102 BIOCHEMICAL EDUCATION October 1979 vol 7 no 4

Methods in Membrane Biology, Volume 9 E d i t e d by E d w a r d D C orn . pp 390. P l e n u m Press : New

Y o r k a n d L o n d o n . 1978. £22 .05

The five independent chapters in this volume provide up-to-date reviews of the applications of immunoelectron microscopy and immunofluorescence (Chapter 1), high-sensitivity differential scanning calorimetry (Chapter 3) and nuclear magnetic resonance techniques (Chapter 4) to the study of natural or model membrane systems. Chapter 2 is devoted to the methods being used to isolate, identify and characterize synaptic membranes and junctions from brain tissue, whilst Chapter 5 reviews recent work on the isolation and characterization of membrane mutants of mammal ian cells in culture. These reviews will be valuable to those already engaged in research on any of these topics and should prove both interesting and enlightening to anyone working on membrane structure and function. For the non-specialist, however, much of the volume would probably present some problems, since varying degrees of background knowledge are assumed by the different authors.

About half of the book is taken up by Chapter 1, which is extremely detailed and comprehensive. It is not particularly easy to read, however, partly because of the author 's tendency to use long and elaborate sentences and partly because the text is too often interrupted by the numerous references. These are, of course, both necessary and valuable, but they are unusually intrusive in this chapter. Somewhat unusual in this kind of review article is the inclusion of comprehensive details for the practical applications of the techniques. Such information is also a feature of Chapter 2, but not of the other chapters. Hence these two chapters could be particularly useful for those already working, or about to work, with these techniques. (Even the non-specialist can benefit from such detail because it does help to provide a clear understanding of exactly what is involved at the experimental level.) Chapter 2 contrasts rather markedly with Chapter 1 in being much shorter and written in a very succinct and lucid manner . No doubt these differences stem partly from the differences in the nature of the techniques but I did find that the author managed to instil some of his enthusiasm and to reveal the increasing momen t um with which the morphological and chemical structures of the synapse are now being unravelled.

The remaining chapters seemed to me to fall somewhere between the first two as far as presentation is concerned. Chapter 3 also provides useful details of the actual apparatus required for the technique and each provides a good idea of the kind of problems that can be tackled with the use of the particular methods concerned, as well as useful reviews of what has been achieved so far. Not least important , throughout the volume, is the constant stress on the difficulties and ambiguities that can arise in all such research. The reader is not in danger of gaining the idea that such modern techniques always provide straightforward answers to complex biological problems. Similarly, some of the deficiencies in relatively recently published work are brought out, particularly in Chapter 5.

Although this volume obviously will be difficult in places for the non-specialist, it will provide him or her with a useful picture of the current state of research in the areas covered and, with judicial selection of material, could form the basis of advanced teaching material. School of Biological Sciences K P Wheeler The University of Sussex Brighton, UK

Metal Ions in Solution by John Burges s . pp 481. P u b l i s h e d by Ellis H o r w o o d Ltd ,

C h i c h e s t e r a n d d i s t r i b u t e d by J o h n Wi ley a n d Sons , C h i c h e s t e r a n d New York . 1978. £25 or $55

This book (reviewed in Biochemical Education, 1979, 7, 24) is now available in a paperback edition at £8.50 or $20.75.

Molecular Movements and Chemical Reactivity as Conditioned by Membranes, Enzymes and other Macromolecules Edi t ed by R Lefever a n d A G o i d b e t e r . pp 346, J o h n Wi ley

a n d Sons Ltd , New Y o r k a n d C h i c h e s t e r . 1978. ( X V I t h

Salvay C o n f e r e n c e on C h e m i s t r y . ) £ 2 5 . 5 0 or $42 .25

Despite the cumbersome title, this book contains some useful reviews on the shady area where biochemistry and physical chemistry converge, and will, perhaps one day, meet. Its main strength lies in the breadth of the topics covered, especially in the discussion after each chapter. It is rare to find, in a conference 'proceedings' , points of novel and general interest raised in discussion, and here the interdisciplinary struggles to cope with them are also documented.

As might be expected in such a text, the contributors balance precariously between including overmuch experimental detail on the one hand, and producing generalized platitudes on the other. Usually, they accomplish this quite well. | was grateful, for example that yet another 'brief summary ' of the principles of nmr and esr spectroscopy was avoided. Occasionally, the balance is lost - - Thomas might have included more detail on enzymes immobilized in artificial membranes and Klotz, less on catalysis by synthetic polymers (and incidentally, why did he omit catalysis by short peptides from the article?). Occasionally, a treatment is too general - - on catalytic activity of enzymes, Hammes confuses the reader by not bringing out the problems of comparing second order rate constants for reactions in solution with first order rate constants for enzyme reactions, and again, by treating allostery solely in terms of sigmoid V - - S plots rather than binding isotherms. As a rule, however, the editors do achieve their aim of keeping the reader abreast of developments in a difficult area.

For myself, I will treasure the odd nuggets of information the book contains - - that the most probable energy of an enzyme molecule is higher than its mean energy, that life probably evolved using NH4 + rather than K +, and that polyformaldehyde is continuously being formed in interstellar space. These examples give some idea of the breadth of matter covered. It might be a courageous biochemist who is not deterred by Prigogine's mathematical t reatment of bifurcation theory in Chapter 1 - - I would urge him to be brave and read the rest of the book. It will be a worthwhile experience.

D A Harris

Functional Biochemistry of the Neuroglia by Leon id X Pevzner . T r a n s l a t e d by B T ip l ady . p p 306.

C o n s u l t a n t s B u r e a u : P l e n u m P u b l i s h i n g C o r p o r a t i o n , New

York a n d L o n d o n . 1979. £22 .05

This is a translation, revised and updated by author and translator, of a book which first appeared in Russia in 1972. It is concerned with the compartmentat ion of biochemical and metabolic properties between the two major classes of cell types of the brain, neurons and glia. It is generally assumed that because the two cell types differ dramatically in morphology and function, their biochemistry is likely to be different, and that an understanding of the partition of biochemical properties between the cells will assist our understanding of function. Approaches to the study of such dif- ferences have involved histoehemistry, microdisseetion, cytophoto- metric techniques, or bulk separation of the cell types followed by more conventional biochemical procedures. Dr Pevzner himself has made a significant contribution by way of several of these approaches, and Dr Tiplady has also spent several years working in the field, so the combination is especially well qualified.

One ought to expect that translation of Russian books will introduce the reader to the relatively unfamiliar world of the Soviet and Eastern European literature and approaches to a topic, and the present book is no exception; there is a detailed discussion of the microcytospectrophotometric approaches which the author has

BIOCHEMICAL EDUCATION October 1979 vol 7 no 4 103

made particularly his own, but there is more to it than this, as Dr Pevzner has at tempted to review the field more broadly, summariz ing and at tempting to give an overview of the work of many different laboratories, in Western Europe and the US as well as in the east, and it is refreshing to read one worker's view of a field rather than the innumerable patchy symposium volumes that are so readily cobbled together and launched upon the world by a sort of editorial and publishers ' conspiracy.

The book is therefore welcome, and translated not before its time. What it lacks, in its concern for recounting all the data on particular points is both a certain integration and critical sharpness. No at tempt is made to interrelate the study of neuron-glia inter-

actions at the biochemical level with morphology, developmental biology or physiology; some approaches, notable histochemistry, are scarcely discussed at all; and a certain critical ruthlessness by which some of the more dubious biochemical data could be omitted from cluttering the review might have helped the reader cut through the often untidy field; Dr Pevzner's scrupulous comprehensiveness is not always the best policy.

Stephen Rose Biology Depar tment The Open University Milton Keynes UK MK7 6AA

BIOCHEMICAL EDUCATION will be published by Pergamon Press Limited from January 1980 (Volume 8). It will continue to be a quarterly publication of the International Union of Biochemistry with the same alms as in the past and no major changes in size or contents are envisaged but the typeface and layout will be updated and a new and slightly stiffer cover will be used. Dr B A Kilby is retiring from the Editorship and will be succeeded by Dr E J Wood, also of the Department of Biochemistry at Leeds where the Editorial office will continue to be situated. Original contributions from all parts of the world are welcomed for editorial consideration and can be sent to Dr Wood, Depart- ment of Biochemistry, 9 Hyde Terrace, Leeds, England LS2 9LS, or to any of the co-editors. (Dr Stanley Dagley of Minnesota, USA will, however, be out of that country until the end of the present year.)

Subscription Information Published quarterly. Annual subscription (1980) US$15 Two-year rate (1980/81) US$28.50 Special rate to individuals US$5

Prices include postage and insurance. Subscribers to the present issue will automatically receive renewal forms in due course. The US dollar prices are valid for all countries except Austria, France, FR Germany, Switzerland, and Japan. New subscribers from these countries are asked to send their enquiries and orders to the appropriate address below except that subscribers in Switzerland, Japan, UK, and Eire should contact the Oxford Office.

Addresses of Pergamon Press: ENGLAND Headington Hill Hail, Oxford OX3 0BW USA Falrview Park, Flmsfurd, New York, 10523 CANADA Suite 104, 150 Consumers Road, Willowdale, Ontario

M2J IP9 AUSTRALIA (AND NEW ZEALAND) PO Box 544, Ports Point,

NSW 2011 FRANCE 24 Rue des Ecoles, 75240, Paris, Cedex 05

FR GERMANY (AND AUSTRIA) 6242 Kronberg/Taunus, Pferdstrasse 1

SALVE ET VALE [

Dr E J Wood who will assume the Editorship of Biochemical Education f rom January 1980.

Dr B A Kilby, Editor 1972-79 who retires after the present issue.