Biomembranes are not only principal constituents of the cell but also a major site of biological activity. Studies on biomembranes are therefore, crucial for furthering our understanding of life processes. A special research project on biomembranes involving more than 100 in- vestigators was conducted under a grant from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture of Japan between 1978 and 1981. This has resulted in marked progress on basic biomedical studies on biomembranes in Japan. This book is a compilation of several major developments made during this project in the field of...