The Dictionary of Cell and Molecular Biology

The Dictionary of Cell and Molecular Biology, Fifth Edition, provides definitions for thousands of terms used in the study of cell and molecular biology. The headword count has been expanded to 12,000 from 10,000 in the Fourth Edition. Over 4,000 headwords have been rewritten. Some headwords have second, third, and even sixth definitions, while fewer than half are unchanged. Many of the additions were made to extend the scope in plant cell biology, microbiology, and bioinformatics. Several entries related to specific pharmaceutical compounds have been removed, while some generic entries (“alpha blockers,” “NSAIDs,” and “tetracycline antibiotics,” for example), and some that are frequently part of the experimentalist’s toolkit and probably never used in the clinic, have been retained. The Appendix includes prefixes for SI units, the Greek alphabet, useful constants, and single-letter codes for amino acids.

"The fifth edition of this dictionary has 12,000 headwords, reflecting a steady expansion from previous editions, and 2,400 completely new entries and definitions…thirty-seven tables provide useful lists for at-a-glance review of amino acids, common cell lines, blood clotting factors, steroid hormones, nucleotides, vitamins, and more…Summing Up: Recommended."—CHOICE Reviews Online, January 2014

"At over 700 pages, Lackie's efforts here in the fifth edition of this work have produced quite an exhaustive coverage of the field. The entries are generally about a paragraph in length and over 800 of them are listed with web links. One helpful feature of the text is its numerous tables listing many different aspects of nearby entries."—Reference and Research Book News, December 2013

Reviews of Prior Editions:
"It will find a place on the bookshelves of laboratories and libraries for many years to come."—The Times Higher Education Supplement

"It fills an undoubted gap and is stunningly up to date."—Biologist

"All the students seemed to find the dictionary of use…."—Trends in Biochemical Sciences

"A very useful reference book that every cell biologist should seriously consider purchasing and is a must for biology libraries."—Cell Biology International Reports

"The definitions are more comprehensive than one finds in most dictionaries, and should help both students and research workers in other branches of biology."—Genetical Research