Editorial: Molecular Nanomachines of the Presynaptic Terminal, Volume II.

Cell biology and neurobiology have started many decades ago as attempts to unravel the complexity of cellular processes, by studying different elements, from membranes and organelles to molecules in isolation. Through ever increasing technological improvements, a huge amount of information has accumulated on the molecular organization of the cell, and on the function of the individual molecules. On the basis of this information, we can now switch the general aim of cell biology from the investigation of single elements to the global understanding of cellular function, to a level that will enable us to predict its behavior.