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This book brings together lmportant work on the structure and function of the dehydrogenases requiring nicotinamide coenzymes. The structure and function of lactate dehydrogen­ ase, alcohol dehydrogenase, and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase are compared. These are the relatively simple oligomeric dehydrogenases for which very extensive structural and mechanistic information is available. Kinetic studies are dealt with in general terms, with selected examples. Genetic and structural relationships revealed by primary structure are discussed. General features of the specificity of dehydrogen­ ase reactions are described. The pyridine nucleotide - disulphide oxidoreductases exemplify a type of multicomponent enzyme complex. Lipoamide dehydrogenase, glutathione reductase, and thioredoxin reduct­ ase are described and compared. The fatty acid synthesizing systems of some organ­ isms are nonaggregated, whereas in other organisms they are multienzyme complexes containing, in animal tissues for example, two closely related multifunctional polypeptide chains. The dehydrogenase activities of the fatty acid syn­ thesizing systems afford many points of interest, which are described and discussed. Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase occupies a key position in the synthesis of isoprenoid compounds, including cholesterol. It probably occurs in all forms of life; in animal cells it is a microsomal enzyme. Its properties are reviewed.

As a consequence, researchers and project managers in the pharmaceutical industry should have a solid knowledge of the more important methods available to drug discovery, because it is the rapidly and intelligently combined use of these which will determine the success or failure of preclinical projects.

Improved research methods and new ideas and impulses are therefore urgently needed, both to stimulate the specialized scientists and to supply the concerned citizen with the updated background information necessary to make responsible decisions.

Myocardial ischemia and subsequent reperfusion of the ischemic myocardium represent complex phenomena encompassing numerous physiological processes.

Following an opening chapter by the late Susumu Ohno on paralogues of sex-determining genes, the five best-studied genes essential for early mammalian gonadal development are portrayed in detail: SF-1 and WT1 and their roles in early events in gonadal development, SRY and SOX9 in testis determination, and the anti-testis gene DAX-1.

If it is true that science proceeds from a romantic through a scientific to a technological stage, then research on bird orientation is certainly on its move from its first to its second grade, and recent developments in radiotelemetry and satellite tracking of migrating birds might already indicate the advent of the third stage.

Are demographic and environmental stochas ticity by far more important for the fate of a population or species than genetic stochasticity (genetic drift and inbreeding)?

It is no longer time-consuming analysis of unknown products, but rather selective identifications of individual forms, modifications and processings, and overall analysis of global protein outputs from cells and tissues in health and disease.

Volume II focuses on the state-of-the-art technologies and applications of various types of sensors. A picture thus emerges of how applications can be expanded in the future and novel markets can be opened up.

During the 75 years of Roche the research division has become by far the largest department in the company, with basic research assuming an increasingly important part in it.

R Using ACAREX test, it is straightforward to determine the a11ergen­ containing excreta of housedust mites in dust samples and to detect the sources of a contamination. Investigation of the antigen content by RAST inhibition shows that there is a correlation between guanine and allergen content in a dust sample. There is no direct relation with the number of live (or dead) housedust mites, nor is this to be expected. References 1) Berrens (1975) Naturwissenschaften 62, 29-33. 2) Bronswijk,van, Sinha (1971) J. Allergy 47, 31-52. 3) Bessot, Pauli (1986) Bull. Eur. Phys. Resp. 22, 1-8. 4) Tovey,Chapman,Wells,Platts-Mills (1981) Am. Rev. Resp. Dis. ~,630-635. 5) Bischoff (1986) A11ergo1. Fortbi1dung Bd. 1, in press. 6) Tovey, Chapman, Platts-Mills (1981) Nature 289, 592-593. 7) Tovey, Chapman, Platts-Mills (1980) Clin. ATTergy 10, 466-467. 8) Chapman, Heymann, Sutherland, Platts-Mills (1985) Tnt. Archs Allergy appl. Immun. 77, 166-168. 9) Bischoff (1986T Swiss Med 8, 39-44. 10) Bischoff, Bronswijk, van (1986) Allergologie 9, 375-378. 11) Bronswijk, van (1973) J. Med. Ent. 10, 63-70.- 12) Bischoff,Schirmacher(1984)Allergol.~446-449,and (1985)Allergol.8,36-38. 13) Bischoff, Schirmacher, Schober (1985) Allergol. 8, 97-99. - 14) Bischoff, Fischer, Wetter (1986) Allergol. 9, 171-176. 15) Bischoff, Liebenberg, Wetter (1986) AllergoT. 9, 287-292. 16) Bischoff, Krause-Michel, Nolte (1986) Allergol~ 9, in press. 17) Mitchell, Wilkins, r~cCallum Deighton, Platts-~lilTs (1985) Clin. Allergy 15, 235-240. 18) Bronswi jk, Bi schoff, Schi rmacher, Berrens, Schober (1986) J. ~led. Entomo1. 23, 217-218. 19) Bronswijk~van, Exp. and appl. Acarology, in press.

Many arthropods use celestial (skylight) and terrestrial (magnetic) compass cues for orientation, and some of them were shown to develop, through experience, oriented behaviours based on a variety of innate, hard-wired orientation mechanisms.

In this volume outstanding specialists review the state of the art in nervous system research for all main invertebrate groups. Novel techniques in molecular and developmental biology are creating new perspectives that point toward a theoretical foundation for a modern organismic biology.

Many arthropods use celestial (skylight) and terrestrial (magnetic) compass cues for orientation, and some of them were shown to develop, through experience, oriented behaviours based on a variety of innate, hard-wired orientation mechanisms.

Carbonic anhydrase (CA) is a seemingly ubiquitous enzyme of profound physiological importance, which plays essential roles in respiration, acid-base homeostasis, bone resorption, calcification, photosynthesis, several biosynthetic pathways and a variety of processes involving ion, gas and fluid transfer.

One of the most interesting aspects of thermogenesis research is that it quite naturally attracts workers from an extremely wide spectrum of interests, ranging from the mechanism of cellular respiratory control at the molecular level and neuro-hormonal control of energy dissipation both at the cellular level and that of the whole organisms to the mechanism of temperature control during the hibernating cycle and that of cold acclimatation. Thus, the Satellite Symposium on "The Effectors of Thermogenesis" brought together not only physiologists, but also biochemists, pharmacologists, zoologists and clinicians, and provided a forum for the airing of new ideas as well as for the confrontation of different points of view. These are now reproduced in this book in exactly the same form and order in which they were presented at the Symposium, in the hope of providing a bird's-eye view of the various facets of thermogenesis research. A "mini-review", summarizing the current knowledge in each domain, therefore precedes the corresponding papers. The editors are deeply indebted to the contributors of these introductory lectures for so competently selecting from the mass of available information in each field, only the most essential elements. This book is dedicated to Dr. Robert Emrie Smith, a pioneer and path-finder in this field, who organized the first meeting on thermogenesis as a satellite of the XXI International Congress of Physiological Sciences and took an active part in the four subsequent meetings. L. Girardier DEDICATION Dr.

In spite of all emphasis on objectivity, a scientific discipline needs for its development outstanding research workers with exceptional personal qualities. A scientist with these qualities is honoured here, on the occasion of his 70th birthday, by his pupils, friends and colleagues: Arthur Linder is respected as a researcher, advisor and teacher in the field of Applied Statistics. Professor Dr. Dr. h. c. A. Linder has demonstrated the utility of statistical methods in science and technology; these are recognised today as being essen­ tial for an objective evaluation of data. His contacts with Sir R. A. Fisher, C. 1. Bliss, G. M. Cox, W. G. Cochran, P. C. Mahalanobis and many other ex­ perts, have helped him to achieve his almost legendary authority on sampling and on the evaluation of statistical data. Linder has won many friends and adherents to the cause of Biometry, Econometry and Technometry, firstly through his teaching activity at the universities of Berne, Geneva and Lausanne and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, and as visiting lecturer at the Indian Statistical Institute, the International Statistical Education Centre in Calcutta, the Uni­ versity of North Carolina and the University of Natal in Durban, secondly through his contributions to the literature as author of the monographs 'Sta­ tistische Methoden' and 'Planen und Auswerten von Versuchen', as editor of METRIKA and co-editor of other journals, and thirdly through his active collaboration in the founding of The Biometric Society, to the presidency of

The explosive increase in the number of publications dealing with DNA methylation attests to its importance and makes it impossible to write a comprehensive coverage of the literature within the scope of a general review. Since the publication of the 3 most recent books dealing with the subject (DNA methylation by Razin A.

Volume I provides an in-depth discussion of the most recent developments of crucical biosensor components. It concentrates on the interface between the analyte phase and the detector, namely, the implementation of novel recognition elements, including nucleic acids, and of leading-edge technology in the construction of responsive thin layers.

Using examples from bryozoans, rotifers, cladocerans, molluscs, teleosts and others, the authors cover current conceptual issues of evolutionary ecology in considerable depth.The book can serve as a source of critically evaluated ideas, detailed case studies, and open problems in the field of evolutionary ecology.

In the last 25 years, we have witnessed a revolution in the way that ecologists and evolutionary biologists approach their disciplines. This revolution has been fueled by the ability to dissect the genetic and molecular basis of variation that is partly the currency of these disci­ plines. Using modern molecular techniques, we have begun to restruc­ ture the spectrum of questions that can be addressed in studying the mechanisms and consequences of the ecology and evolution of living organisms. The molecular revolution has co me in waves, so to speak, with three particularly important developments. The first concerns the establish­ ment and widespread use of pro tein analysis. Microcomplement fixation and isozyme e1ectrophoresis were the techniques around which much of the genetic work in ecology and evolution were once based. The next wave started with the development of recombinant DNA technology and centered around the use of restriction fragment length polymor­ phisms (RFLPs) and sequencing of DNAs cloned in bacteria. This technology was the first to actually examine and accumulate genetic information at the nucleotide level. The most recent wave of technology that we are currently experiencing is based on our ability to amplify DNA sequences enzymatically via the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Several techniques re1ated to PCR have been developed and used extensively in ecological and evolutionary studies.

Among the various theories proposed to account for the process of aging, the free radical theory is of practical interest since it includes the possibility of retarding this process by administrating natural or synthetic antioxidants and free radical scavengers.

The 39 chapters in this volume consider subjects ranging from genetics, markers, and molecular biology of alcoholism, to clinical observations and treatment. The aim is to integrate pertinent information from the fields of molecular and cell biology with view to establishing a molecular basis of alcohol use and abuse.

receptors containing an integral ionic channel), 2) metabotropic receptors (receptors coupled to G proteins) and 3) voltage-dependent ionic channels (Na+, K + and Ca2+ channels) were already well differentiated when vertebrates separated from invertebrate species.

Most organisms and populations have to cope with hostile environments, threatening their existence. Their ability to respond phenotypically and genetically to these challenges and to evolve adaptive mechanisms is, therefore, crucial. The contributions to this book aim at understanding, from a evolutionary perspective, the impact of stress on biological systems. Scientists, applying different approaches spanning from the molecular and the protein level to individuals, populations and ecosystems, explore how organisms adapt to extreme environments, how stress changes genetic structure and affects life histories, how organisms cope with thermal stress through acclimation, and how environmental and genetic stress induce fluctuating asymmetry, shape selection pressure and cause extinction of populations. Finally, it discusses the role of stress in evolutionary change, from stress induced mutations and selection to speciation and evolution at the geological time scale. The book contains reviews and novel scientific results on the subject. It will be of interest to both researchers and graduate students and may serve as a text for graduate courses.

In modern ecotoxicology, fish have become the major vertebrate model, and a tremendous body of information has been accumulated. This volume attempts to summarize our present knowledge in several fields of primary ecotoxicological interest ranging from the use of (ultra)structural modifications of selected cell systems as sources of biomarkers for environmental impact over novel approaches to monitoring the impact of xenobiotics with fish in vitro systems such as primary and permanent fish cell cultures, the importance of early life-stage tests with fish, the bioaccumulation of xenobiotics in fish, the origin of liver neoplastic lesions in small fish species, immunocytochemical approaches to monitoring effects in cytochrome P450-related biotransformation, the impact of heavy metals in soft water systems, the environmental toxicology of organotin compounds, oxidative stress in fish by environmental pollutants to effects by estrogenic substances in aquatic systems.