Book excerpt: Metabolic Pathways, Third Edition: Metabolic Transport, Volume VI investigates membrane transport and its role in cell physiology. The book describes the transport of solutes across membranes and of carbohydrates in bacterial cells, as well as other processes such as cellular transport of water, amino acid transport in microorganisms, proton transport, and calcium transport by the sarcoplasmic reticulum. Organized into 16 chapters, this volume begins with an overview of the kinetics of transport, emphasizing the monovalent carrier mechanism of facilitated diffusion and active transport involving monovalent carriers. The book then introduces the reader to the transport of various ligands by animal cells or microorganisms; transport by intracellular organelles; and the role of sodium pump in animal tissues in the regulation of cellular metabolism and function. The book also examines the transport of biogenic amines and some mechanisms involved in the control of transport. A few examples of the role of transport in subserving other cellular processes are presented. This book is a valuable source of information for workers in the transport field, along with biologists whose research interests overlap with the transport field.