In this book we will be concerned with the basics of the macromolecular interactions that affect cellular processes. The basic tools for such studies are genetics, chemistry, and physics. For the most part, we will be concerned with understanding processes that occur within cells, such as DNA synthesis, protein synthesis, and regulation of gene activity. The initial studies of these processes utilize whole cells. These normally are followed by deeper biochemical and biophysical studies of individual components. Before beginning the main topics we should take time for an overview of cell structure and function. At the same time we should develop our intuitions about the time and distance scales relevant to the molecules and cells we will study. Many of the experiments discussed in this book were done with the
bacterium Escherichia coli, the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster.