This special issue of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry good source of information in this regard. contains original research papers as well as invited reviews We wish to thank all of the contributors for their help and dedicated, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the in cooperation. We also wish to thank Mrs. Verona Kuhle for auguration of the Heart Research Group in Beriin-Buch that her secretarial help. We are grateful to Dr. Naranjan S. Dhalla, today forms a part there ofthe Max Delbriick Center for Mo Editor-in-Chief of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry for his lecular Medicine, to Professor Albert Wollenberger, founder interest and encouragement, and for agreeing to publish this of the Heart Research Group and for 21 years its head. issue in honor of Albert Wollenberger. The papers in this issue are written by researchers work ing in the field of cardiovascular research who together with ERNST-GEORG KRAUSE and ROLAND VETTER Albert Wollenberger share the belief that an integrative ap Max Delbriick Center for Molecular Medicine plication of advances in molecular and cellular biology will Robert-Rossle-StraBe 10 lead to new concepts for treatment and prevention of cardio 13122 Beriin-Buch vascular diseases. We hope that this special will serve as a Gennany ALBERT WOLLENBERGER, Professor, Ph. D. (Harvard), Dr. Sc. Med. (Berlin) The dedication is accorded to Prof.

Zusammenfassung
This issue of the serial contains research written by researchers in the field of cardiovascular research who share the belief that an integrative application of advances in molecular and cellular biology will lead to new concepts for treatment and prevention of cardiovascular diseases.

Inhalt
I: Calcium movements and cellular metabolism.- Control of cardiac performance by Ca-turnover.- Deformation of the Bowditch staircase in Ca2+-overloaded mammalian cardiac tissue A calcium phenomenon?.- Cooperative interaction between Ca2+ binding sites in the hydrophylic loop of the Na+-Ca2+ exchanger.- E-1020, a water soluble imidazopyridine, has direct effects on Ca2+-dependent force and ATP hydrolysis of canine and bovine cardiac myofilaments.- Primary cultures of cardiac muscle cells as models for investigation of protein glycosylation.- Influence of glycosylation inhibitors on dihydropyridine binding to cardiac cells.- Comparative study of cardiac electrophysiological effects of atrial natriuretic peptide.- Effect of TaiCatoxin (TCX) on the electrophysiological, mechanical and biochemical characteristics of spontaneously beating ventricular cardiomyocytes.- Pharmacological characteristics of endothelin receptors in the rabbit ventricular myocardium: The nonselective endothelin receptor antagonist PD 145065 antagonizes the positive inotropic effect of endothelin-3 but not of endothelin-1.- Involvement of nitric oxide synthase and protein kinase C activation on chagasic antibodies action upon cardiac contractility.- Kinetics of myocardial phospholipase D.- Is cysteine residue important in FITC-sensitive ATP-binding site of P-type ATPases? A commentary to the state of the art.- Reinstatement of the ATP high energy paradigm.- Regulation of and intervention into the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway and adenine nucleotide metabolism in the heart.- The endogenous digitalis-like factor.- Functional antagonism by a monoclonal antibody to digoxin in a test system of cultured rat heart myocytes.- II: Ischemia-reperfusion and cardioprotection.- Biphasic changes inrelaxation following reperfiision after myocardial ischemia.- Signal transduction in myocardial ischaemia and reperfusion.- Reversible and irreversible damage in reoxygenated 'ischemic' ventricular myocytes inculture.- Effects of hypoxia, simulated ischemia and reoxygenation on the contractile function of human atrial trabeculae.- The guanine nucleotide-binding regulatory proteins (G proteins) in myocardium with ischemia.- Role of reactive oxygen species in cardiovascular aging.- Uncoupling of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation alters lipid peroxidation-derived free radical production but not recovery of postischemic rat hearts and post-hypoxic endothelial cells.- Relationship between mechanical dysfunction and depression of sarcolemmal Ca2+-pump activity in hearts perfused with oxygen free radicals.- Relation between energy metabolism, glycolysis, noradrenaline release and duration of ischemia.- On the regulation of cellular energetics in health and disease.- Salvage of jeopardized myocardium by ischemic preconditioning: Is the quest over?.- Cytoprotective mechanisms in cultured cardiomyocytes.- Delayed cardioprotection is associated with the sub-cellular relocalisation of ventricular protein kinase C?, but not p42/44MAPK.- HSP25 in isolated perfused rat hearts: Localization and response to hyperthermia.- Molecular cloning, sequencing and expression analysis of a fatty acid transport gene in rat heart induced by ischemic preconditioning and oxidative stress.- Protaglandins and the antiarrhythmic effect of preconditioning in the isolated rat heart.- Prevention by 7-oxo-prostacyclin of the calcium paradox in rat heart: Role of the sarcolemmal (Na,K)-ATPase.- Donors of nitric oxide mimic effects of ischaemic preconditioning on reperfusion induced arrhythmias inisolated rat heart.- Crucial role of intracellular effectors on glycogenosis in the isolated rat heart: potential consequences on the myocardial tolerance to ischemia.- Probucol treatment reverses antioxidant and functional deficit in diabetic cardiomyopathy.- Glycogen phosphorylase isoenzyme BB in diagnosis of myocardial ischaemic injury and infarction.- Unaltered ryanodine receptor protein levels in ischemic cardiomyopathy.- Myocardial infarction and nitric oxide.- Estrogen effects in the heart.- Xenoreactive natural antibodies and induced antibodies Their effects on beating cardiomyocytes as a model of a xenograft.- Index to Volumes 160 and 161.