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Membrane fluidity — Biophysical techniques and cellular regulation
Journal of Biochemical and Biophysical Methods, 4 (1981) 71--72 © Elsevier]North-Holland Biomedical Press
71
BOOK REVIEW
Membrane Fluidity -- Biophysical Techniques and Cellular Regulation Kates, M. and Kuksis, A., editors (1980) 464 pp. Humana Press, Clifton, N.J. US $44.50 {$54.50 outside U.S.A.) This b o o k is made up of 30 papers presented at the symposium Control o f Membrane Fluidity held at the Charles H. Best Institute, Toronto, Canada, July 1979. The papers deal with a large diversity of material and vary considerably in quality. In a number of instances the reader feels uncomfortable with the conclusions drawn and at times the conclusions are clearly overdrawn. Part I deals with membrane lipid analyses and includes several new approaches. The review papers are n o t very comprehensive, possibly because of space limitation. The small article by Lands is a gem and the best in the book. It actually comes to grips with what fluidity might be about. Part H relates membrane lipids with functional activities. A variety of membranes is included. In most papers membrane fluidity is connected with enzymatic activities and modifications thereof by cholesterol and temperature. The papers by Riordan, on plasma membrane Mg2÷-ATPase, and by Ziemann and Zimmer, on red cell membrane alkaline phosphatase, include interesting data. Part III relates biological events to fatty acid changes and vice versa in various cellular membranes. The paper by Kates and Pugh is interesting in its analysis of microsomal membranes, but their discussions resting on fluorescence depolarization studies with diphenylenehexatriene is diffuse and detracts from the general merit of the article. Other articles in this section also contain new and, in some cases, interesting data, b u t the discussions are often vacillating. Part I V concerns phospholipid changes accompanying biological events. The papers by Ferber et al., on mitogenically stimulated lymphocytes, by Wasseff et al., on gastric mucosa phospholipid metabolism, and by Snyder et al., on phospholipid head groups and cellular events, make very interesting reading. Part V deals with homeostatic regulation of membrane fluidity and concerns mostly microorganisms. The papers in this b o o k give one the feeling that only lipids influence membrane state. Little is said a b o u t proteins in this c o n t e x t and the term 'fluidity' is used very loosely. Also there appears to be insufficient attention to heterogeneities within a membrane and differences between membranes. Perhaps the most serious shortcoming of the b o o k is that it does n o t include papers dealing with powerful techniques for analysis of membrane structure and 'fluidity', such as X-ray diffraction, neutron and electron diffraction, freeze. fracture electron microscopy, and vibrational spectroscopy.
72 The title of the book should have been 'Proceedings of the Symposium...' rather than what it is. The present title is very tempting but the book's contents are, on the whole, not unusually rewarding. D.F.H. Wallach
71
BOOK REVIEW
Membrane Fluidity -- Biophysical Techniques and Cellular Regulation Kates, M. and Kuksis, A., editors (1980) 464 pp. Humana Press, Clifton, N.J. US $44.50 {$54.50 outside U.S.A.) This b o o k is made up of 30 papers presented at the symposium Control o f Membrane Fluidity held at the Charles H. Best Institute, Toronto, Canada, July 1979. The papers deal with a large diversity of material and vary considerably in quality. In a number of instances the reader feels uncomfortable with the conclusions drawn and at times the conclusions are clearly overdrawn. Part I deals with membrane lipid analyses and includes several new approaches. The review papers are n o t very comprehensive, possibly because of space limitation. The small article by Lands is a gem and the best in the book. It actually comes to grips with what fluidity might be about. Part H relates membrane lipids with functional activities. A variety of membranes is included. In most papers membrane fluidity is connected with enzymatic activities and modifications thereof by cholesterol and temperature. The papers by Riordan, on plasma membrane Mg2÷-ATPase, and by Ziemann and Zimmer, on red cell membrane alkaline phosphatase, include interesting data. Part III relates biological events to fatty acid changes and vice versa in various cellular membranes. The paper by Kates and Pugh is interesting in its analysis of microsomal membranes, but their discussions resting on fluorescence depolarization studies with diphenylenehexatriene is diffuse and detracts from the general merit of the article. Other articles in this section also contain new and, in some cases, interesting data, b u t the discussions are often vacillating. Part I V concerns phospholipid changes accompanying biological events. The papers by Ferber et al., on mitogenically stimulated lymphocytes, by Wasseff et al., on gastric mucosa phospholipid metabolism, and by Snyder et al., on phospholipid head groups and cellular events, make very interesting reading. Part V deals with homeostatic regulation of membrane fluidity and concerns mostly microorganisms. The papers in this b o o k give one the feeling that only lipids influence membrane state. Little is said a b o u t proteins in this c o n t e x t and the term 'fluidity' is used very loosely. Also there appears to be insufficient attention to heterogeneities within a membrane and differences between membranes. Perhaps the most serious shortcoming of the b o o k is that it does n o t include papers dealing with powerful techniques for analysis of membrane structure and 'fluidity', such as X-ray diffraction, neutron and electron diffraction, freeze. fracture electron microscopy, and vibrational spectroscopy.
72 The title of the book should have been 'Proceedings of the Symposium...' rather than what it is. The present title is very tempting but the book's contents are, on the whole, not unusually rewarding. D.F.H. Wallach