In September, 1976, the International Federation for Cell Biology held its first congress in Boston. On this occasion Berlin was chosen as the site for the next congress. This meant an acknowledgement and at the same time a heavy burden for the still young European Cell Biology Organization, which repre sents a junction of European societies and groups for cell biology. In practical terms, this meant that the members of the young and, compared to the Ame rican Society for Cell Biology, small German Society for Cell Biology had to do a good deal of the organizing of the Cell Biology Congress. This is an op portunity for me, as Chairman of the Organizing Committee, and also on be half of the German Society for Cell Biology, to express my gratitude to all those who have actively participated in the preparations for this Cell Biology Congress. The success of the Congress in Berlin was to a significant extent due to their work. In particular, I would like to especially thank the Secretary General ofECBO Werner Franke, Heidelberg, as well as the Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee, Peter Giesbrecht, Berlin, for the excellent job they did. The Congress in Berlin proved to be significantly larger than that in Boston in 1976. The number of abstracts increased from 1200 to more than 1800. They have been published in the European Journal of Cell Biology. In a simi lar way the number of symposia and workshops expanded.

'Opening Lecture

The City of Berlin and Some Modern Approaches to the Cancer Problem.
Genomes and Gene Expression
Examination of the Genes Coding for ?- and ?-Tubulin.
Transcription of Complex Structural Genes in the Xenopus Oocyte System.
The Transcription of Satellite and Ribosomal DNA Sequences on Lampbrush Chromosomes of Crested Newts.
Structures of the U-snRNAs.
The Association of Small Nuclear RNA Species with Rapidly Sedimenting Subnuclear Structures.
RNA Processing in Frog Oocytes Microinjected with Cloned Genes.
Composition and Structural Organization of Nuclear Ribonucleoprotein in Amphibian Oocytes.
The Large hnRNP Complexes of Rat Liver. Protein and RNA Moieties.
hnRNP Protein Distribution in Various Differentiated Vertebrate Cells.
Interaction of Eukaryotic Ribosomes with Messenger RNA: Evidence for a Scanning Mechanism.
Structural Organization of the Escherichia coli Ribosomes and Localization of Functional Domains.
The Ribosome as a Phylogenetic Probe.
The Isolation, from the Perikarya of Cholinergic Neurones, of mRNAs Capable of Synthesizing Synaptic Proteins in Cell-free Systems.
Gene Transfer in Xenopus Eggs and Oocytes.
A Microinjection Technique Converting Living Cells into Test Tubes.
Structure of DNA in Chromatin.
Evidence for the Existence of Globular Units in the Supranucleosomal Organization of Chromatin.
Higher Order Structure in Chromosomes.
Chromatin Assembly and the Co-ordination of DNA Replication in the Eukaryotic Chromosome.
The Use of Mutants in the Analysis of Meiosis.
Chromosomal Axes During and After Diplotene.
Unusual Mechanisms of Chromosome Pairing in Arthropoda.
Chromosome Pairing, Crossing Over, Chiasma Formation and Disjunction as Revealed by Three Dimensional Reconstructions.
The Nuclear Matrix: Modulator of Nuclear Membrane Fluidity?
The Nuclear Matrix: A Structural Milieu for the Intranuclear Attachment and Replication of Eucaryotic DNA.
Organization and Expression of Genetic Information in Human Mitochondrial DNA.
The Biogenesis of Mitochondria in Yeast and Other Primitive Eukaryotes.
Chloroplast and Nucleus: Concerted Interplay Between Genomes of Different Cell Organelles. The Emil Heitz Lecture.
Cytoskeleton
Microtubule-dependent Intracellular Transport in Chromatophores.
Intermediate Filaments: Intracellular Diversities and Interspecies Homologies.
Changes in Intermediate-Sized Filaments During Myogenesis and Neurogenesis.
Microfilament-Membrane Interactions in Cell Shape and Surface Architecture.
The Anchorage of Cell Surface Receptors to the Cytoskeleton.
F-Actin Patterns Quantitated with FI-Phalloidin in Skin Fibroblasts of Individuals Genetically Predisposed to Colon Cancer.
The Polymerization of Actin.
Physiological Aspects of Actomyosin-Based Cell Motility.
Microtubule Polarity and Interaction in Mitotic Spindle Function.
Quantitative Structure Analysis of the Mitotic Spindle.
Physiology of Chromosome Movement in Lysed Cell Models.
Molecular Morphogenesis of the Z-Disc in Muscle Cells.
Pathology and Pathogenicity
Surface Determinants in American Trypanosomes.
Use of Mutants to Study the Biochemistry of the Host-parasite Relationship in Cultured Cells Infected with Toxoplasma gondii.
Correction of Lysosomal Enzyme Deficiences by Enzyme Replacement.
Disorders of Contractile and Cytoskeletal Elements - Introduction.
The Cytoskeleton and Neuronal Disease.
Genetic Disorders of Cilia.
Cellular Transformation by Polyoma Virus.
Rous Sarcoma Virus Transformation: Action of the Src Gene Product.
What is the Significance of Chromosome Aberrations in Malignant Cells?
Molecular Control of Disease Resistance in Plants.
Differentiation and Development
Polarity and Gradients in Tip Growing Plant Cells.
Polarity Changes and Tissue Organization in Plants.
Polarity and Gradients i