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One prerequisite for the evolution of multicellular organisms was
the invention of mechanisms by which cells could adhere to one
another. At some point in our history, dividing cells no longer
went their separate protozoic ways in the primordial oceans, but
instead found that by maintaining an association, by sticking
together but not fusing, numerous evolutionary advantages became
possible. The subsequent development of specialized tissues and
organs depended on the elaboration of incredibly sophisticated,
regulatable cell-to-cell adhesion mechanisms which are known to
operate in biological processes as diverse as the growth of the
embryo, the immune response, the establishment of connections
between nerve cells, and arteriosclerosis, to name just a few.
Although we can only guess at the ancestral mechanisms that
fostered the first primitive intercellular unions, some one billion
years ago, we now recognize contemporary molecular "themes" with
presumably ancient origins that mediate cell-cell interactions.
The chapters in this book serve as useful, thought-provoking, but
not exhaustive, commentaries on contemporary topics within the
broad field of cell adhesion. If the reader detects a slight tilt
toward those adhesion molecules that function in the nervous
system, this is merely a reflection of this editor's interests,
biases, and of course, limitations.
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