Abstract

Molecular Basis of Biological Activity documents the proceedings of a symposium on the Molecular Basis of Biological Activity held in Caracas, Venezuela, July 11-17, 1971. This was the First Meeting of the Pan-American Association of Biochemical Societies (PAABS), and was organized by the Asociacion Venezolana de Bioquimica.
The book begins by presenting a lecture on advances in the study of the mechanism of polysaccharide synthesis. This is followed by studies on rabbit muscle aldolase; the catalytic function of α-glycerolphosphate dehydrogenase; the functional and structural roles of metals in metalloenzymes; and enzyme adaptation in mammals. Separate chapters cover collagen biosynthesis and the mechanisms involved in its regulation; the organization of lipids in bilayers; the behavior of water-lipid interactions; the permease or transport systems in the mitochondrial membrane; and interaction between TTX and STX with isolated nerve membrane constituents. The final chapter examines the coupling of respiration via specific dehydrogenases to the transport of amino acids and many sugars.