A widespread appreciation for the role that calcium plays in cell
physiology and patho- physiology has now been achieved due to the
pioneering studies of many of the scientists who attended the VIIth
International Spring Symposium on Health Sciences at George Washington
University in Washington, D. C. The participants in this unique meeting
rep- resented diverse fields of basic and clinical research, such as
molecular physiology, oncology, molecular genetics, cardiology,
bioenergetics, pathology, and endocrinology. The content of the
proceedings of the symposium represents work in these and other areas of
biomedical research. Organization of the book is aimed at striking a
balance between the biochemistry 2 and physiology of normal cell Ca +
metabolism and the pathological consequences of al- 2 terations in cell
Ca + homeostasis. The first section of the book is devoted to the
transport mechanisms responsible for 2 2 regulating intracellular Ca +
and the pharmacological modalities for controlling cell Ca + .
Particular attention is given to the molecular basis for plasma membrane
transport activities, 2 2 including the ATP-driven Ca + pump, the Na +
-Ca + exchange system, and voltage sensitive 2 Ca + channels. The second
section covers the exciting relationships between phosphoinositide
metab- 2 olism, signal transduction, and cell Ca + metabolism. This
section begins with an eloquent overview by Professor Michael Berridge,
who was the keynote speaker at the symposium and the recipient of the
scientific merit award.