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With contributions by numerous experts

Nuclear Trafficking is a summary of the state of knowledge in nuclear trafficking, and is organized into five parts. The book begins by discussing the diffusion and signal-mediated transport through the pores. It then looks into the detailed accounts of pore structure and composition, nuclear localization signals, signal binding proteins, RNA efflux, and biochemical factors influencing nucleocytoplasmic exchange. This book will be very useful to those people new to this field of interest.

The discovery of the reversible red far-red control of plant growth and development and the subsequent in vivo identification and isolation of the photoreceptor pigment, phyto chrome, constitutes one of the great achievements in modern biology. It was primarily a group of investigators at the Plant Industry Station, Beltsville, Mary land, headed by the botanist H.A. BORTHWICK and the physical chemist S.B. HENDRICKS, who made the basic discoveries and developed a theoretical framework on which the current progress in the field of phytochrome is still largely based. While the earlier development of the phytochrome concept has been covered by a num ber of excellent articles by the original investigators [104,105,33,238] as well as by others who joined the field of phytochrome research later [72, 109, 219], a comprehensive and up-to-date treatment of photomorphogenesis is not available at present. Since it seems to be needed for teaching as well as for researchers I have tried to summarize the present state of the field, reviewing the historical aspects of the phytochrome story only insofar as they are required to understand the present situation. The emphasis of my treatment will be on developmental physiology ("photomorphogenesis") rather than on phytochrome per se.

This book provides detailed protocols for research in plant photomorphogenesis. The collection includes a broad range of topics including assays for shade avoidance responses, assays for light-dependent protein-protein interactions, photobody detection with immunofluorescence and the super-resolution imaging method, protein complex isolation from plants, detection of homodimer and monomer of photoreceptor UVR8 with immunoblotting analysis, assays for seedling greening, procedures for studying skotomorphogenesis, phenotypic study of photomorphogenesis at the seedling stage, expression of Cryptochrome in insect cells, and more. Written for the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Plant Photomorphogenesis: Methods and Protocols serves as an ideal guide for researchers and students who are new to the field, as well as a stepping stone for experienced researchers to further their skills in this fast-developing field.

There are many recent works on the topic of light and plant growth. These have not only been written by experts, but are also, in the main, written for experts (or, at least, for those who already have a fair understanding of the subject). This book has its origins in a six-week course in plant photophysiology, and its aim is to provide an introduction to the subject at an advanced undergraduate level. The imagined audience is simply a student who has asked the questions: In what ways does light affect plant growth, and how does it do it? The book is limited to aspects of photomorphogenesis. Photo synthesis is only considered where its pigments impinge on photo morphogenic investigations, or where its processes provide illustrative examples of particular interactions between light and biological material. Chapter 1 gives a general account of the various ways in which light affects plant development, and introduces topics which are subsequently covered in greater detail. In all the chapters, are special topic 'boxes', consisting of squared-off sections of text. These are simply devices for presenting explanatory background material, or material that I myself find particularly intriguing.

Photoperiodism is the response to the length of the day that enables living organisms to adapt to seasonal changes in their environment as well as latitudinal variation. As such, it is one of the most significant andcomplex aspects of the interaction between plants and their environment and is a major factor controlling their growth and development. As the new and powerful technologies of molecular genetics are brought to bear on photoperiodism, it becomes particularly important to place new work in the context of the considerable amount of physiological information which already exists on the subject. This innovative book will be of interest to a wide range of plant scientists, from those interested in fundamental plant physiology and molecular biology to agronomists and crop physiologists. - Provides a self-sufficient account of all the important subjects and key literature references for photoperiodism - Includes research of the last twenty years since the publication of the First Edition - Includes details of molecular genetic techniques brought to bear on photoperiodism