The answers to these questions require knowledge of cell structure at the scale between single molecules and whole cells ( Fig. How does this complex network of stochastic chemical and mechanical machinery enable robust and complex decision making at the cell scale? Others, such as the determination of protrusive activity in a migrating cell, appear to be more variable. In the presence of all this noise, cells execute some processes exceedingly reliably (e.g., DNA segregation in cell division). Moreover, as anyone who has tried to characterize cells is aware, cell phenotypes are variable both across individual cells and within a single cell over time. How do varied physical and chemical signals in the environment determine whether a cell survives, proliferates, or migrates? What circuitry allows for a complex body plan to be constructed out of a single-celled embryo? The signals in the environment are noisy, with fluctuations in both time and space. Bringing together these disciplines has been successful in identifying the molecular composition of macromolecular machines, characterizing the structure and physical properties of single proteins within cells, reconstituting complex macromolecular machinery in vitro, and imaging the dynamics and function of these machines in vivo.ĭespite this amazing progress, a major challenge facing cell biology is understanding how the chemical and physical properties of molecular machinery come together to guide cell processes. This progress has been enabled by advances in molecular biology, biochemistry, physical chemistry, single-molecule physics, and microscopy. Over the past 60 years, the field of cell biology has been firmly rooted in understanding the molecular basis of complex cellular processes including genome replication, migration, metabolism, and adhesion.
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