A NATO Advanced Study Institute on "New Developments in Lipid-Protein Interactions and Receptor Function" was held on the Island of Spetsai, Greece, from August 16-27, 1992. This Institute was organized to bring together researchers in the field of membrane organization and dynamics with those actively involved in studies on receptor function, signal transduction mechanisms and gene regulation. 2 Presentations and discussions focussed on the regulation of intracellular Ca +-levels, on the second messengers derived from inositol lipids and on the specific phospholipase C isozymes involved in these processes. A major focus was on G-proteins and the effect of lipid anchors on their function. These principles of regulation were further discussed in the context of receptors for acetylcholine, lysophosphatidic acid and low-density lipoproteins. In addition, various aspects of the genomic regulation of cell growth and differentiation by transcription factors were presented. These topics were put into perspective by discussing the most recent developments in lipid-protein interactions, protein insertion into membranes, membrane lipid organization and lipid dynamics as mediated by phospholipid transfer proteins. This book presents the content of the major lectures and a selection of the most relevant of the most important topics posters. These proceedings offer a comprehensive account presented during the course of the Institute. The book is intended to make these proceedings accessible to a large audience.

Components of Signal Transduction.- Intracellular Ca2+ Stores: Why, Where and How?.- The Metabolic Fates and Cellular Functions of Myoinositol.- Activation Mechanisms of Phospholipase C Isozymes.- Tumor Necrosis Factor Cytotoxicity Is Associated with Activation of Cellular Phospholipases.- Relationship between Phospholipase C, Tyrosine-Kinases and Cytoskeleton in Thrombin-Stimulated Platelets.- Lipid Modifications of GTP-Binding Regulatory Proteins.- Receptor Function and Regulation.- Lysophosphatidic Acid as a Lipid Mediator: Signal Transduction and Receptor Identification.- The Role of Lipoprotein Receptors in the Growth of Chicken Oocytes.- Modulation of Opioid Receptor Function by Membrane Lipids.- A Pharmacological Approach to Identify Hormone Signaling Pathways Controlling Gene Regulation in Dictyostelium.- Glycosyl-Phosphatidylinositol: Role in Neurotrophic Factors Signalling.- Pharmacological, Electrophysiological and Molecular Analysis of a Dopamine Receptor in a Specific Subset of Neurons in the Central Nervous System of the Pond Snail Lymnaea stagnalis.- Transcription Factors and Gene Regulation.- Regulation of Gene Expression in Rodent Hepatocytes.- Transcription Factor CREM: A Key Element of the Nuclear Response to cAMP.- Three-Dimensional Structure of the Human Retinoic Acid Receptor-? DNA Binding Domain: Implications for DNA-Binding.- Molecular Genetics of Plasma Lipid Transfer Proteins.- Biosynthesis, Insertion and Function of Membrane Components.- Targeting Signals and Mechanisms of Protein Insertion into Membranes.- Recognition of Precursor Proteins by the Mitrochondrial Protein Import Apparatus.- A Short N-Terminal Domain of Mitrochondrial Creating Kinase is Involved in Octamer Formation but not in Membrane Binding.- Transmembrane Lipid Asymmetry inEukaryotes.- Phosphatidylinositol Transfer Protein and Membrane Vesicle Flow.- Modification of Cellular Phospholipid Composition and Consequences for Membrane Structure and function.- Phospholipid Headgroups as Sensors of Electric Charge.- Membrane Phospholipids Act as DNA/RNA Receptors during Formation of Specific DNA-Nuclear Membrane Contacts and Gene Expression. A Hypothesis Based on the Study of Interaction between Phospholipid Vesicles and DNA or Polynucleotides.- Mode of Phospholipid Binding to the Membrane Active Plant Toxin Phoratoxin-A.- Biosynthesis of Glycosyl-Phosphatidylinositol Protein Anchors in African Trypanosomes.- Membrane Peroxidation and Protection.- The Effects of Oxygen-Derived Free Radicals on Lipids, Protein and their Interactions: Pathological Implications.- The Vitamin E Antioxidant Cycle in Health and Disease.- Contributors.