FOREWORD ........................................................ 7
PREFACE ......................................................... 9
CHAPTER 1. ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF THE CELL .................... 11
1.1. The Cell-Life Link ........................................ 11
1.2. Origin of Life. Early Ideas ............................... 12
1.3. Formation of Scientific Concepts on the Origin of Life .... 16
1.4. Attempts for Abiogenic Synthesis of Organic Compounds ..... 26
1.5. The "Panspermia" Hypothesis ............................... 29
1.6. Evolution of the Cell ..................................... 31
Pre-Cell Evolution ........................................ 31
Can Proteins Self-Reproduce? .............................. 33
Is the Genetic Code Universal and Invariable? ............. 37
Metabolism ................................................ 39
1.7. Tracing Life on the Earth ................................. 47
1.8. Is There Life in the Universe? ............................ 52
CHAPTER 2. THE CELL — BASIC STRUCTURAL AND FUNCTIONAL
BIOLOGICAL SYSTEM ................................... 59
2.1. Discovery of the Cell and First Notions of Its Essence
and Structure ............................................. 59
2.2. Cell Theory ............................................... 64
2.3. Later Concepts on the Structural Organization of the
Cell. Discovery of Some Its Organelles .................... 65
2.4. Discovery of the Discrete Factors of Heredity. The
Experiments of Gregor Mendel .............................. 67
Monohybrid Crossing ....................................... 68
Dihybrid Crossing ......................................... 69
Intermediary Inheritance of the Features .................. 71
Polyhybrid Crossing ....................................... 71
2.5. Discovery of Nuclein and Elucidation of the Biological
Role of Nucleic Acids ..................................... 72
2.6. Chromosome Theory of Heredity and Organization of
the Genome ................................................ 81
2.7. Modern Concepts About the Structure, Functions and
Reproduction of the Cells ................................. 98
Proteins .................................................. 98
Nucleic Acids ............................................ 107
The Watson—Crick Model ................................... 109
Some Deviations from the Watson—Crick Model .............. 116
Carbohydrates ............................................ 120
2.8. Structural Organization of the Cells and Cell
Organelles ............................................... 125
Cell Wall and Cell Membrane .............................. 126
Nucleus .................................................. 130
Cell Centre .............................................. 133
Endoplasmic Reticulum .................................... 134
Golgi Apparatus (Complex) ................................ 135
Mitochondria ............................................. 137
Chloroplasts ............................................. 139
Ribosomes ................................................ 142
Cytoskeleton ............................................. 145
2.9. Mutation Changes — Basic Mechanism for Augmentation of
the Gene Fund and Diversity of Living Organisms .......... 147
Prerequisites for Generation of the Idea of Mutation
Changes .................................................. 147
Mutation Theory .......................................... 148
Classification of the Mutations .......................... 149
Molecular Bases and Mechanisms of the Mutation Changes ... 152
Reparation Processes ..................................... 161
2.10.Endosymbiotic Organization of the Eukaryotic Cells ....... 163
2.11.Are the Viruses Cells? ................................... 167
CHAPTER 3. CELL DIVISION ...................................... 175
3.1. Biological Essence and Importance of the Cell Division ... 175
3.2. Discovery and Insight in the Essence of the Cell
Division ................................................. 175
3.3. The Nucleus or the Nuclear Equivalent (Nucleoid) -
Obligatory and Irreplaceable Organelle of Each Cell ...... 179
3.4. Modes and Types of Cell Division ......................... 183
3.5. Causes for Starting or Stopping of the Cell Division ..... 205
3.6. Biological Aging and Neoplasms ........................... 207
Biological aging ......................................... 207
Neoplasms ................................................ 210
CHAPTER 4. FROM SINGLE CELLS TO MULTICELLULAR ORGANISMS.
CLONING ............................................ 213
CONCLUSION .................................................... 222
Appendix 1 .................................................... 224
Appendix 2 .................................................... 236
REFERENCES .................................................... 239
AUTHOR INDEX .................................................. 270
|
