Lipid Biochemistry of Fungi and Other Organisms

Only six years have passed since the precursor to this book, "Fungal Lipid Biochemistry," was published. It seemed to satisfy the need of a central comprehensive reference to which students and researchers could turn for information on the lipid composition and metabolism in fungi. This book was concerned with the distribution and biochemistry of lipids in fungi, and in many instances lipid metabolism was presented in a comparative context. The principal lipids covered were the aliphatic hydrocarbons, fatty acids, sterols, acylglycerols, phospholipids, and sphingolipids. The final two chapters of the book, contributed by Drs. William Hess and Darrell J. Weber, summarized fungal metabolism and ultrastructure during fungal spore germination and sporula- tion. The information in that book has been completely re-written, re-organized, expanded, updated, and is now pre- sented under the altered title of LIPID BIOCHEMISTRY of Fungi and Other Organisms. Some of the noteworthy additions in- clude (1) an expanded presentation of lipid classification, (2) brief description of the historical development of re- search on fungal lipids, (3) expanded presentation of lipid production during vegetative growth, and in relation to nutrient utilization, (4) the relatively new interpretation of the yeast fatty acid synthetase as a multifunctional enzyme rather than multienzyme complex, (5) the chemistry, distribution, and biosynthesis of polyprenols and carote- noids, and (6) condensation of the information on spore germination and sporulation into one chapter with greater emphasis on the involvement and role of lipids in these processes.