Advances in Lipid Research, Volume 23 provides information pertinent to mammalian as well as plant metabolism. This book presents important data on apoproteins, which may offer a foothold for further probes of the genetics underlying increased susceptibility to ischemic heart disease. Organized into seven chapters, this volume begins with an overview of the molecular biology of human apolipoproteins B and E. This text then explains the lipid metabolism of dermatophytes and describes their lipid composition and how it may be modulated. Other chapters consider the function, distribution, and biosynthesis of the sterols of fungi and examine the influences of fungal sterols on membrane fluidity. This book discusses as well the biosynthesis and degradation of platelet-activating factor (PAF) as well as its physiological function. The final chapter deals with one specific area of PAF activity, namely, renal processes. This book is a valuable resource for biologist, biochemists, chemists, and clinicians.