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Cell Structure, Function, and Genetics

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Surgery

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Abstract

Life arose on Earth about 3.5 billion years ago from the spontaneous assembly of small organic molecules. Over millions of years, these simple molecules acquired the ability to interact and ultimately developed mechanisms of self-replication. These mechanisms became more elaborate as evolutionary forces brought their influence to bear. The first true “cells” arose when DNA, RNA, and proteins became contained within a boundary, the plasma membrane. These first unicellular organisms acquired the ability to interact. Multicellularity endowed these early organisms with the ability to organize into ever more complicated structures, ultimately giving rise to the explosion in biodiversity we see today. Cells, proteins, and genes are so interconnected that it would be impossible to consider only one level of organization. Thus, we begin our chapter with a discussion of the evolution of cell structure. We then consider the structure-function relationships between nucleic acids and proteins. We next describe cellular processes fundamental to cell survival, including gene regulation and cell proliferation. We also explore the process of cell death. We end our chapter by discussing multicellularity and cell communication.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Clinical Academic Building, New Brunswick, NJ, USA

    Siobhan A. Corbett MD (Associate Professor) & Ramsey A. Foty PhD (Assistant Professor)

Authors
  1. Siobhan A. Corbett MD
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  2. Ramsey A. Foty PhD
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, CA, USA

    Jeffrey A. Norton MD, FACS (Robert L. and Mary Ellenburg Professor, Chief) (Robert L. and Mary Ellenburg Professor, Chief)

  2. Divisions of Surgical Oncology and General Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, CA, USA

    Jeffrey A. Norton MD, FACS (Robert L. and Mary Ellenburg Professor, Chief) (Robert L. and Mary Ellenburg Professor, Chief)

  3. Departments of Surgery and Public Health, New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA

    Philip S. Barie MD, MBA, FCCM, FACS (Professor, Chief) (Professor, Chief)

  4. Division of Critical Care and Trauma, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA

    Philip S. Barie MD, MBA, FCCM, FACS (Professor, Chief) (Professor, Chief)

  5. Departments of Surgery and Immunology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA

    R. Randal Bollinger MD, PhD, FACS (Professor) (Professor)

  6. Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, University of Michigan, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Alfred E. Chang MD, FACS (Chief, Hugh Cabot Professor of Surgery) (Chief, Hugh Cabot Professor of Surgery)

  7. Department of Surgery, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA

    Stephen F. Lowry MD, MBA, FACS (Professor and Chairman) (Professor and Chairman)

  8. Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ, USA

    Stephen F. Lowry MD, MBA, FACS (Professor and Chairman) (Professor and Chairman)

  9. Department of Surgery, The University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA

    Sean J. Mulvihill MD, FACS (Professor and Chair, Senior Director of Clinical Affairs) (Professor and Chair, Senior Director of Clinical Affairs)

  10. Huntsman Cancer Institute, The University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA

    Sean J. Mulvihill MD, FACS (Professor and Chair, Senior Director of Clinical Affairs) (Professor and Chair, Senior Director of Clinical Affairs)

  11. Departments of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Surgery, New York University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA

    Harvey I. Pass MD, FACS (Professor) (Professor)

  12. Radiology, and Cell Biology and Physiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA

    Robert W. Thompson MD, FACS (Professor of Surgery (Section of Vascular Surgery), Vice-Chairman for Research) (Professor of Surgery (Section of Vascular Surgery), Vice-Chairman for Research)

  13. Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA

    Robert W. Thompson MD, FACS (Professor of Surgery (Section of Vascular Surgery), Vice-Chairman for Research) (Professor of Surgery (Section of Vascular Surgery), Vice-Chairman for Research)

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Corbett, S.A., Foty, R.A. (2008). Cell Structure, Function, and Genetics. In: Norton, J.A., et al. Surgery. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-68113-9_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-68113-9_3

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-387-30800-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-387-68113-9

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