecular cell biologists. Lackie reviews this information with authority, identifying elements of the complex and coordinated events of cell motility that must eventually be explained in molecular terms. One of the books contributions is its excellent review of the observations and experiments that have led to our current understanding of fibroblast locomotion. Another is its description of the factors that determine the paths taken
by cells. These factors include the inherent tendencies of cells to move with a given velocity and persistence, and the chemical and physical features of the environment, which alter these tendencies. Here, Lackie emphasizes the roles of the texture, deformability, and three-dimensional structure of the substrate, covering the molecular nature of the extracellular matrix in a single paragraph. This perspective, although not in vogue, is refreshing. The book is well written. It will be useful in teaching because the style is conversational, encouraging the reader to think actively about the issues of cell motility rather than to absorb facts passively. This is accomplished in part through an analogy of a moving cell to a motorcar. Cars (cells) can have rotary or reciprocating motors, and front-, rear-, or four-wheel drive. And cells, like cars, do not move completely at random but obey certain rules, such as stopping at certain points and avoiding collisions. The analogy is thought-provoking, since it encourages the use of intuition that we derive from our everyday experience; but it can also be misleading if applied too simplistically to the microscale of cells, where the relative importance of different mechanical forces varies dramatically from that on the macroscale. Nevertheless, when used with care, as it is by Lackie, the analogy helps define questions to be addressed and provides a unifying theme for the book. There has been much progress recently in defining the molecules that appear to be involved in cell motility. We now have the technology to inject these molecules into cells and observe their effects: the holistic and molecular approaches to cell motility are being united. This volume illuminates the beginnings of such a unification and provides an excellent review of the work of the holistic tradition. Sally H. Zigmond Department of Biology University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-8018