level. More than half of the contributors were from India, some institutes being particu- 

 larly well represented: the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, the Bose Institute, the 

 Indian Institute of Science, and the National Chemical Laboratory. Most of the contribu- 

 tions are research reports or reviews of recent work. 



The 55 papers are arranged in the following sections: Cell cycle and its regulation (6 

 papers). General mechanisms influencing cellular growth and differentiation (8), Surface 

 properties and role of membrane-linked events in cellular multipUcation (5), Differentia- 

 tion and replication of immunocompetent cells: regulation of immune response by 

 hormones and nutritional factors (12), Action of growth promoting and developmental 

 hormones (14), Fertilization and early embryonic development (8 papers, most of them 

 of direct interest to mammalian embryologists). Central nervous system: genetic controls 

 (2). 



The book is very well produced and illustrated. 



DEVELOPMENTAL BIOCHEMISTRY, MOLECULAR BIOLOGY (see also 3,7,21,35,36, 



82,90,92,93,96,98,99,1 10,1 11,1 16,1 19) 



Treatises 



101. 



R. WEBER, ed. 1975. THE BIOCHEMISTRY OF ANIMAL DEVELOPMENT. Vol. III. 



Molecular aspects of animal development 



Academic Press, New York, etc. XVI, 509 pp., 78 figs., 52 tabs., author, taxonomic, and 



subject indexes. $ 35.00, £ 16.80 



Contributors: Bass, Boell, Church, Eppenberger, Gregg, Greenfield, Hogan, Klein, 

 Knowland, Lane, Merker, Neubert, Schultz, Smith, Tiedemann, Tobler 



Vols. I and II of this multi-author treatise appeared in 1965 and '67, respectively. The 

 series is now concluded by a volume highUghting several areas where the impact of 

 molecular biology has been particularly strong. The result is a selective but extremely 

 useful collection of well-organised reviews. The discussions are largely restricted to 

 vertebrate eggs and embryos. 



The subjects treated are oocyte maturation, transcription in early mammahan em- 

 bryos, gene amplification, the Xcnopus oocyte test system for transcription, post- 

 transcriptional control of protein synthesis, iso-enzyme patterns, morphogenetic sub- 

 stances, growth-promoting proteins, and functional differentiation of mitochondria. 



The most recent literature cited dates from 1972 in some chapters, from 1973 in 

 others (with occasional titles from 1974). The book is well produced and illustrated and 

 contains much tabular material. 



Monographs 



102. 



U. DREWS. 1975. CHOLINESTERASE IN EMBRYONIC DEVELOPMENT 



Fischer, Stuttgart. Progr. Histochem. Cytochem. vol. 7, no. 3. VI, 52 pp., 38 figs., 2 tabs., 

 subject index. DM 50.00 (paper) 



Review of work carried out over nearly ten years but so far only pubUshed in German; 

 cholinesterase found in cells engaged in morphogenetic movements; sea urchin and chick 

 embryos and a variety of other cell types, including chick limb mesenchyme forming 

 cartilage in vitro ; good micrographs and diagrams. 



209 



