Cellular Aging and Cell Death / Edition 1

by Nikki J. Holbrook, George R. Martin, Richard A. Lockshin

Overview

Cellular AGING AND CELL DEATH

Edited by Nikki J. Holbrook, George R. Martin, and Richard A.Lockshin

Cellular Aging and Cell Death provides a thorough understanding ofthe mechanisms responsible for cellular aging, covering the recentresearch on programmed cell death and senescence, and describingtheir role in the control of cell proliferation and the agingprocess. This one-of-a-kind book is the first to combine the twohottest research areas of cell biology into one comprehensivetext.

Leading experts contribute to give readers an authoritativeoverview of the distinct fields of cellular aging and programmedcell death, as well as to demonstrate how both fields are criticalto understanding the aging process. They address the large andgrowing interest in apoptosis, especially with regard to themolecular signals that induce and regulate programmed cell death,and the role of apoptosis in a variety of age-associated diseasesand disabilities. Throughout the book, a strong emphasis is placedon the interrelationship of the molecular, cellular, andphysiological aspects of senescence.

Individual chapters discuss such topics as the role and regulationof apoptosis in development, the potential impact of cell death onsuch postmitotic tissues as nerve and muscle, and suggest thatprogrammed cell death plays an important role in both pathologicaland nonpathological aspects of aging, including neurodegenerativediseases.

One important chapter focuses on the most recent research involvingthe study of telomeres, whose reduction in length with age and celldivision may underlie cellular senescence. The subject of neuronalcell death is also put into the perspective of aging.

Cellular Aging and Cell Death bridges the rapidly growing fields ofcellular aging and programmed cell death. This thorough, yetconcise book will be of particular interest to graduate studentsand researchers within the fields of cell and developmentalbiology, neurobiology, immunology, and physiology. Physicians andmedical students involved in the fields of gerontology andpathology will also find this an informative reference.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780471121237
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	12/20/1995
Series:	Modern Cell Biology , #14
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	7.24(w) x 10.24(h) x 0.83(d)

About the Author

Nikki J. Holbrook and George R. Martin are the authors of Cellular Aging and Cell Death, published by Wiley.

Table of Contents

Partial table of contents:

BASIC MECHANISMS OF AGING.

Genetics of Aging and Longevity in Lower Organisms (T. Johnson, etal.).

Mitochondrial DNA Mutations and Aging (E. Schon, et al.).

Protein Damage and Oxidative Stress (T. Tabatabaie & R.Floyd).

MOLECULAR MECHANISMS CONTROLLING CELLULAR SENESCENCE.

Molecular Genetics of In Vitro Cellular Senescence (C. Afshari& J. Barrett).

Mechanisms of Escaping Senescence in Human Diploid Cells (W. Wright& J. Shay).

PROGRAMMED CELL DEATH: MECHANISMS AND ROLE IN DEVELOPMENT, AGINGAND DISEASE.

The Biology of Cell Death and Its Relationship to Aging (R.Lockshin & Z. Zakeri).

Programmed Cell Death During Development of Animals (C. Milligan& L. Schwartz).

Neuronal Loss in Aging and Disease (B. Wolozin, et al.).

Index.

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Zoltan N. Oltvai, MD (Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine)
Description: This book concentrates on the molecular biology of aging and its relation to programmed cell death. The book is divided into three major parts, one dealing with age-related damage to cellular functions, one with the control of cellular proliferation during senescence, and one with the molecular mechanisms of programmed cell death.
Purpose: The purpose is to highlight the role of cell death in aging, which is an important and worthy objective. In general, the book meets the objective.
Audience: Although the authors, who are well-known experts in their respective fields of interest, do not specify which audience they target, it will be of interest to biology students, researchers in the area, and the informed public.
Features: The overall appearance of the book is acceptable, the references are up-to-date and informative. The illustration of the book, although acceptable, is not of the highest quality and lacks artistic concepts.
Assessment: The relationship among senescence, aging, and programmed cell death is an important and a poorly understood area of biology, and the book serves an important function to highlight this. The book tackles its goal by examining how the loss of cells through cell death contributes to the aging of an organism and by summarizing current knowledge of the biology of senescence and programmed cell death. The chapters are generally well written and up-to-date. The shortcoming of this book is the occasional overlap between chapters and the lack of a coherent, specific, and challenging point of view that makes the book scholarly but somewhat dull. The relationship between aging and programmed cell death, the stated aim of the book, is also only discussed in a relatively few chapters. The relationship between increased tumor frequency with aging would have merited a more detailed discussion.

Doody's Review Service

3 Stars from Doody

This book concentrates on the molecular biology of aging and its relation to programmed cell death. The book is divided into three major parts, one dealing with age-related damage to cellular functions, one with the control of cellular proliferation during senescence, and one with the molecular mechanisms of programmed cell death. The purpose is to highlight the role of cell death in aging, which is an important and worthy objective. In general, the book meets the objective. Although the authors, who are well-known experts in their respective fields of interest, do not specify which audience they target, it will be of interest to biology students, researchers in the area, and the informed public. The overall appearance of the book is acceptable, the references are up-to-date and informative. The illustration of the book, although acceptable, is not of the highest quality and lacks artistic concepts. The relationship among senescence, aging, and programmed cell death is an important and a poorly understood area of biology, and the book serves an important function to highlight this. The book tackles its goal by examining how the loss of cells through cell death contributes to the aging of an organism and by summarizing current knowledge of the biology of senescence and programmed cell death. The chapters are generally well written and up-to-date. The shortcoming of this book is the occasional overlap between chapters and the lack of a coherent, specific, and challenging point of view that makes the book scholarly but somewhat dull. The relationship between aging and programmed cell death, the stated aim of the book, is also only discussed in a relatively few chapters. Therelationship between increased tumor frequency with aging would have merited a more detailed discussion.

Zoltan N. Oltvai

Combines the usually separate studies of cellular aging and programmed cell death to show how the processes relate to each other and combine to effect the aging of the total organism. The 17 papers address basic mechanisms responsible for damage and degeneration of cellular and molecular functions, the control of cellular proliferation and the switch to senescence, and the mechanisms and role of programmed cell death in development, aging, and disease. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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