Biochemistry of the Amino Acids

organization of photoreceptor systems, they analyze in detail photosynthesis, photoperiodism and photomorphogenesis (including phytochrome), photo-tropism and phototaxis, direct stimulation by light and vision. They then describe deleterious effects of radiations, photoreactivation and optical activity in biological systems. The appendices contain physical constants, conversion factors, statements on lasers, filter data for isolation of absorption studies, thermopile and chemical actinometer methods for determination of light intensities and an assay for ATP, using firefly extracts. The authors know their subject well, have done a good job of organization and in general have presented a coherent and lively discussion of the subject matter covered. Obviously they have their special strengths and weaknesses. Thus we should expect to find, and do find, bioluminescence treated especially well, while such subjects as phototropism are treated less surely because of the authors' unfamiliarity with the rather large and complex literature in this field. All in all this is a most welcome addition to the photobiological literature. Both the authors and the AIBS are to be congratulated on the timeliness and high quality of their product. of text and 232 of index). The first edition of Dr. Meister's book was a relatively modest volume of less than 500 pages. During the eight years since it appeared, so much new data relating to amino acid biochemistry has been accumulated that the book has been enlarged twofold to accommodate the newer findings. Three fields in particular have expanded so rapidly that each now forms the subject of a separate chapter. Of these, one (Chapter III) deals with compounds that, in one way or another, can inhibit the metabolism of natural amino acids. A host of such amino acid antagonists, some obtained from natural sources and others known only as products of synthetic organic chemistry, have been studied in recent years, often in an attempt to find specific inhibitors of the growth of tumors or pathogenic microorganisms. Another new chapter (V) is concerned with the biosynthesis of naturally occurring peptides (including peptide antibiotics and bacterial cell-wall peptides) and with the more complex subject of protein synthesis (including the role of the nucleic acid code in the determination of the amino acid sequence in proteins). Of special importance are the author's evaluation of the current hypotheses concerned with the mechanism of protein synthesis and discussion of the "unanswered questions" in this field. Finally (Chapter VII), there is a description of some disorders of …