This volume contains the papers presented at the international symposium on "Molecular Mechanisms in Protein Synthesis" held on September 26-27, 1983 at the Beyaz Ko§k in Emirgan, Bosphorus, Istanbul. The symposium aimed to create a medium for information exchange and discussions regarding the current developments in the area of protein syn­ thesis. To ensure an informal yet scientifically stimulating and productive atmosphere providing opportunity for relaxed and speculative discussions, the number of presentations was limited to twenty and that of attendants to about sixty. The emphasis in the symposium was laid on structure-function relations in the prokaryotic protein synthesizing systems and on the control mechanisms of eukaryotic protein synthesis, in particular, during chain initiation. Other issues like evolutionary aspects of protein synthesis, translational components genes and proofreading were covered as well. The manuscripts represent the extended accounts of the oral presentations, and it has been aimed with the concluding remarks at the end of the volume to give a summarizing view of the presentations and the discussions.