The breadth of modern biology is characterized by a comprehension of phenomena at many levels of organization. Such levels of understanding range from the organismal to the molecular. It is when all these levels can be discussed together that a sense of true achievement begins to be felt. The topical area of fatty acid transport and metabolism was the focus of the Third International Conference on Lipid-Binding Proteins held at the University of Minnesota in May 1997. This volume contains a sampling of the proceedings of this meeting.Preface; D.A. Bernlohr, L. Banaszak. 1. CD36 Antisense Expression in 3T3-F442A Preadipocytes; S. Zeina, et al. 2. The Liver Fatty Acid Binding Protein - Comparison of Cavity Properties of Intracellular Lipid-Binding Proteins; J. Thompson, et al. 3. Mechanisms of Cellular Uptake of Long Chain Free fatty Acids; P.D. Berk, D.D. Stump. 4. Biochemical and Biophysical Analysis of the Intracellular Lipid Binding Proteins of Adipocytes; M.A. Simpson, et al. 5. Long-Chain Fatty Acid Transport in Bacteria and Yeast. Paradigms for Defining the Mechanism Underlying this Protein-Mediated Process; C.C. DiRusso, P.N. Black. 6. Cytochrome P450, Peroxisome Proliferation, and Cytoplasmic Fatty Acid-Binding Protein Content in Liver, Heart and Kidney of the Diabetic Rat; W. Engels, et al. 7. Long Chain Fatty Acids as Modulators of Gene Transcription in Preadipose Cells; P.A. Grimaldi, et al. 8. Novel Classes of Fatty Acid and Retinol Binding Protein from Nematodes; L. McDermott, et al. 9. Fatty Acid Interactions with Native and Mutant Fatty Acid Binding Proteins; G.V. Richieri, et al. 10. The Measurement of Fatty Acid Concentration with the Fluorescent Probe ADIFAB; G.V. Richieri, et al. 11. Role of AcylCoA Binding Protein in AcylCoA Transport, Metabolism and Cell Signalling; J. Knudsen, et al. 12. Structure and Function of Cytoplasmic Retinoid Binding Proteins; E. Li. 13. A Comparative Study of the Backbone Dynamics of Two l“-