I was intrigued with the title Eicosanoids and Related Compounds in Plants and Animals because of my interest in eicosanoid biochemistry and the fact that most biochemistry texts cover the mammalian component (briefly) but include nothing on plants or other eukaryotic systems. How do eicosanoids function in plants? I wanted to know.

The driving force for this book was the session specifically devoted to Non-Mammalian Eicosanoids at each of the 8th, 9th, and 10th International Conferences on Prostaglandins and Related Compounds. This collection probably represents one of the first attempts to gather a broad cross-section of the work in this field. The editors do not wish to repeat material available in key reviews elsewhere. Instead, they provide a useful bibliography, including books, review articles and important works for further reading. Each chapter incorporates an extensive list of references and the book includes a subject index. The editors, judging by the numbers of recent publications, are active researchers in this field.

The book is divided into two sections. The first covers the enzymes and factors involved in the biosynthesis of eicosanoids. There is an introductory chapter on pathways, which includes both animal and plant systems. The next five chapters examine the diversity and evolutionary aspects of several proteins: cyclooxygenases; lipooxygenases, both mammalian and plant; and 5-lipooxygenase-activating-protein. This section concludes with a chapter covering the production of oxygenated fatty acid derivatives that are produced by or are active in fungi, as broadly defined.

The second section of the book covers the functional aspects of eicosanoids and related compounds. Two chapters dealing with lipoxygenases in plants are followed by three chapters on eicosanoids in invertebrates, amphibians, and fish. The second section was of the most interest to me personally because I was able find answers to my initial question. How do these eicosanoids work in plants? Not surprisingly, they function as signal molecules in plants as they do in animals.

The biochemistry of signaling molecules in general, and specifically those that are lipids, is rapidly expanding. Having investigated certain aspects of fatty acid metabolism, I found that this book opened my eyes to all sorts of interesting research projects. In fact, several chapters in the second section offered suggestions for future work. As a faculty member in a small undergraduate department, I am interested in research projects on systems that are easily adapted for undergraduate students. I am also interested in projects that can be related to mammalian systems. This book served as an excellent introduction to the broad field of eicosanoid chemistry. I found it a valuable resource of information and I would expect that my students would be able to grasp the big picture from the book while identifying further literature resources which would be useful references.