Bio-organic Chemistry has corne of age - the sign of this is the start of a new series of Lecture Notes that are the product and substrate of spreading this line of modern knowledge among graduate students and research workers in such fields as mechanistic biochemistry, bio­ mimetic organic chemistry, biotechnological application of enzymology, to name only a few examples of how many frontiers are opened and borders lifted - just at. the time when the demand for a'''Synthetic Biology" and "Molecular Biotechnology" is increasing - fields that have been neglected for (too) long a time by "classical" chemists in curricula and imagination. We hope that through this first volume, which pOints in the several directions mentioned above, the profile of the undertaking will become clear and that it will find resonance among the scientific community interested in the thoughtful application of chemical and physical con­ cepts to biochemical and molecular-biological problems.

Bio-organic Chemistry has corne of age - the sign of this is the start of a new series of Lecture Notes that are the product and substrate of spreading this line of modern knowledge among graduate students and research workers in such fields as mechanistic biochemistry, bio­ mimetic organic chemistry, biotechnological application of enzymology, to name only a few examples of how many frontiers are opened and borders lifted - just at. the time when the demand for a''''''Synthetic Biology" and "Molecular Biotechnology" is increasing - fields that have been neglected for (too) long a time by "classical" chemists in curricula and imagination. We hope that through this first volume, which pOints in the several directions mentioned above, the profile of the undertaking will become clear and that it will find resonance among the scientific community interested in the thoughtful application of chemical and physical con­ cepts to biochemical and molecular-biological problems.

This volume contains the Proceedings of the 25th Mosbach Colloquium, the general theme of which is the Biochemistry of Sensory Functions. It was intended, continuing the silver-tradition of these Colloquia, to provide the uninitiated biochemist with an insight into the current status of a line of research in Molecular Biology which, more than many other fields in Biochemistry, has maintained its contacts with and respect for Physiology. The speakers were asked to attempt to outline their topic sufficiently to define the fundamentals and to build up upon this basis the more sophisticated details of their own studies. It is for the reader to evaluate how well both organizer and participants 1 have attained this end • These Proceedings not only mirror the hubs around which several groups of scientists wheel but may also serve as a source of literature references and for the advanced student as an introduction to this highly up-to-date branch of Biochemistry, although no index is provided as the table of con­ tents is considered sufficient to locate most of the s,

This volume contains the Proceedings of the 25th Mosbach Colloquium, the general theme of which is the Biochemistry of Sensory Functions. It was intended, continuing the silver-tradition of these Colloquia, to provide the uninitiated biochemist with an insight into the current status of a line of research in Molecular Biology which, more than many other fields in Biochemistry, has maintained its contacts with and respect for Physiology. The speakers were asked to attempt to outline their topic sufficiently to define the fundamentals and to build up upon this basis the more sophisticated details of their own studies. It is for the reader to evaluate how well both organizer and participants 1 have attained this end • These Proceedings not only mirror the hubs around which several groups of scientists wheel but may also serve as a source of literature references and for the advanced student as an introduction to this highly up-to-date branch of Biochemistry, although no index is provided as the table of con­ tents is considered sufficient to locate most of the s,

The topic of this Mosbach Colloquium was meant as a question to begin with. When I started to study differentiation and morphogenesis in Volvox I hoped for a straightforward answer along prepared groove- only to find out that also here things follow Murphy''s Law: they were much more complicated than expected! Succour had to be sought. Thus, the idea arose to put this question before a board of experts. Experience would have warned any ex-service man never to utter an idea or else you would be made responsible, and it came as it had to come: I was made impressario of this gremium; I had to assemble the experts. These Proceedings contain their expertise. I cannot even say that I biased it by my picking. In the beginning I aimed at setting different accents by inclination and force of habit. Then, by trial and error, by advice and declination, the programme shaped itself. It eventually gained momentum of which also the size of this volume is indicative. In this volume are printed all the papers presented - with two regret­ ted exceptions - but not the sometimes lively discussion, which clari­ fied and pruned here and there. It would just have made the size too unwieldy. Differentiation and morphogenesis start with the expression of genes. The development programme reels off the genome and is regulated by the position of the appropriate genes. Their structure is in the focus of gene biochemistry since the decisive tools have become available.

The topic of this Mosbach Colloquium was meant as a question to begin with. When I started to study differentiation and morphogenesis in Volvox I hoped for a straightforward answer along prepared groove- only to find out that also here things follow Murphy's Law: they were much more complicated than expected! Succour had to be sought. Thus, the idea arose to put this question before a board of experts. Experience would have warned any ex-service man never to utter an idea or else you would be made responsible, and it came as it had to come: I was made impressario of this gremium; I had to assemble the experts. These Proceedings contain their expertise. I cannot even say that I biased it by my picking. In the beginning I aimed at setting different accents by inclination and force of habit. Then, by trial and error, by advice and declination, the programme shaped itself. It eventually gained momentum of which also the size of this volume is indicative. In this volume are printed all the papers presented - with two regret­ ted exceptions - but not the sometimes lively discussion, which clari­ fied and pruned here and there. It would just have made the size too unwieldy. Differentiation and morphogenesis start with the expression of genes. The development programme reels off the genome and is regulated by the position of the appropriate genes. Their structure is in the focus of gene biochemistry since the decisive tools have become available.

Bio-organic Chemistry has corne of age - the sign of this is the start of a new series of Lecture Notes that are the product and substrate of spreading this line of modern knowledge among graduate students and research workers in such fields as mechanistic biochemistry, bio­ mimetic organic chemistry, biotechnological application of enzymology, to name only a few examples of how many frontiers are opened and borders lifted - just at. the time when the demand for a'''Synthetic Biology" and "Molecular Biotechnology" is increasing - fields that have been neglected for (too) long a time by "classical" chemists in curricula and imagination. We hope that through this first volume, which pOints in the several directions mentioned above, the profile of the undertaking will become clear and that it will find resonance among the scientific community interested in the thoughtful application of chemical and physical con­ cepts to biochemical and molecular-biological problems.

Bio-organic Chemistry has corne of age - the sign of this is the start of a new series of Lecture Notes that are the product and substrate of spreading this line of modern knowledge among graduate students and research workers in such fields as mechanistic biochemistry, bio­ mimetic organic chemistry, biotechnological application of enzymology, to name only a few examples of how many frontiers are opened and borders lifted - just at. the time when the demand for a''''''Synthetic Biology" and "Molecular Biotechnology" is increasing - fields that have been neglected for (too) long a time by "classical" chemists in curricula and imagination. We hope that through this first volume, which pOints in the several directions mentioned above, the profile of the undertaking will become clear and that it will find resonance among the scientific community interested in the thoughtful application of chemical and physical con­ cepts to biochemical and molecular-biological problems.

This volume contains the Proceedings of the 25th Mosbach Colloquium, the general theme of which is the Biochemistry of Sensory Functions. It was intended, continuing the silver-tradition of these Colloquia, to provide the uninitiated biochemist with an insight into the current status of a line of research in Molecular Biology which, more than many other fields in Biochemistry, has maintained its contacts with and respect for Physiology. The speakers were asked to attempt to outline their topic sufficiently to define the fundamentals and to build up upon this basis the more sophisticated details of their own studies. It is for the reader to evaluate how well both organizer and participants 1 have attained this end • These Proceedings not only mirror the hubs around which several groups of scientists wheel but may also serve as a source of literature references and for the advanced student as an introduction to this highly up-to-date branch of Biochemistry, although no index is provided as the table of con­ tents is considered sufficient to locate most of the s,

This volume contains the Proceedings of the 25th Mosbach Colloquium, the general theme of which is the Biochemistry of Sensory Functions. It was intended, continuing the silver-tradition of these Colloquia, to provide the uninitiated biochemist with an insight into the current status of a line of research in Molecular Biology which, more than many other fields in Biochemistry, has maintained its contacts with and respect for Physiology. The speakers were asked to attempt to outline their topic sufficiently to define the fundamentals and to build up upon this basis the more sophisticated details of their own studies. It is for the reader to evaluate how well both organizer and participants 1 have attained this end • These Proceedings not only mirror the hubs around which several groups of scientists wheel but may also serve as a source of literature references and for the advanced student as an introduction to this highly up-to-date branch of Biochemistry, although no index is provided as the table of con­ tents is considered sufficient to locate most of the s,

The topic of this Mosbach Colloquium was meant as a question to begin with. When I started to study differentiation and morphogenesis in Volvox I hoped for a straightforward answer along prepared groove- only to find out that also here things follow Murphy''s Law: they were much more complicated than expected! Succour had to be sought. Thus, the idea arose to put this question before a board of experts. Experience would have warned any ex-service man never to utter an idea or else you would be made responsible, and it came as it had to come: I was made impressario of this gremium; I had to assemble the experts. These Proceedings contain their expertise. I cannot even say that I biased it by my picking. In the beginning I aimed at setting different accents by inclination and force of habit. Then, by trial and error, by advice and declination, the programme shaped itself. It eventually gained momentum of which also the size of this volume is indicative. In this volume are printed all the papers presented - with two regret­ ted exceptions - but not the sometimes lively discussion, which clari­ fied and pruned here and there. It would just have made the size too unwieldy. Differentiation and morphogenesis start with the expression of genes. The development programme reels off the genome and is regulated by the position of the appropriate genes. Their structure is in the focus of gene biochemistry since the decisive tools have become available.

The topic of this Mosbach Colloquium was meant as a question to begin with. When I started to study differentiation and morphogenesis in Volvox I hoped for a straightforward answer along prepared groove- only to find out that also here things follow Murphy's Law: they were much more complicated than expected! Succour had to be sought. Thus, the idea arose to put this question before a board of experts. Experience would have warned any ex-service man never to utter an idea or else you would be made responsible, and it came as it had to come: I was made impressario of this gremium; I had to assemble the experts. These Proceedings contain their expertise. I cannot even say that I biased it by my picking. In the beginning I aimed at setting different accents by inclination and force of habit. Then, by trial and error, by advice and declination, the programme shaped itself. It eventually gained momentum of which also the size of this volume is indicative. In this volume are printed all the papers presented - with two regret­ ted exceptions - but not the sometimes lively discussion, which clari­ fied and pruned here and there. It would just have made the size too unwieldy. Differentiation and morphogenesis start with the expression of genes. The development programme reels off the genome and is regulated by the position of the appropriate genes. Their structure is in the focus of gene biochemistry since the decisive tools have become available.