The Cell as a Machine (Hardcover)

Part I. Principle of Complex Function in Robust Machines: 1. Robust self-replicating machines shaped by evolution; 2. Complex functions of robust machines with emergent properties; 3. Integrated complex functions with dynamic feedback; 4. Cells exhibit multiple states, each with different functions; 5. Life at low Reynolds number and the mesoscale leads to stochastic phenomena; Part II. Design and Operation of Complex Functions: 6. Engineering lipid bilayers to provide fluid boundaries and mechanical controls; 7. Membrane trafficking ? flow and barriers create asymmetries; 8. Signaling and cell volume control through ion transport and volume regulators; 9. Structuring a cell by cytoskeletal filaments; 10. Moving and maintaining functional assemblies with motors; 11. Microenvironment controls life, death and regeneration; 12. Adjusting cell shape and forces with dynamic filament networks; 13. DNA packaging for information retrieval and propagation; 14. Transcribing the right information and packaging for delivery; 15. Turning RNA into functional proteins and removing unwanted proteins; Part III. Coordination of Complex Functions: 16. How to approach a coordinated function ? cell rigidity sensing and force generation across length scale; 17. Integration of cellular functions for decision making; 18. Moving from omnipotency to death; 19. Cancer versus regeneration ? the wrong versus right response to the microenvironment.