Book Reviews EXTRACELLULAR AND SUPPORTING STROCTOaES (Co•vam•NS•V• B•o- Cim•mTRV), edited by M. Florkin and E. H. Stolz, Vol. 26A and B, American Elsevier Publishing Co., Inc., New York, 1968. 295 pp., illustrated. Price $17. The literature of biochemistry is expanding so rapidly the nonspecialist can be grateful to a series which assembles the most pertinent ma- terial in a given area. "Extracel- lular and Supporting Structures" is the title of Volumes 26A-C of Else- vier series on comprehensive bio- chemistry. Since the appearance in 1962 of the first volumes, every addi- tion to the series has been a valuable contribution to the interrelationships of biochemistry, physiology, and med- icine. With present mainstream efforts in biochemistry devoted to structure and function of intracellular or- ganelles, particularly in mammalian cells, it is important to note the ad- vances made in the area of extra- cellular and supporting structures. Volume 26A contains four chapters. In the first chapter on the Biochem- istry of the Plant Cell Wall by S. M. 905 Siegel, the extraction, separation, and chemical characterization of poly- saccharides, polyuronides, and lig- nins have been treated, followed by present knowledge of the biosynthesis of these components. From a nearly unlimited mass of literature, the author has brought together a 47- page summary with a most useful bibliography by topic. In the second chapter, a cooperative effort between Ghuysen (Liege) and Strominger and Tipper (Madison), a concise but thorough treatment has been ac- corded the structure and biosyn- thesis of the peptidoglycans of bac- terial cell walls, followed by the nature of the protein antigens, poly- saccharides, teichoic acids and lipids of gram-positive bacteria. Chapter III comprises a 107-page thorough treatment, with extensive bibliography, of the somatic and capsular antigens of gram-negative bacteria (Lfideritz, Jann, and Wheat). The principal attention is devoted to the polysaccharide, protein, and lipid components of the somatic O-antigen from various bacteria, followed by characterization of the R-antigens, biosynthesis of 0 and R types, an•

906 JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS finally a brief treatment of the cap- sular antigens. The final chapter on Calcified Shells by Wilbur and Simkiss com- pares particularly the biochemical development of avian eggshells and molluscan shells. Considerations of the organic matrix, inorganic com- position, crystal structure, and elec- tron microscopy combine to make a unique treatment of the subject. Volume 26B continues with four chapters discussing collagen, car- tilage, silk, and keratin. The chapter "The Nature of Collagen" by Allen J. Bailey, Cambridge (115 pp., 403 refs.), is a thorough digest of a com- plex subject, ranging from the bio- logical to chemical aspects, including short sections on experimental lathy- rism, immunochemistry of collagen, and aging. The various theories of collagen structure are developed and critically examined. "Cartilage" by A. J. Barrett (40 pp., 346 refs.) provides a succinct and factual review of the subject, pro- viding particularly information on the protein-polysaccharide complexes of cartilage, structure and properties of the matrix, and biosynthesis of the matrix components. The third chapter by F. Lucas and K. M. Rudall on Extracellular Fibrous Proteins treats the general subject of silks, their production, amino acid composition, structure, and conforma- tion. In the chapter by K. M. Rudall en- titled "Intracellular Fibrous Proteins and the Keratins" (31 pp., 73 refs.), the general subject of keratins and keratinization is reviewed. Of par- ticular interest is the role of Vitamin A in keratinization, the cellular organization responsible, and the proteins of the epidermis.--BERNARD !Dso•--Hoffman-LaRoche, Inc.