emphasis on events in the nucleus) by Ringertz (26 pp.). It also has a brief paper by 

 Graham on the fusion of mouse blastomeres. 

 The book is very well produced and illustrated. 



98. 



D. B. DRACHMAN, ed. 1974. TROPHIC.FUNCTIONS OF THE NEURON 



New York Acad, of Sciences, New York. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. Vol. 228. 423 pp., 



171 figs., 38 tabs. $ 31.00 (paper) 



This is the report of a conference held in March, 1973, in which the large majority of 

 participants were American. Most of the 29 contributions are reviews or mixtures of 

 review and research report. Virtually all the trophic interactions discussed, both within 

 the nervous system and between neurons and other target cells, fall into three categories: 

 formation of cell connections, maintenance of the integrity of target cells, and regulation 

 of the properties of target cells. 



Papers of direct interest to developmental biologists are to be found particularly in 

 Section I (Development of neural connections; 4 papers), and section VI (Other trophic 

 systems; 10 papers). The latter section features such systems as the regenerating amphi- 

 bian limb, the neuromuscular junction, the taste bud, spinal motor neurons, cortical 

 neurons, and ganglia. One paper deals with the insect nervous system. Other sections deal 

 with denervation and regulation of muscle and with possible mechanisms of neurotrophic 

 action. 



The volume is adequately illustrated. 



99. 



A. A. MOSCONA, ed. 1974. THE CELL SURFACE IN DEVELOPMENT 



Wiley, New York, etc. XIV, 334 pp., 127 figs., 37 tabs., combined author and subject 



index. $ 24.00 



This volume contains the proceedings of a symposium held in Montreal in August, 

 1973. Unhke many other similar books it will not be rapidly out of date. This is because 

 the authors have made an effort to give their reviews a broad background, and because 

 theoretical aspects and possible new approaches are frequently considered. The book is 

 therefore of interest to all developmental biologists and not only to those working on the 

 cell surface. Of the 27 contributors, 23 are from North America. 



Not all of the 16 reviews strictly fall within the subject defined by the title. This holds 

 for the chapters on cartilage differentiation, somatic cell hybridization, and development 

 and cancer. Of the others one deals with artificial lipid bilayers, the remaining ones with a 

 wide variety of animal cell types and approaches, which cannot all be enumerated. Suffice 

 it to say that every chapter is thoroughly up to date and has something new to offer in 

 the way of findings or ideas. Of course not all areas of membrane biology relevant to 

 development are represented, but the selection is varied and well considered. 



The production of the book and especially the reproduction of the numerous photo- 

 graphs and electron micrographs is of high quality. 



100. 



M. PRUNIERAS, L. ROBERT, and C. ROSENFELD, eds. 1973. DIFFERENCIATION 



DES CELLULES EUCARYOTES EN CULTURE (Differentiation of eukaryotic cells in 



culture) 



INSERM (Inst. Natl, de la Sante et de la Rech. Med.), Paris. INSERM Colloques et 



seminaires vol. 19. XII, 299 pp., 85 figs., 26 tabs. F.fr. 50.00, $ 12.00 (paper) 



This volume resulted from a postgraduate course on cell biology and cell culture given 

 aL Cretei! (near Paris) in June, 1973. Of the four sections (24 papers) only section I 



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