The scope of the 20th Mosbach Colloquium may be best illustrated by the
following notes sent to the speakers when the colloquium was organized.
"1) The application of inhibitors in cell biology has led to decisive
insight into the organisation of cellular units. The subject should be
treated against a background of current aspects of cell biology. In some
areas of research, a fairly complete picture of the functions and
cooperative interactions of the units has already emerged. We will
discuss mainly these areas. 2) At this colloquium we want to contribute
illustrations of the useful application of inhibitors to biological
problems. Due to limited knowledge, inhibitors are sometimes incorrectly
employed. This applies both to the planning of investigations and to the
con- clusions drawn ("use of inhibitors by uninhibited workers"). 3)
Inhibitors themselves are interesting substances and their mechanisms of
action constitute fascinating problems." The colloquium has been
subdivided into five sections. The known chemical structures of the
inhibitors discussed are given in an Appendix. We gratefully appreciate
the cooperation of the speakers. To a great extent, they managed the
coordination of contributions to each of the five subdivisions. We
regret that no contributors from Eastern Europe were able to
participate.