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Suggested Citation:"Acknowledgements." Debra Niehoff. 2005. The Language of Life: How Cells Communicate in Health and Disease. Washington, DC: Joseph Henry Press. doi: 10.17226/10742.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

In the words of Martin Rodbell, who shared the 1994 Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology for his work on signal transduction, this book cannot rightfully be called an individual accomplishment, but is rather the product of “a community of effort,” sustained and informed by the contribution of the following scientists, who gave generously of their time and expertise to educate, guide, inspire, and correct me as I wrote and to whom I am deeply indebted: Bonnie Bassler, Philip Beachy, John Tyler Bonner, Vishva Dixit, Michael Dustin, Gerard Evan, Jeff Friedman, Alfred Gilman, E. Peter Greenberg, Stephen Hyman, C. Ronald Kahn, Eric Kandel, Marc Kirschner, Roberto Kolter, Mitch Lazar, Robert Lefkowitz, Eric Nestler, Roel Nusse, Tony Pawson, Cedric Raine, Alan Saltiel, Joshua Sanes, Solomon Snyder, Ralph Steinman, Ann Stock, Cliff Tabin, Amy Wagers, Gerry Weinmaster. In addition, I would like to thank Al Gilman, Ron Taussig, and the members of the Alliance for Cellular Signaling for affording me the opportunity to eavesdrop on their annual meeting. Tony Hunter, Asma Nusrat, and Al Gilman reviewed an early version of the manuscript in its entirety; the finished product has been much improved by their thoughtful criticism. And

Suggested Citation:"Acknowledgements." Debra Niehoff. 2005. The Language of Life: How Cells Communicate in Health and Disease. Washington, DC: Joseph Henry Press. doi: 10.17226/10742.
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I am grateful to Barbara Reynolds and Bobbi Silberg of the Diabetes Center at Saint Mary’s Hospital for their help in researching the human dimension of this disorder.

Early in the evolution of this project, I realized that molecules, in contrast to words, were physical entities, meaning that sentences based on molecular interactions had a three-dimensional aspect; that they were architectural as well as linguistic constructions. Given a limited knowledge of buildings and their creation, I was fortunate to have been introduced to the work of Christopher Alexander, which proved an invaluable resource in formulating my thinking along these lines. I owe a debt as well to Scott Gilbert, without whose magnificent text on developmental biology I would have been over-whelmed by information overload.

Architecture is a visual art form, and Michael Linkinhocker did a superb job of transforming my descriptions of proteins and pathways into pictures. Jeff Robbins provided expert editorial guidance, while my agent, Regula Noetzli was also my adviser, champion, and friend throughout. Carolyn McGuiness and Haejin Chung helped with library research. Friend and fellow horse lover Marie Messerschmidt did an admirable job transcribing tapes.

The conversations between cells tell the simple story of everyday existence. Fortunately, my husband and my daughters, Jennifer and Haley, were good sports about the inclusion of examples from our everyday existence to illustrate these conversations. In addition, their collective sense of humor, disregard for domesticity, and willingness to eat macaroni and cheese on a regular basis made it possible to accomplish an otherwise impossible task. Veronica Frihart deserves a special round of applause for her skill, patience, and creativity with both human and equine students. Finally, I’d like to thank other friends and family who supported and sustained me over the course of this project: Lauren and Michael Bird, Kris Carlson, John and Caitlin Matthews, Marian Plunkett, Miriam Sexton, John and Jean Wendorf.

Suggested Citation:"Acknowledgements." Debra Niehoff. 2005. The Language of Life: How Cells Communicate in Health and Disease. Washington, DC: Joseph Henry Press. doi: 10.17226/10742.
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Page 305
Suggested Citation:"Acknowledgements." Debra Niehoff. 2005. The Language of Life: How Cells Communicate in Health and Disease. Washington, DC: Joseph Henry Press. doi: 10.17226/10742.
×
Page 306
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Cooperation requires conversation. Human beings speak to one another. Sounds, scents, and postures allow animals to make their point. While individual cells can't talk, hiss, growl, or bare their teeth, they nevertheless communicate regularly. Their language is based not on words or gestures, but on chemistry —using molecules where we would use words, constructing sentences from chains of proteins. The cells that make up the bodies of muticellular organisms inform, wheedle, command, exhort, reassure, nurture, criticize, and instruct each other to direct every physiological function, report every newsworthy event, record every memory, heal every wound. And each of those chemical conversations represents an opportunity for scientists and physicians.

The molecular biologists who worked for over a decade to sequence the human genome have sometimes referred to that sequence as the "book of life." To our cells, that "book" is no more than a dictionary—only living cells can converse, forming the network that allows our 60 trillion cells to function as a single organism.

For nearly a century, researchers have been straining to hear the whispered conversations among cells, hoping to master the basics of their language. They know that if we can decipher and translate this cellular chatter, we have the potential for sending signals of our own that could repair wounds, reduce cholesterol, control insulin levels, or even block the reproduction of cancer cells. The possibilities are as endless as they are intriguing. The Language of Life is a fantastic story of discovery, blending the vision of science with the poetry of life itself.

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