In Chloroplast Biotechnology: Methods and Protocols, expert researchers in the field detail many of the methods which are now commonly used in chloroplast molecular biology. Chapters focus on essential background information, applications in tobacco and protocols for plastid transformation in crops and Chlamydomonas and Bryophytes. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols and key tips on troubleshooting and avoidance of known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Chloroplast Biotechnology: Methods and Protocols seek to aid scientists who study chloroplast molecular biology as well as those interested in applications in agriculture, industrial biotechnology and healthcare.

Cell Culture and Somatic Cell Genetics of Plants, Volume 6: Molecular Biology of Plant Nuclear Genes focuses on the spectacular and rapid advances in the molecular biology and genetics of plants. This book consists of 19 chapters. Chapters 1 to 5 describe the most commonly used approaches for the genetic transformation of plants. The light-inducible and tissue-organ-specific genes are discussed in Chapters 6 to 11. In Chapters 12 to 14, the genes regulating phytohormone synthesis, heat shock proteins, and nodulation in legume roots are treated, while in Chapters 15 to 16, the relationship between chromatin structure and gene expression and molecular biology of plant RNA viruses are analyzed. The development of transgenic plants resistant to viruses, insects, and herbicides is dealt with in the last three chapters. This volume is suitable for plant molecular biologist, genetic engineers, and researchers concerned with plant cell and tissue culture.

This book provides detailed information on methodologies used in biological, serological and nucleic acid based assays for the detection, diagnosis and management of plant viruses. The content is divided into six main parts, the first of which presents techniques used in the biological characterization and transmission of viruses, while Part II covers purification and techniques concerning the physico-chemical properties of viruses. In turn, Part III focuses on in vitro expression, production of polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies; and on various serological assays including precipitin tests, ELISA, blot immunoassays, immunosorbent electron microscopy and lateral flow immunoassays. Part IV addresses the isolation of DNA and RNA from plants and nucleic acid based assays such as dot-blot, polymerase chain reaction, real-time PCR, loop-mediated isothermal amplification, rolling circle amplification, recombinase polymerase amplification, and next-generation sequencing approaches. Part V discusses cloning, sequencing, sequence analysis and the production of infectious clones, while the last part (Part VI) provides biotechnological approaches for the management of viruses. Given its scope, the book will be a valuable resource for every laboratory, student and teacher, and for everyone interested in plant virology, plant pathology, plant biology and molecular biology, offering them a practical manual on various aspects of plant viruses.

"The book...is, in fact, a short text on the many practical problems...associated with translating the explosion in basic biotechnological research into the next Green Revolution," explains Economic Botany. The book is "a concise and accurate narrative, that also manages to be interesting and personal...a splendid little book." Biotechnology states, "Because of the clarity with which it is written, this thin volume makes a major contribution to improving public understanding of genetic engineering's potential for enlarging the world's food supply...and can be profitably read by practically anyone interested in application of molecular biology to improvement of productivity in agriculture."

Concern about the environmental consequences of the widespread use of pesticides has increased, and evidence of pesticide-resistant virus vectors have continued to emerge. This volume presents a timely survey of the mechanisms of plant resistance and examines current developments in breeding for resistance, with particular emphasis on advances in genetic engineering which allow for the incorporation of viral genetic material into plants. Discusses the mechanisms of innate resistance in strains of tobacco, tomato, and cowpea; various aspects of induced resistance, including the characterization and roles of the pathogenesis-related proteins; antiviral substances and their comparison with interferon; and cross-protection between plant virus strains. Also presents several papers which evaluate the status of genetic engineering as it relates to breeding resistant plants. Among these are discussions of the potential use of plant viruses as gene vectors, gene coding for viral coat protein, satellite RNA, and antisense RNA, and practical issues such as the durability of resistant crop plants in the field.