Interest in the cell cycle has grown explosively in recent years as a result of the identification of key cell cycle regulators and their substrates. Aside from enhancing our understanding of normal cellular growth controls, this new knowledge has also becn valuable in elucidating mechanisms of growth deregulation which occur in diseased states, such as cancer and, in some instances, viral or parasitic infections. The Thirteenth Washington International Spring Symposium was organized with the intention of bringing together scientists working on different aspects of the cell cycle. Scientific topics presented ranged from molecular regulators and effectors to mitosis specific changes in cell architecture to the role of the cell cycle in development and disease. The goal of this gathering was to help formulate a more comprehensive and integrated picture of events driving and being driven by the cell cycle, as well as to evaluate the possibilities for clinical application of this knowledge. This symposium, held in Washington, D.C. from May 10-14, 1993, was attended by more than 400 scientists from 20 countries, including many of the scientific leaders in this field. This volume contains most of the papers presented at the seven plenary sessions in addition to selected contributions from a total of nine special oral and poster sessions.