Cellular Membranes in Development

Cellular Membranes in Development covers the proceedings of the 1963 22nd Symposium on The Society for the Study of Development and Growth held in Storrs, Connecticut. This book is organized into 10 chapters that discuss the properties, isolation, function, composition, and physiological aspects of membranes. After briefly dealing with the principles of the unit membrane concept, the book describes the properties of lipid membranes of bilayer thickness with biological relevance. The next chapter focuses on hepatic cell and the modifications of the endoplasmic reticulum in cell differentiation in normal and cancerous growth. Another chapter describes the developmental changes in a particular experimental systems and the modification of the membranes by specific treatments using the apical portion of the primary root of Zea mays. The book also discusses the role of the different organelles in development, supporting the idea of topological continuity between the membranes of all the organelles except the mitochondria. Other chapters describe the cytology of oogenesis and fertilization in Pteridium aquilinum; the early events of fertilization in Hydroides and Saccoglossus; and the composition of cell walls of bacteria, yeast, and fungi. Some aspects of the capsules, microcapsules, and sheaths exhibited by some microorganisms are also covered. The last chapters deal with the quantitative aspects of plant cell permeation and permeability function and changes in relation to maturation and growth hormones. The book is an ideal source for cell biologists and researchers, evolutionists, and biochemists.