About the Cover
The molecular details of life tell a story that starts with the information in DNA and proceeds through many steps to protein function, such as ATP synthesis. We want students to become familiar with this story by delving into the chemical details of cellular structure and metabolic function, by learning how to explore molecular images such as those shown on the cover, and by seeing the relationships—sometimes circular—that link one topic to another. Throughout FUNDAMENTALS OF BIOCHEMISTRY, FOURTH EDITION, you'll find guidance—specific features that enhance student learning—to help you find your way through the biochemical details and enjoy the story.
The images arranged in a circle on the cover of this textbook are part of that story, symbolizing the pathway through which hereditary information is expressed. Clockwise from twelve o'clock: DNA; the nucleosome; DNA polymerase I in complex with DNA; RNase P in complex with tRNA; the ribosome in complex with three tRNAs; and F1–ATPase. These images are based on X-ray structures that were respectively determined by Richard Dickerson and Horace Drew, Caltech; Gerard Bunick, University of Tennessee; Thomas Steitz, Yale University; Alfonso Mondragón, Northwestern University; Venki Ramakrishnan, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, U.K.; and Andrew Leslie and John Walker, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, U.K.