Symposium reports 



73. 



M.C.NIU and S.J.SEGAL, eds. 1973. THE ROLE OF RNA IN REPRODUCTION AND 



DEVELOPMENT 



North-Holland, Amsterdam, etc.; American Elsevier, New York. XIV, 357 pp., 148 figs., 

 95 tabs., subject index. D.fl. 48.-, ca. $ 17.50 



This book contains most of the papers read at an international symposium held in 

 Washington, D.C. in December 1972. Of the 50 participants, 14 came from ten countries 

 outside the U.S.A. Most papers range in length from ca. 10 to ca. 20 pages; most report 

 on work unpublished at the time of writing, while some are mixtures of review and 

 research report. Together they provide a selective but broadly oriented survey of the 

 present state of this field. The work reported was done on a great variety of organisms 

 and organs (the higher plants are only represented once). 



The 25 papers are arranged in five sessions as follows: RNA metabolism in developing 

 embryos and organs (4 papers; 2 dealing with gene transcription in sea urchin and 

 amphibian embryos, respectively); RNA effects on in vivo synthesis of specific proteins 

 (5); Transfer of tissue specificity (5; 2 dealing with induction in avian and amphibian 

 embryos, respectively); Nucleic acid-induced changes in living systems (6; one dealing 

 with heart induction, one with epithelial-mesenchymal interaction in tooth rudiments); 

 Mechanisms of RNA action (5; one dealing with RNA-directed DNA synthesis in the 

 chick embryo). 



The luxurious production has resulted in an unnecessarily high price. Some of the 

 photographical illustrations are very pale. The number of printing errors is large. 



74. 



J.K.POLLAK and J.W.LEE, eds. 1973. THE BIOCHEMISTRY OF GENE EXPRESSION 



IN HIGHER ORGANISMS 



Reidel, Dordrecht, etc. X,656 pp., 311 figs., 127 tabs., subject index. D.fl. 120.- 



This volume contains the 36 papers presented at an international symposium held in 

 Sydney in May, 1972. The place of assembly is reflected in he fact that no less than 20 of 

 the contributions have one or more Australian authors. The work described deals with a 

 variety of organisms, both plant and animal. The great majority of the papers range in 

 length between 12 and 25 pages. 



The papers are arranged in six sections as follows: Chromosome structure and the 

 manipulation and analysis of genes (4 papers); Trancriptional and translational control 

 mechanisms (12); Gene expression and development (5); Gene expression in differ- 

 entiated cells (4); Gene expression in mitochondria and chloroplasts (5); and Gene 

 expression and the immune response (9). The authors in section three are Holtzer et al. 

 (on DNA synthesis requirement), Duck-Chong and Pollak (on membrane assembly in the 

 rat), Thomson (on Calliphora larval tissues), Kessler (on modulation of gene expression in 

 plants), and Millerd (on cell expansion in plants). 



The book is well printed but the photographic illustrations are not always optimally 

 reproduced. 



Books of readings 



75. 



THE SEA URCHIN. 1973. Vols. II and III: Molecular Biology 



MSS Inf. Corp., New York. Vol. II 202 pp., 61 figs., 4 pis., 20 tabs. $ 15.00, Vol. Ill 



222 pp., 61 figs., 1 pi., 13 tabs. $ 15.00 



For a general characterization of this series the reader is referred to Gen. Embryol. Inf. 

 Serv. vol. 15, pt. 1, page 242 (review nr. 139). 



Vol. II: Mitochondrial transcription in the early embryo (1 paper); nuclear and riboso- 



197 



