The continuation of an annual series, Enzymology and Molecular Biology of Carbonyl Metabolism is the largest collection of articles on the three major gene families. The scope of the chapters, contributed by leading international scientists, is wide and covers gene regulation to enzyme mechanisms and protein structure. This is the only publication dealing in such depth with just three gene families. It is an important reference for researchers in toxicology and molecular biology.

This volume contains information on aldehyde dehydrogenase, alcohol dehydrogenase, short- and medium-chain dehydrogenase, and reductases. Sixty-nine contributions provide a wide variety of information on enzymology, molecular biology, and metabolic aspects of these carbonyl metabolizing oxido-reductases. Much new information is provided, including previously unreported three-dimensional structures of enzymes and new aspects of gene regulation, along with sequence alignments, metabolism and enzyme mechanisms.

Prior to the start of the eighth meeting, I had the good sense to ask Professor Rosa Angela Canuto of Turin, Italy if she would help me organize the ninth meeting. She quickly suggested that both she and Dr. Guiliana Muzio, also of Turin, help plan the meet- ing. Each of our previous eight meetings was a unique experience for the participants. The science was always outstanding and the presentations and discussions were excellent. By moving each meeting to a different part of the world we were able to experience exciting foods and cultural aspects of the world in addition to the science. The...