The annual meeting of the Perinatal Biochemical Group of the Spanish Biochemical Society held in Madrid on December 15-16, 1989, provided an excellent opportunity to bring together a group of distinguished investigators both from Spain and from abroad with a common interest in developmental endocrinology and biochemistry.

Endocrine and Functional Aspects of Development.- Endocrine Cytodifferentiation of the Rat Fetal Testis.- Transfer of Thyroid Hormones from the Mother to the Fetus.- Neonatal Development of the Angiotensin Converting Enzyme. Effect of Hypothyroidism.- Development of the Pancreatic B-cells: Growth Pattern and Functional Maturation.- Insulin Receptor Binding Activity in Skeletal Muscle During Pregnancy.- Insulin Binding and Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Activity in Rat Liver at Term Gestation.- Glucose Homeostasis in Suckling Rats Undernourished During Intrauterine Life.- Glucose Metabolism and Insulin Sensitivity During Suckling Period in Rats.- Maturation of the Sympathetic Nervous System: Role in Neonatal Physiological Adaptations and in Cellular Development of Peripheral Tisues.- Effect of Thyroxine and Cortisol on Brain Catecholamines in Neonatal Rats.- G-Proteins in Neonatal Liver: Ontogeny and Relationship to Activation of Adenylate Cyclase.- Postnatal Development of ?-adrenergic Receptor Kinase Activity in Different Tissues of the Rat.- Molecular and Functional Aspects of Mitochondrial Development.- Perinatal Development of Liver Mitochondrial Function.- Postnatal Mitochondrial Differentiation in the Newborn Rat.- Uncoupling Protein mRNA Expression During the Perinatal Period of the Rat.- Iodothyronine 5?-Deiodinase Activity in Brown Adipose Tissue During Perinatal Development.- Characterization of a System to Study the Uncoupling Protein Expression in Brown Adipocyte Primary Cultures.- Development and Molecular Biology of Mammalian Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex.- Metabolic Aspects of Development.- Fuel Supply to the Brain During the Early Postnatal Period.- Utilization of the Main Metabolic Substrates by Freshly Isolated Cells from the Fetal Rat Brain.- The Use ofPrimary Culture of Astrocytes to Study Glial Development. Effect of Ethanol.- Regulation of Protein Synthesis During Brain Development. Role for Initation Factor 2.- Lipid Metabolic Interactions in the Mother During Pregnancy and Their Fetal Repercussions.- Surfactant Lipids and Proteins in the Perinatal and Adult Lung.- Effect of Maternal Diabetes on Fetal Lung Maturation.- Lipoprotein Lipase in Newborn Rat Liver: Cellular Localization and Site of Synthesis.- Long-Term Consequences of High Carbohydrate Intake During the Suckling Period on Lipid Synthesis in the Adult Rat.- Fetal-Placental Interactions in the Control of Prenatal Growth.- Fetal/Maternal Plasma Amino Acid Relationships in the Streptozotocin Diabetic Rat.- Effect of Physiological Changes in Cystathionase Activity on Amino Acid and Glutathione Metabolism in Rat Fetus.- Amino Acid Uptake by Liver in Pregnant and Lactating Rats.- Regulation of the Urea Cycle During Lactation.- Ontogenesis of Copper and Zinc Carriers in Rat Plasma.- Participants and Contributors.