MBoC5: the Revolver edition

It has been 25 years since the first edition of Molecular Biology of the Cell (MBoC) was published, which means that roughly half of today's practicing scientists do not remember life without this cell biology `bible'. The other half might recall how the book almost instantly filled a void with refreshingly clear and engaging writing illustrated with extensive diagrams and figures. The first MBoC provided much-needed ready access to basic background information on molecular biology and detailed explanations of current knowledge in cell biology at a time when personal computers were still new and a literature search meant days in the library rather than seconds at PubMed. MBoC has only improved over its several editions, growing with the rapid advances in the field to become an essential resource for students at all levels and a trusted first stop for researchers transitioning into unfamiliar areas of cell biology.FIG1,FIG2 

So what is new in the fifth rotation of MBoC? Is it worth spending a small fortune to purchase if you already own the fourth (Sgt. Pepper's) or even third (Abbey Road) editions? An enduring strength of the book is that it remains a comprehensive textbook. The overall organization is the same, from the molecules of biology and biochemistry to the organization of genetic information and gene expression, progressing to the cytoplasm and the complexities of compartments and traffic between them, and finally to the interactions between cells during development, in tissues, and in defense mechanisms. There are 25 chapters, which are divided into five parts: an Introduction to the Cell, Basic Genetic Mechanisms, Methods, the Internal Organization of the Cell, and Cells in their Social Context. The first part is an outstanding guide to the fundamentals of molecular biology, genetics and biochemistry, and the Methods section is both a reminder that the information in the book is derived from experiments, and a practical resource for those new to the lab. Each of the chapters in parts 1 to 4 has been updated extensively, much of it reflecting the explosion of information from genome sequencing and the elucidation of epigenetic regulation of gene expression. The expanded section on genome evolution has been moved towards the front of the book, into chapter 4 - DNA, Chromosomes, and Genomes - emphasizing the profound and pervasive impact of comparative genomics on our ability to decipher cellular mechanisms. New sections on the paradigm-shifting small non-coding RNAs have been added, although they barely keep up with this rapidly advancing field. For example, the newly discovered piRNAs did not make it into this edition.

Quantitative analysis of chapter length (made easier by the inclusion, at last, of page numbers for the chapter subsections) reveals that the most extensive additions to MBoC5 are in the fifth and final part of the book:Cells in their Social Context. This reflects the newest frontier in cell biology - the advances being made in our understanding of how cells communicate in tissues and organisms, the contributions of stem cells to tissue maintenance, and the orchestration of cell proliferation, dynamic cell movements and differentiation decisions made during plant and animal development. No less impressive is the progress in understanding defense mechanisms carried out by the immune systems and the many ways perturbation of cell biology can lead to cancer. One lesson that emerges from the added pages is the ever-increasing impact of cell biology research on human health. New sections on embryonic stem cells and their potential for studying and treating disease foreshadow what are likely to be the major advances included in the next edition of MBoC.

The laudable goal of producing a comprehensive textbook that includes basic information on cellular chemistry, genetics and genomics alongside precise descriptions of current affairs in cell biology, leads inexorably to bigger and bigger books. The fourth edition was 1463 pages, and no scale in my lab measures high enough to determine its weight. The Reference edition of MBoC5 is a remarkable 1728 pages. Since there are limits to what can be carried in a book bag, something had to give. The decision for MBoC5 was to produce chapters 21-25 in PDF form, and offer a reduced-size softbound Student edition(1392 pages) with chapters 1-20 in print. My first reaction was utter dismay that the `good stuff', especially from the point of view of a developmental biologist, is left out of the Student edition. However, my thinking quickly changed - the chapters are of the same high quality as the printed chapters,they are fully updated, printouts are much less heavy to carry around than the whole book and, best of all, the PDFs are searchable. This teaser - making only five chapters available in PDF form - amounts to a concession that publishing in print-only is behind the times. One suspects that `bean counters' who fear fewer book sales are behind the decision to withhold the rest of the PDFs.

In addition to the comprehensive updating of every chapter, another reason to consider acquiring edition five is the improved integration of the print volume with an extensive array of videos and animations in the `Cell Biology Interactive' provided on the accompanying DVD. Information in the Cell Biology Interactive was supplied with the fourth edition; however, new four-letter`DNA' codes are used in MBoC5 to indicate the features, cleverly emphasizing the information-rich nature of four nucleotides. The movies and animations range from simple models that illustrate concepts (e.g. the enzymatic action of lysozyme) to elegant tomograms of a synaptic vesicle and mitochondrion. It does take extra time to navigate from the textbook to the right feature in the Cell Biology Interactive; however, the effort is well rewarded with a deeper and more dynamic understanding of cell biology. Nevertheless, there is room for improvement to the electronic information. The codes to the Cell Biology Interactive features in the PDFs of chapters 21-25 are not `clickable' - one has to manually navigate to the interface and type in the four-letter code,risking flashbacks to the days of manual DNA sequence entry. And, sadly, only 23 of the 50 animations in the DVD were viewable on my computer, a problem to be aware of when purchasing your copy.

An unavoidable drawback of this textbook is that it is a textbook. Every well-written sentence is a distillation of an enormous amount of (largely unreferenced) experimental evidence, and little space is devoted to pointing out the huge gaps in our understanding of how genomes guide cell behavior, or the excitement of discovering new information in the lab. The Cell Biology Interactive, with lively narration by Julie Theriot, helps a great deal here. There are numerous movies of live cells undergoing development or being used in experiments that explore cellular dynamics. It is one thing to see a static drawing of the classic Spemann-Mangold axis duplication experiment, and quite another to watch it re-enacted in a video. In addition, many of the movies have a significant entertainment quotient - check out the ATP Synthase Disco and the sound effects for Myosin and Dynein (who knew they make popping sounds?). Another welcome improvement in MBoC5 helps link the textbook to the lab - there are now problems printed at the ends of the first 20 chapters. Whereas some are designed to facilitate information retention, the best problems stimulate thought and challenge the reader to think about experimental approaches for learning new things about cell biology. The problems printed in MBoC5 were carefully chosen from the companion Problems Book, which contains the answers. In addition, the Problems Book itself now has a CD with answers to all the problems, providing even more fodder for discussion. Importantly, the MBoC5 Problems Book has brand new questions for three chapters (Visualizing Cells; Cell Junctions, Cell Adhesion and the Extracellular Matrix; and Cancer), which deserves kudos. I hope the authors are tackling chapters 21-25 for the next edition.

Will the hybrid print/electronic format of MBoC5 be successful? This will depend on who is using it and for what purpose. For a student using MBoC5 for a class, the format is likely to be very frustrating. Getting the full value of the chapters requires constant access to a computer for viewing information on the DVD. This is OK, even great, if the student is reading any of chapters 21-25 because the PDFs can be stored on a laptop and the whole package easily transported to the nearest coffee shop or library. However, if the student is studying the print-only chapters, both a laptop and the heavy book must be lugged around, to the probable detriment of back muscles. The Student edition helps a bit; however, the soft binding of my copy took a serious beating from only a couple of trips in my backpack. Clearly, students would benefit from having a completely electronic version so the entire content is readily available (and searchable) on laptops. For graduate students, postdocs and faculty, MBoC5 is more likely to be a helpful reference for ongoing, though more sporadic, use rather than for intensive daily studies, making it fine to park the heavy print volume in a handy location. The Reference edition is the better choice for the lab to avoid the frustration of looking up something in the index only to realize you need to go the computer for the appropriate chapter. Still, maintaining ready access to the DVD makes the reading experience somewhat frenetic. Here, too, having a fully electronic version would be very welcome.

Even with the incomplete transition to a fully hybrid print/electronic format, the MBoC5 package is a fantastic resource and well worth the upgrade. Whether you need reminding of something you used to know or background on something new, you are likely to find what you need in a highly accessible,engaging and clear form. And having the printed copy is still essential. Opening the book to virtually any page reveals attention-grabbing information that can entertain through a lunch hour or incubation, or spark an idea for an experiment.