Clear Horizons

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T I B S - August 1978

statement of the evolutionary origins and development of vertebrate immunity" Since we know so little, (and this is not to use a clich6), and since comparative immunology (phylogeny, evolution or however one might choose to call it) is still not mainstream immunology, it may be too early for the definitive text, although Marchalonis's book and the others I alluded to earlier are commendable for now. Like all other texts, especially those describing a dynamic field, there are omissions (e.g., references). The critical reader sees the absence of new facts, that if included, would have extended and supported the book's central thesis. Unfortunately, the lag time between writing the finished manuscript and dealing with the technicalities of publishing is great. In deference to the book's essential goodness, I see no reason to niggle over omissions - these will always be present as long as there are academics. 'Immunity In Evolution' is of immense value for A L L immunologists and biologists, especially those who tend to focus narrowly on what is often termed relevant, for those who forget, and for those who do not even know the breadth and depth of immunology. EDWIN L. COOPER E.L. Cooper is Eh,anor Roosevelt FcUow ql the International Union Against Cancer at the lnstitat Ludwig de Recherche sur le Cancer. Lausanne. Slcil. zerland and on leave as Profi.ssor of Anatomy from the School of Medichle. University of CalihJrnia. Los Angeles. cA. U.S.A.

Excellent lipid book Lipid M e t a b o l i s m in M a m m a l s : Vol. 1 and 2 edited by Fred Snyder, Plenum Press, New York, 1977. Volume 1:$51.00 (xviiiq-402 pages); Volume 2 : S 5 1 . 0 0 (xviii÷390 pages)

There are two ways in which any book on mammalian biochemistry can deal with compounds ofsuch obvious importance as the lipids. It can concentrate on a general approach to the subject discussing such aspects as enzymology, metabolic pathways, membrane function, cellular organisation, physico-chemistry or it can deal with them on an organ/tissue basis in which the compositional and metabolic peculiarities of the situation or any unusual role in the whole animal function can be highlighted. The former method has now become more fashionable, presumably because it is judged by some to be more exciting, dynamic and controversial, and in the hope that the publication will

be bought by students who can, in general, no longer afford to buy costly textbooks. For the present volumes Fred Snyder, the editor, has chosen the second comparative organ approach although almost as if conscious of its deficiencies the last chapter is entitled "Lipid Changes in Membranes during Growth and Development'. The result is a two volume book on lipid metabolism which is unique, readable, remarkably detailed and one which will be of immense value to research workers on lipids particularly in the biomedical field. To set the stage, the initial chapter is a straightforward exposition of the known facts concerning the enzymology and pathways of lipid metabolism in mammalian tissues produced in a competent and professional manner by van Golde and van den Bergh. The second chapter dealing with the liver (the Escherichia coli of lipid biochemistry) is the longest in the book occupying 116 pages. The same authors that were responsible for the first chapter have produced a most excellent contribution in which all the known facts and reports on liver lipid metabolism have been set down clearly and expertly assessed for their importance and accuracy. For the rest of the book Snyder has chosen authors with an 'expertise and experience with the lipid metabolism of the organs or blood constituents'. Chapters are provided on gastrointestinal tissue, blood, erythrocytes, plasma lipoproteins, white cells, platelets, adipose tissue, brain, cardiac muscle, lung, kidney, gonads, mammary gland, the eye, skeletal muscle, skin, calcified tissues, cancer cells, Harderian gland and cultured cells. The danger here, for any editor, is that such experts may be more proficient at research or obtaining funds for carrying it out, than at communicating the exciting aspects of the basic digested facts of their field in a clear and logical way to the reader. On the whole Snyder has controlled his contributors well although one is conscious that in some places he has had a rough ride with the text verging on the styles of the personal research report or the dry factual review. Nevertheless, many subjects are dealt with very well indeed, for example, plasma lipoproteins and some of the material assembled for the more exotic tissue is quite unique in the sense that it has scarcely been reviewed before. The volume deserve a place in all general medico-biological libraries and they would not be an extravagance in libraries of departments with some interest in lipids or to individuals who have made the latter their special research field. Snyder is to be

congratulated in persuading scientists of such standing to find the time to contribute and to have controlled their expositions so well. R. M. C. DAWSON R.M.C. Dawson is fiend oJ the Biochemistry Department at the Agricultural Research Council. Institute of d nimal Physiology Bahraham. Cambridge. U.K.

Clear Horizons Horizons in Biochemistry and Biophysics, Vol. 4 edited by E. Quagliariello, F. Palmieri and Thomas P. Singer. Addison- Wesley Advanced Book Program, Reading, Mass., U.S.A., London, Amsterdam, Don Mills (Ontario), Sidney attd Tokyo, 1977. $19.50 (xvi + 302 pages) I S B N 0 201 02714 3

In the preface to the first volume the editors stated that this series was to call the attention of students, teachers, and the practising scientist in the biological and physical sciences including medicine to major conceptual and methodological advances and important discoveries in biochemistry and biophysics. This volume like its predecessors succeeds admirably in fulfilling this object. All of the articles contain an introductory section in which the general relevance of the subject and its development are discussed. References are given at the end of each chapter to enable the reader to explore the important publications in the field under review. The first contribution by A. L. Lehninger is an account of the role of mitochondria in mineralization. The evidence for the participation of these organelles in the deposition of hydroxyapatite, calcium carbonate, or silica in different species is discussed critically as a fascinating example of comparative biochemistry. An account of current views on the structure of membranes with particular reference to their dynamic properties is presented by A. D. Keith and W. Snipes. This, review describes the specialized techniques used in this field in a manner which is readily followed. Topics such as the mechanism of membrane fusion and viral membranes are discussed. A more detailed account of the use of one particular technique to investigate membrane structure, the spin label method, is contributed by A. Azzi and C. Montecucco. The non-specialist may find 'this contribution a little more difficult to follow and perhaps would have appreciated a fuller explanation of ESR spectra.

T I B S - August 1978

190 The usefulness of this technique in investigating fluidity differences in different parts of the membrane and spatial relationships between different membrane components is, however, made clear. The means whereby hormones and acetylcholine act on their target cells is described by F. Friedberg. The author, in a mere 27 pages, gives a well-balanced account of the nature of the receptors for insulin, glucagon, noradrenaline, acetylcholine, androgens, oestrogens, progesterone, and glucocorticoids, together with current ideas on the mode of action of these hormones. The reader's attention is drawn frequently to findings of medical significance. An example of how knowledge of molecular interactions can elucidate fundamental biological phenomena is provided by B. M. Shapiro in a lucid account of the molecular biology of fertilization. Two of the contributions deal with homeostatic systems. H. Meisner and J. R. Carter Jr., give a very full account of the role of hormones and other factors in the regulation of lipolysis in adipose tissue, while A. Peterkofsky gives a very lucid account of the physical interaction in E. coli between the sugar transport system and the production of cyclic AM P. J. F. Henderson discusses the information available on the metabolism and biochemical functions of various purine analogues and contrasts this with the present lack of understanding of their pharmacological effects. An excellent review of the tertiary structure of transfer RNA molecules based on X-ray crystallographic studies with crystalline tRNA phe is presented by S-H. Kim and J. L. Sussman. The application of X-ray crystallography to this type of study is very clearly described and the significance of the 3-D structure of this family of molecules is discussed with respect to their function as specific amino acid acceptors and their role in various steps of the translation process. All the chapters have been written in a manner which should excite the interest of the advanced undergraduate student as well as providing specialized research workers with information which can be readily assimilated on progress in a wide diversity of fields. G. A. J. GOODLAD

G. ,4. J. Goodlad is a Lecturer in the Department of Biochemistry, of the University of St. Andrews, Scotland.

For cAMPing enthusiasts Advances in Cyclic Nucleotide Research, Volumes 7 and 8 edited by P. Greengard and G. d. Robison, Raven Press, New York, Vol. 7 (1976) $35.75 (x + 294 pp.) ISBN 0 89004 107 5 : Vol. 8 (1977) $45.50 (x + 592 pp.) ISBN 0 89004 169 5

Since the discovery of cAMP by E. W. Sutherland Jr., research on the role of the cyclic nucleotides in the regulation of biological processes has grown at an explosive rate. Since its beginnings, where cAMP was proposed as the second messenger for the hormonal control of glycogenolysis, such research has extended to almost every imaginable area of biological research, in systems ranging from micro-organisms to the mammalian nervous system. Researchers in the area are drawn from the gamut of biological disciplines from cell biology, to neurobiology. It is difficult, even for investigators in the area, to maintain a grasp of recent developments, owing to a large and diverse literature. This series, Advances in Cyclic Nucleotide Research, now in its 7th and 8th volumes, has provided a timely and important role in disseminating progress in this area. Vol. 7 contains seven reviews and Vol. 8 contains nine. The series, under the editorial guidance of Greengard and Robison, has developed a distinctive style. The reviews in these volumes are generally written to provide sufficient background to allow for a multidisciplinary readership. Also, the fact remains that despite intensive research, there are still 'a number of murky areas to be elucidated', to quote the editors. Thus lhere remain controversial areas, and reviews of such areas require a critical and honest appraisal of on-going research, as well as intelligent suggestions and hypotheses for future research. Style and clarity are at a premium in compendia of this type. The large number of reviews, fifteen in all in the two volumes, are generally of excellent quality in terms of the considerations above, with only one or two contributions that the reviewer found somewhat poorly written by comparison. Volume 7 covers topics on the roles of cyclic nucleotides in bacteria, in cell aggregation in slimemold, in the cell cycle, and gastric secretion; interconvertible enzymes in adipose tissue; cyclic nucleotide immuno-

cytochemistry, and inhibitors and activators of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase. Volume 8 covers topics on fl-adrenergic receptors, the mechanism of action of cholera toxin, cyclic nucleotide phospho"diesterases, hormonal (~ontrol of protein phosphorylation, cA M P-dependent protein kinase and nuclear substrate proteins, clinical cyclic nucleotide research, and the roles of cyclic nucleotides on water and electrolyte transport, contractile activity in the heart and in the nervous system respectively. Articles which I found eminently readable in terms of their clarity of style and presentation were those of D. Steinberg on interconvertible enzymes in adipose tissue, and M. E. McGuire, E. M. Ross and A. G. Gilman on/3-adrenergic receptors. Articles by E. D. Jacobsen and W. J. Thompson on cyclic AMP in gastric secretion, and by R. W. Tsien on cAMP and contractility in heart I would also single out as excellent and thought-provoking reviews. In summary, these volumes and the series itself are invaluable to the research investigator whose studies are within or on the periphery of cyclic nucleotide research. They provide detailed and critical up-todate presentations of diverse areas of research involving cyclic nucleotides. The only quibble one has is that some of the reviews are overlapping or cover ground already reviewed in earlier volumes. This is excusable in the context of the rapid developments in many of these areas. There are few series of this type which present cogent and critical reviews of ongoing research as well as Advances in Cyclic Nucleotide Research. E. Y. C. LEE

E. Y. C. Lee is Associate Professor of Biochemistry in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Miami, Miami, FL U.S.A.

Controlled cascades Haemostasis: Biochemistry, Physiology, and Pathology edited by D. Ogston and B. Bennett, John Wiley and Son Ltd, London, 1977. £18.00 (529 pages) I S B N 0 471 99459 6

Haemostasis involves the interaction of plasma proteins, blood platelets, white cells and erythrocytes with each other and with components of damaged vessel walls or exudates from other damaged tissues. The net result of these interactions is the formation of a plug of aggregated platelets and fibrin which prevents extra vasation