Discovered and first isolated in 1966 in C. De Duve's laboratory, peroxisomes - organelles which are present in nearly all eukaryotic cells - are still not fully understood. More than 40 peroxisomal enzymes catalyzing a variety of reactions have been characterized. Moreover, peroxisomes can be regarded as toxicological indicators: several compounds, including hypolipemic drugs, plasticizers or pesticides trigger their proliferation. This proliferation may lead to hepatocarcinogenesis in rodents. Interest in peroxisomes stems not only fromtheir biology, but also because there is a deficiency...

This manual on "Dynamics of Membrane Proteins and Cellular Energetics" is the result of a FEBS-CNRS Course held in Grenoble and Besanc;{on in September 1987.' It appears to be, after the first, published in 1979 the fifth of the series. After focussing on the "Biochemistry of Membranes" (1979) it was the turn of "Membrane Proteins" (1981) and of Enzymes, Receptors and Carriers of Biological Membranes (1983), fo1- wed by "Membrane Proteins Isolation and Characterization" ( 1986) . Al though the central issue has always been the its components and its functions, each biological membrane, manual...