The proposed conference will be the eighth in a series of Gordon Conferences on Lysosomes, which are held regularly on alternate years. They bring together leading investigators in cell biology, infectious and metabolic diseases, immunology, pathology, and physiology. The 1978 conference will emphasize basic problems in mammalian biology and pathology and will bring together active investigators in a number of areas dealing with the origin of lysosomes and their constituent enzymes, the movement and fusion of lysosomes, general and specific endocytotic processes, the recognition and uptake of lysosomal enzymes, and roles of lysosomal and nonlysosomal proteases in protein turnover. Since work in this broad field does not conform to established disciplines in biology and medicine, the Gordon Conference on Lysosomes is an extremely valuable mechanism for communication and discussion among investigators. Several of the topics will deal with very recent advances which have not been extensively covered at similar meetings. For this reason a setting such as that traditional with the Gordon Conferences, which favors free and informal exchange of new findings and ideas, will be particularly advantageous.