The Cell Membrane, 1984 Its Role in Interaction with the Outside World

The contents of this book reflect a symposium held in honor of Professor Herman Kalckar's seventy-fifth birthday. His impact on the history of biochemistry is reflected by the diversity of the contributions of his former students and friends. Speakers came from Asia, Europe, and the United States to discuss both procaryotes and eukaryotes. The unifying theme was the cell membrane, both its organization and its function. Ektobiology, a topic that has held the attention of Professor Kalckar for many years, was clearly defined as a central topic in biology. This subject deals with the key structure whereby the cell interacts with the outside world and which, in a sense, defines the boundary between what is the cell and what is not. Topics discussed include the biogenesis of membrane proteins, sugars and lipids, the role of membrane components in osmoregula­ tion, and mechanisms of nutrient transport. Of great interest is the system for surface recognition evolved in vertebrates, exemplified by the HLA system of man. Neoplasia causes changes in the cell membrane that may be of significant future potential in the diagnosis and treatment of malignancies as well as in the understanding of the process of transformation. The changes in glycosphingolipids and carbohydrate antigens in relation to oncogenesis are detailed. I should like to recognize Doctors Kurt J. Isselbacher, Phillips W. Robbins, Victor Ginsburg, and Hiroshi Nikaido for their ,assistance in organizing the symposium. Ms. Jean Brumbaugh deserves special thanks for putting this book together.

Herman Kalckar: An Appreciation.- The Cell Membrane of Procaryotes.- Outer Membrane Permeability of Gram-Negative Bacteria in Their Interaction with the Outside World.- Biogenesis of Membrane Lipoproteins in Bacteria.- Periplasmic Membrane-Derived Oligosaccharides and Osmoregulation in Escherichia coli.- Approaches to the Biochemistry of Protein Secretion in Bacteria.- Two Mechanisms of Biosyntheses of Antibiotic Peptides.- Transmembrane Channels Made by Colicins.- Significance of Lipopolysaccharide Structure for Questions of Taxonomy and Phylogenetical Relatedness of Gram-Negative Bacteria.- Cloning and Expression of Genes Encoding the nupG Nucleoside Transport System in Escherichia coli.- From Herman Kalckar’s Galactose Recapture to the Galactose Chemoreceptor.- Glycerol Utilization by Facilitated Diffusion Coupled to Phosphorylation in Bacteria.- Mechanisms of Cellular Protein Localization.- The Cell Membrane of Eukaryotes.- Ektobiology, Growth Control and Cancer.- Carbohydrate Antigens of Cell Surfaces Detected by Monoclonal Antibodies.- Studies on a Cancer Associated Glycoprotein.- Glycosphingolipids as Markers for Development and Differentiation and as Regulators of Cell Proliferation.- Probing the Macrophage Surface: Alterations in Specific Surface Carbohydrates Accompany Macrophage Activation.- Harderian Gland as a Model Organ for Study of Lipid Metabolism.- Surface Changes Observed on Neural Tissues During Development of Avian Embryos.- Energy-Requiring Regulation of Hexose Transport, as Studied in Fibroblast Cultures of a Metabolic Mutant.- Human Histocompatibility Antigens: Genes and Proteins.- When Ecto and Endobiology Merge: Monitoring Ischemic Cell Death.- Eukaryotic Transport Control: the Turnover Years.