Karp's Cell and Molecular Biology

Citation

Karp, G., Iwasa, J., & Marshall, W. (2020). Karp's Cell and Molecular Biology (9th ed.). Wiley.

Chapter Summary

The ninth edition has 18 chapters in about 944 pages. Alongside the core text, the contents list three kinds of recurring feature. "Human Perspective" boxes tie a topic to disease, "Experimental Pathways" retrace how a finding was established, and, new in this edition, a "Green Cells" section (plant cell biology) and an "Engineering Linkage" section (bioengineering) appear in each of Chapters 1 to 17. The publisher presents these two new sections, each with its own assessment, as the main additions of the edition.

Chapters 1–2: Introduction to the Study of Cell and Molecular Biology; The Chemical Basis of Life

Chapter 1 moves from the discovery of cells and their basic properties to the two fundamental classes of cells (prokaryotic and eukaryotic), then viruses and viroids. Chapter 2 covers covalent and noncovalent bonds, acids, bases and buffers, and the four types of biological molecules (carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids). The section on the four types of biological molecules runs from page 53 to page 95, most of the chapter, and covers protein structure and folding before the chapter closes with the formation of complex macromolecular structures.

Chapter 3: Bioenergetics, Enzymes, and Metabolism

Thermodynamics and bioenergetics come first, then enzymes as biological catalysts, including the mechanism of catalysis, and finally an overview of metabolism and how it is regulated.

Chapter 4: The Structure and Function of the Plasma Membrane

The chapter treats the chemical composition of membranes, membrane proteins and lipids, fluidity and the dynamic nature of the membrane, the movement of substances across membranes, and membrane potentials and nerve impulses.

Chapters 5–6: Aerobic Respiration and the Mitochondrion; Photosynthesis and the Chloroplast

The two energy-conversion chapters are parallel in layout. Chapter 5 covers mitochondrial structure, aerobic metabolism, the proton-motive force and the machinery of ATP formation, with a section on peroxisomes. Chapter 6 covers the origin of photosynthesis, chloroplast structure, light absorption, reaction centers, photophosphorylation and carbon dioxide fixation.

Chapter 7: Interactions Between Cells and Their Environment

Extracellular materials, cell-cell adhesion, tight junctions, intercellular communication and cell walls, so the cell is considered as part of a tissue.

Chapter 8: Cytoplasmic Membrane Systems: Structure, Function, and Membrane Trafficking

An overview and experimental approaches to the endomembrane system, then the endoplasmic reticulum, the Golgi complex, vesicle transport, lysosomes and the endocytic pathway. The chapter ends with the posttranslational uptake of proteins by peroxisomes, mitochondria and chloroplasts.

Chapter 9: The Cytoskeleton and Cell Motility

Microtubules, motor proteins, microtubule-organizing centers, cilia and flagella, intermediate filaments, actin and myosin, muscle contraction, actin-binding proteins, cellular motility and the bacterial cytoskeleton.

Chapters 10–11: The Nature of the Gene and the Genome; The Central Dogma: DNA to RNA to Protein

The molecular genetics begins here. Chapter 10 traces the concept of the gene from chromosomes as carriers of genetic information to its chemical nature, then genome complexity, stability and sequencing. Chapter 11 covers transcription in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, the processing of ribosomal, transfer and messenger RNAs, small regulatory RNAs, CRISPR and other noncoding RNAs, and the genetic code and translation.

Chapters 12–13: Control of Gene Expression; DNA Replication and Repair

Chapter 12 covers control in bacteria, the nuclear envelope, chromosomes and chromatin, the organized nucleus, and transcriptional, RNA-processing, translational and posttranslational control. Chapter 13 covers replication in bacterial, viral and eukaryotic cells, DNA polymerases and DNA repair.

Chapters 14–15: Cell Division; Cell Signaling and Signal Transduction

Chapter 14 treats the cell cycle, mitosis and cytokinesis, and meiosis. Chapter 15 covers the elements of signaling systems, G protein-coupled receptors and second messengers, protein-tyrosine phosphorylation, calcium and nitric oxide as messengers, cross-talk among pathways and apoptosis.

Chapters 16–17: Cancer; The Immune Response

Chapter 16 covers the properties and causes of cancer, cancer as a genetic disorder and strategies for combating it. Chapter 17 covers the clonal selection theory, B and T lymphocytes, selected topics on the cellular and molecular basis of immunity and signaling in lymphocyte activation.

Chapter 18: Techniques in Cell and Molecular Biology

A methods chapter at the end of the book: light, electron and atomic force microscopy, radioisotopes, cell culture, centrifugation, protein and nucleic acid fractionation, hybridization, recombinant DNA, PCR, DNA sequencing, libraries, gene transfer, gene editing and silencing, and the use of antibodies.

Key Concepts

Chapters 1–9: Cells, Energy, Membranes and the Cytoskeleton

• Prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells: the two fundamental classes of cells compared in Chapter 1.
• Proton-motive force: the gradient used in Chapter 5 to explain how the machinery of ATP formation operates.
• Endomembrane system: the membrane compartments and vesicle transport that Chapter 8 treats as one connected system.
• Motor proteins: the kinesins and dyneins of Chapter 9 and the myosin of muscle contraction.

Chapters 10–15: Genes, Gene Expression and Signaling

• Central dogma: the flow from DNA to RNA to protein, the organizing idea of Chapter 11.
• Chromatin: the structure of chromosomes and its role in the control of gene expression in Chapter 12.
• Signal transduction: the receptors, second messengers and protein phosphorylation of Chapter 15.
• Apoptosis: programmed cell death, which closes Chapter 15.

Chapters 16–18: Cancer, Immunity and Methods

• Cancer as a genetic disorder: Section 16.3, preceded by a section on the causes of cancer.
• Clonal selection theory: the theory that Section 17.3 applies to B cells.
• Recombinant DNA technology and PCR: the core molecular techniques of Chapter 18.

Critical Analysis

Strengths

• A stated experimental emphasis. The publisher describes the book as built to help students connect key concepts with experimentation, so they understand how we know what we know. This is visible in the table of contents: thirteen "Experimental Pathways" features are listed, among them the origin of eukaryotic cells, the chemical nature of the gene, the role of RNA as a catalyst, the discovery and characterization of MPF, and the discovery of oncogenes.
• Mid-length with flexible extras. The publisher positions the book as mid-length and written in an inviting style, and describes the feature sections as a la carte options for instructors who want to emphasize particular sub-disciplines. A reader can follow the core text and treat the boxes as optional.
• Breadth across the standard course. One text covers the cell's chemistry, bioenergetics, membranes, trafficking, cytoskeleton, gene expression, signaling, cancer and immunity, with a dedicated techniques chapter at the end.

Limitations

• Much of the new material is optional by design. The Green Cells and Engineering Linkage sections are new in this edition, appear in Chapters 1 to 17, and by their listed page ranges typically occupy a page or two each. A course that does not cover plant biology or bioengineering will skip them, so they should not be counted as core reading.
• Techniques are collected at the end. Chapter 18 gathers methods in one place (microscopy through gene editing and antibodies), after the topics that rely on them. A reader who meets an unfamiliar method in an earlier chapter may need to look ahead to Chapter 18.
• Breadth means selection. Eighteen chapters spanning chemistry, energy conversion, membranes, the cytoskeleton, gene expression, signaling, cancer and immunity are more than most single courses use in full, so an instructor or reader has to choose which chapters to treat as core.

Where It Fits in the Course

Karp is a main text for the standard second-year cell biology course. Among the other books in this course, Becker's World of the Cell is the closest alternative: both are single-volume undergraduate texts. Karp gives each topic more room for the history of experiments and treats gene expression, cell division, cancer and the immune response in separate chapters. Becker has 26 chapters, with separate chapters on glycolysis and fermentation, on aerobic respiration and on photosynthesis, and chapters on neuronal signaling, with no chapter on immunity in its table of contents.

Essential Cell Biology is written for a first course and is a gentler start for students new to the subject. Molecular Biology of the Cell is the more comprehensive treatment to consult for detail beyond Karp, and Pollard's Cell Biology is written by researchers who place molecular structure and biophysical mechanism at the centre of explanation, which suits readers who want the physical side of the subject. The Cell: A Very Short Introduction is a non-technical overview that can be read first.

How to Use This Book

The book suits second-year students in biology, biochemistry and biomedical programmes who have introductory biology and general chemistry, and are taking a core cell biology course. It also helps students who will meet the primary literature soon, because the Experimental Pathways features show how conclusions were reached.

A practical plan: read Chapters 1–3 quickly if the chemistry is familiar, then take Chapters 4–9 in order as the structural core (membranes, mitochondria, chloroplasts, the extracellular environment, trafficking and the cytoskeleton). Chapters 10–13 form a self-contained block on genes and gene expression that pairs with a genetics or molecular biology course. Chapters 14–17 (cell division, signaling, cancer and immunity) can be reordered to match a syllabus. Use Chapter 18 as a reference whenever a method appears in the earlier chapters.

For selecting extras, the Experimental Pathways boxes are the most useful for a course that stresses experiments; the Human Perspective boxes suit pre-medical readers; Green Cells and Engineering Linkage are worth reading when the course covers plant biology or bioengineering. The publisher says that each chapter's Green Cells and Engineering Linkage sections come with their own assessment, which is worth checking if the course uses the online materials.