Cells and Organisms

This chapter reviews the basic essentials of life and the general structure of living cells. The fundamental differences between eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells are described. Next a range of widely studied organisms are surveyed to provide a background for understanding the molecular details presented in the rest of the book. These include bacteria, exemplified by Escherichia coli, single-celled eukaryotes, exemplified by yeast. Next come several multi-cellular higher animals: nematode, fly, fish, toad, mouse and man. Then we discuss the model plant, Arabidopsis. Finally, in addition to living organisms, molecular biology deals with viruses and a variety of sub-cellular genetic elements.