Edited by
H. Plattner, Faculty of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
Description
Membranes are highly dynamic and operate not only as inert boundaries, but the packages they carry around in a cell are well addressed
fro appropriate delivery. This holds for a variety of endomembrane systems engaged in exo- and endocytosis, for organelles along the
biosynthetic pathway, phagosomes, and lysosomes. It also holds for the establishment of functional surface properties. Cell pairing (conjugation)
phenomena are a good model for the problem of how a cell can discriminate between "self" and "non-self". On the other hand parasitic
sporozoa developed to experts in masking their molecular sur-"face"by frequent shedding of their variant antigens.
The discovery
of their glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor has led to the discovery, in polar epithelial cells, of a specific targeting mechanism
for GPI-anchored surface glycoproteins. Over one hundred such proteins have been detected in metazoans since then.
Many of these
basic aspects are dealt with in this book using quite different methodical approaches. Of course, there are many more aspects previously
known from metazoan systems and such aspects then had to be verified also for Protozoa systems and such aspects then had to be verified
also for protozoa. In this context, it is fascinating to see how basic cellular functions are maintained - with variations of the basic
theme - throughout evolution.
However, sometimes cell biologists dedicated to work with protozoa have to live with a regrettable
phenomenon. Colleagues working with "higher" eukaryotic cells are frequently unaware of the fact that the primary input may have come
from work with protozoa. Some phenomena may even be rediscovered inadvertently. In this sense, this book should address not only colleagues
working with protozoa but also many of our fellow cell biologists working with metazoan cells.
Included in series
Advances in Cellular and Molecular Biology of Membranes and Organelles
