This book is the only comprehensive work, at introductory level, on plant cell vacuoles. Vacuoles are ubiquitous, multifaceted and indispensable organelles and yet they have been thinly treated in the literature to date. This is at odds with the amount of interest in vacuoles that has been expressed in the last two decades. This comprehensive work provides a solid foundation on vacuoles to an advanced level. The latest research findings have been included in all aspects of plant and yeast vacuoles. The book synthesizes all the available information on the plant cell vacuole. It includes methodologies, occurrence and diversity, structure and biochemistry of tonoplasts and molecular biology of biogenesis and diverse functions, all presented in a concise way. The tremendous surge in the genetic engineering of plants for commercial products requires a comprehension of the functions and possibilities of vacuole manipulation since most of the targets of improvement directly involve vacuoles. Thus the work will be valuable to students of plant sciences, plant breeding, cell biology and plant biotechnology, as well as advanced researchers who seek a better understanding of this vital organelle.

Advances in Botanical Research is a multi-volume publication that brings together reviews by recognized experts on subjects of importance to those involved in botanical research. For more than thirty years, Advances in Botanical Research has earned a reputation for excellence in the field. For those working on plant pathology, Advances in Plant Pathology has also carved a niche in the plant sciences during its decade of publication.Academic Press has merged Advances in Plant Pathology into Advances in Botanical Research. The plant science community will find that the merger of these two serials will provide one comprehensive resource for the field. To ensure complete coverage, John Andrews and Inez Tommerup, the editors of Advances in Plant Pathology, have joined the editorial board of the new series, which will include equal coverage of plant pathology and botany in both thematic and mixed volumes. The first few volumes of the new series will be slanted toward botany or plant pathology; however, future eclectic volumes will be fully integrated.The resulting synergy of these two serials greatly benefits the plant science community by providing a more comprehensive resource under one roof. The joint aim is to continue to include the very best articles, thereby maintaining the status of a high impact factor review series.

The first compilation of a wealth of knowledge on tobacco BY-2 cells, often cited as the HeLa cell line of higher plants. Basic issues of cell cycle progression, cytokinesis, cell organization and factors that are involved in these processes are covered in detail. Since the tobacco cell line is used as a tool for research in molecular and cellular biology, several chapters on such studies are also included. Further, changes of primary and secondary metabolites during culture and factors that affect these processes are treated. Last but not least, the so far unpublished historical background of the BY-2 cell line is described. This volume is a must for any scientist working in the field of plant biology.

This book is devoted to the fascinating superfamily of plant ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters and their variety of transported substrates. It highlights their exciting biological functions, covering aspects ranging from cellular detoxification, through development, to symbiosis and defense. Moreover, it also includes a number of chapters that center on ABC transporters from non-Arabidopsis species. ABC proteins are ubiquitous, membrane-intrinsic transporters that catalyze the primary (ATP-dependent) movement of their substrates through biological membranes. Initially identified as an essential aspect of a vacuolar detoxification process, genetic work in the last decade has revealed an unexpectedly diverse variety of ABC transporter substrates, which include not only xenobiotic conjugates, but also heavy metals, lipids, terpenoids, lignols, alkaloids and organic acids. The discovery that members of the ABCB and ABCG family are involved in the movement of phytohormones has further sparked their exploration and provided a new understanding of the whole family. Accordingly, the trafficking, regulation and structure-function of ABCB-type auxin transporters are especially emphasized in this book.

Endocytosis is a fundamental cellular process by means of which cells internalize extracellular and plasma membrane cargos for recycling or degradation. It is important for the establishment and maintenance of cell polarity, subcellular signaling and uptake of nutrients into specialized cells, but also for plant cell interactions with pathogenic and symbiotic microbes. Endocytosis starts by vesicle formation at the plasma membrane and progresses through early and late endosomal compartments. In these endosomes cargo is sorted and it is either recycled back to the plasma membrane, or degraded in the lytic vacuole. This book presents an overview of our current knowledge of endocytosis in plants with a main focus on the key molecules undergoing and regulating endocytosis. It also provides up to date methodological approaches as well as principles of protein, structural lipid, sugar and microbe internalization in plant cells. The individual chapters describe clathrin-mediated and fluid-phase endocytosis, as well as flotillin-mediated endocytosis and internalization of microbes. The book was written for a broad spectrum of readers including students, teachers and researchers.

Plant Cell Biology, Second Edition: From Astronomy to Zoology connects the fundamentals of plant anatomy, plant physiology, plant growth and development, plant taxonomy, plant biochemistry, plant molecular biology, and plant cell biology. It covers all aspects of plant cell biology without emphasizing any one plant, organelle, molecule, or technique. Although most examples are biased towards plants, basic similarities between all living eukaryotic cells (animal and plant) are recognized and used to best illustrate cell processes. This is a must-have reference for scientists with a background in plant anatomy, plant physiology, plant growth and development, plant taxonomy, and more. - Includes chapter on using mutants and genetic approaches to plant cell biology research and a chapter on -omic technologies - Explains the physiological underpinnings of biological processes to bring original insights relating to plants - Includes examples throughout from physics, chemistry, geology, and biology to bring understanding on plant cell development, growth, chemistry and diseases - Provides the essential tools for students to be able to evaluate and assess the mechanisms involved in cell growth, chromosome motion, membrane trafficking and energy exchange