Book excerpt: Cell Biology, A Comprehensive Treatise, Volume 2: The Structure and Replication of Genetic Material is mainly about the structure and replication of genetic material in both the nucleus and cytoplasmic organelles. This volume is part of the first four volumes that establish a firm foundation regarding issues of cell structure and function. These issues include cell reproduction, differentiation, and cell-to-cell interactions. This book is divided into nine chapters. Each chapter deals extensively with chromosomes – its physical, genetic, and chemical structures. In addition, this book explains the replication of chromosomes in terms of the cell cycle, as well as their coding capacity. It also discusses the functional organization (structure and levels) of the chromosomes. The concluding chapters present the DNA replication molecular principles and enzymatic machinery. Furthermore, this book explains DNA repair and its relationship to various biological endpoints. The authors of this book reasonably explain and emphasize already established facts and concepts in terms that are relatively easy to understand. Undergraduate and graduate students, teachers, researchers, scientists, and others interested or in need of information regarding cell biology will find this book of great use.