Biomed. & ~u~a~Gt~~r.* 42 (1989) 392-393 @ Elsevier, Paris

Glutatbione conjugation. Mechanisms and Biological Significance. H. Sies, 8. Ketterer. Academic Press, London, 1988.

Glutathione conjugation is the formation of a thioether between glutathione and a compound with an electro- philic centre - a process usually associated with detoxication and excretion. Work in this field began over one hundred years ago, when bromobenxyl mercapturic acid was isolated from the urine of dogs fed bromobe~ene (Baumann and Preusse, 1879; Jaff&, 1879) and, as time passed, rner~p~~c acids of other foreign compounds were also isolated and character- ized. The means of their formation was to remain unknown until their origin as metabolites of gluta- thione conjugates was established in 1959 (Barnes et al., 1959; Bray et ob, 19591, the enxymic catalysis of glutathione conjugation was described in 1961 (Booth et al., 1961) and the enzymes responsible were even- tually purified in 1974 (Habig et al, 1974). A new development quite unrelated to detoxication, emerged in 1979, when glutathione conjugation was shown to participate in the biosynthesis of leukotrienos, chemical mediators of profound physiological importance (Hammarstrom et al., 1979). These are some of the landmarks in the past development of a field which is now growing at an accelerating pace. This book, published in 1988, one hundred years after the Rey Pailhade discovered the substance ‘hydrogenant le souffre’ which proved to be glutathione (Hopkins, 1929; Harington and Mead, 1935) is intended to give a comprehensive account of its present status. Experts have been selected from specialized areas, such as organic chemistry, radiation chemistry, enxymology, molecular biology, genetics, cell physiology, toxicology, oncology, pharmacokinetics and environmental medi- cine, to give their particular perspectives on the subject of glu~~ione ~nju~tion. The chapters presented in this book are written largely for people with research interests in the field of glutathione conjugation. It is also hoped that this book will be seen by the general reader and generate in him or her curiosity about one of the means whereby nature protects cells and com- plex organisms from many of the endogenous and exogenous hazards associated with life on this planet.

Cell cycle contd in euk~~~~, Current Communica- tions in Molecular Biology. D. Beach, C. Basilica, J. Newport. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, 1988.

The biochemical events underlying cell growth and passage through the division cycle are closely related,

yet tend to be studied in different ways : growth control and oncogenesis in cultures of mammalian cells in v&o and passage through the cell cycle by studies in yeast,

urchin and frog. The past few years have brou8ht rapid advances in the molecular characterization of oncogenes, growth factors, and cell cycle genes. As a result, a coherent understanding of how the events of the cell cycle are controlled is beginning to emerge. A timely survey of this rapidly evolving topic was conducted at a meeting in March 1988 at the Banbury Center. This volume, which summarizes the meeting, will benefit all who are interested in the cell and molecular biology of the cell cycle and cell growth.

Blood sub&it&s. Reparation, Physiology and Medical Applications. ICC. Lowe. VCH Verlagsgesellschaft, Weinheim, Basel, Cambridge, New York, 1988.

This book reviews progress in the development of synthetic blood substitutes omening with a histori- cal overview which also establishes the clinical require- ments for such materials. These are divided into two convenient and broad categories : plasma substitutes and red cell substitutes, some of which are already in wide clinical use whilst others are still at the develop- ment stage. An investigation of the characteristics, effects and side-effects of plasma substitutes is follow- ed by an outline of the physiological problems arising from h~erno~hagi~ shock and a discussion of the advantages of electrolyte solutions and colloids in volume replacement. The section concerning gas-trans- potting blood substitutes deals with two preparations based either on haemoglobin or emulsions of per- fluorochemicals (PFCs), described from the viewpoints of production, properties, biological assessment and potential applications for blood replacement and rela- ted uses.

Breast cancer : scientf& end clinical progross. proceed- ings of the Biennial Conference for the International Association of Breast Cancer Research, Miami, Florida, USA, March l-5, 1987. M.A. Rich, J.C. Hager, D.M. Lopez. Rluwer Academic, Boston, 1988.

Effective control of breast cancer depends on three types of research ac~mplishment - understanding the disease’s origins and progression; su~ssfully applying this knowledge to methods of detection, diagnosis and treatment; and finding ways to make these advances truly available to the public as effectively as possible. The significant progress that is occurring across this entire spectrum of pioneering investigation is reflected in these Proceedings of the 1987 Biennial Conference