The symposium upon which this book is based, combines the findings of both plant and animal scientists, encouraging them to share their outlook and experiences in the common ground of hormone perception and signal transduction. Major advances have been made in the isolation of receptors for animal hormones and in analyzing early effects on gene expression, while the majority of research effort in the plant field was still devoted to hormone metabolism, transport and general physiology. But, recently an increasing research effort has been focused on the detection and characterization of hormone receptors in plants, on investigation of their possible signal transduction mechanisms, and the development of probes of primary changes in gene transcription. Although the level of understanding in plant science is behind that of the animal field, progress has been sufficiently encouraging that it seemed timely to bring, plant and animal researchers together to discuss the current state of the art. Similarities and differences in the action of different kinds of hormone, and where the next advances were likely to come from, are also discussed.

Table of Contents:
Are receptor-associated nuclear proteins associated with the earliest effects of steroid hormones?, E.E.Baulieu, et al; regulation of epidermal growth factor receptor expression and activation - a brief review, J.D.Haley; muscarinic acetylcholine receptors - typical G-coupled receptors, E.C.Hulme; characterization of auxin receptors, M.A.Venis and R.M.Napier; use of mutants and transformed plants to study of the action of auxins, H.Barbier-Brygoo, et al; gibberellin perception in the avena fatua aleurone, R.Hooley; ethylene - receptors and action, M.A.Hall; fusiococcin - receptors and endogenous ligands, P.Aducci, et al; phytotropins - receptors and endogenous ligands, P.H.Rubery; muscarinic receptor regulation of protein kinase C distribution and phosphatidylcholine hydrolysis, J.H.Brown, et al; the role and specificity of guanine nucleotide binding proteins in receptor-effector coupling, G.Milligan, et al; recent developments in our understanding of the inositol lipid signalling system, C.J.Kirk; the synthesis of inositol polyphosphates in rat liver by 5 and 6 kinase activities, S.B.Shears and P.J.Hughes; phosphoinositides and plant growth substance action, D.E.Hanke; stimulation and inhibition of adenylyl cyclase, C.Reithmann; two kinases mediate agoinst-dependent phosphorylation and desensitization of the p2-adrenergic receptor, W.P.Hausdorff, et al; roles of protein kinases and phosphatases in signal transduction, D.G.Hardie; phospholipase A2 and phospholipid-activated protein kinase in plant signal transduction, G.F.E.Scherer; calcium and plant hormone action, M.J.Saunders; oligosaccharins from xyloglucan and cellulose - modulators of the action of auxin and H+ on plant growth, S.C.Fry, et al; auxin binding proteins from maize coleoptiles - purification and molecular characterization, K.Palme, et al.