Biophysics Of Photoreceptors And Photobehaviour Of Microorganisms

This volume contains the lectures given at the NATO Advanced Study Institute on "Biophysics of Photoreceptors and Photomovements in Microorganisms" held in Tir renia (Pisa), Italy, in September 1990. The Institute was sponsored and mainly funded by the Scientific Affairs Division of NATO; the Physical Science Committee and the Institute of Biophysics of National Research Council of Italy also supported the School and substantially contributed to its success. It is our pleasant duty to thank these institu tions. Scientists from very different backgrounds contributed to the understanding of this fast developing field of research, which has seen considerable progress during the last years. The areas of expertise ranged from behavioral sciences, supported by sophi sticated techniques such as image analysis or laser light scattering, to spectroscopy, ap plied, in different time domains, to the study of the primary photoreactions, to electro physiology, biochemistry or molecular biology, with the aim of analyzing the various steps of the transduction chains and how they control the motor apparatus of the cells. The organisms studied covered a wide range, from bacteria to algae, fungi and other eukaryotes. Thus, the ASI represented a successful opportunity for carrying on and imple menting an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the biophysical basis of photore ception and photosensory transduction in aneural organisms, with special attention to the basic phenomena and the underlying molecular events. We hope that this book has caught the spirit in which the ASI was conceived.

This is the first volume of new book series on biophysics and biocybernetics, initiated by the Istituto Italiano per gli Studi Filosofici.A main problem in biophysics is the interaction of light information with functional living structures, in order to shape the organism's behaviour. Although the processes of photoreception and phototransduction are articulated in various ways in different living beings — as it is seen in the subdivision of the topics in this volume on microorganisms, invertebrates, and vertebrates — general ways of light signal reception and transduction through light energy, i.e., photosensitive molecule interactions, could be observed. Highly sophisticated advanced techniques are employed in this research field.

This volume emphasizes the involvement of all facets of biology in the analysis of environmentally controlled movement responses. This includes biophysics, biochemistry, molecular biology and as an integral part of any approach to a closer understanding, physiology. The initial euphoria about molecular biology as the final solution for any problem has dwindled and the field agrees now that only the combined efforts of all facets of biology will at some day answer the question posed more than hundred years ago: "How can plants see?". One conclusion can be drawn from the current knowledge as summarized in this volume. The answer will most likely not be the same for all systems.

This much-needed book is the first definitive volume on Euglena in twenty-fire years, offering information on its atypical biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, and potential biotechnology applications. This volume gathers together contributions from well-known experts, who in many cases played major roles in elucidating the phenomenon discussed. Presented in three parts, the first section of this comprehensive book describes novel biochemical pathways which in some instances have an atypical subcellular localization. The second section details atypical cellular mechanisms of organelle protein import, organelle nuclear genome interdependence, gene regulation and expression that provides insights into the evolutionary origins of eukaryotic cells. The final section discusses how biotechnologists have capitalized on the novel cellular and biochemical features of Euglena to produce value added products. Euglena: Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology will provide essential reading for cell and molecular biologists with interests in evolution, novel biochemical pathways, organelle biogenesis and algal biotechnology. Readers will come away from this volume with a full understanding of the complexities of the Euglena as well as new realizations regarding the diversity of cellular processes yet to be discovered.

This book collects all the lectures presented during the NATO Advanced Study Institute on "Photoreception and Sensory Transduction in Aneura1 Organisms," held in Villa Le Pianore (Versi1ia, Italy), September 3-14, 1979. In order to publish the lectures in the shortest possible time, we had to make the decision not to include the free communications, the informal seminars, and the panel discussions, notwithstanding their very high scientific level and interest. Only the final panel discussion has been summarized by Prof. W. Haupt (whose effort we gratefully acknowledge), because it gives a comprehensive view of the state of the art in this field. The ASI was intended to be a high-level course, characterized by an interdisciplinary approach to the problem of photoreception and photosensory physiology in aneural organisms, bringing together scientists from different fields and specializations. We hope that these characteristics are reflected in the content of the book, which is meant to be both an advanced textbook for researchers and students entering the field and a critical overview of the problems of photosensory transduction in aneura1 organisms. The topics pre sented range from a phenomenological description of the different photomotile responses in various microorganisms to a discussion of the molecular processes involved in the primary events of photo reception as well as in the subsequent steps of the transduction chain.

Unicellular organisms use gravity as an environmental guide to reach and stay in regions optimal for their growth and reproduction. These single cells play a significant role in food webs and these factors together make the effects of gravity on unicellular organisms a fascinating and important subject for scientific study. In addition, they present valuable model systems for studying the mechanisms of gravity perception, a topic of increasing interest in these days of experimentation in space. This book reveals how single cells achieve the same sensoric capacity as multicellular organisms like plants or animals. It reviews the field, discussing the historical background, ecological significance and related physiology of unicellular organisms, as well as various experimental techniques and models with which to study them. Those working on the biology of unicellular organisms, as well as in related areas of gravitational and space science will find this book of value.

The only combined organic photochemistry and photobiology handbookAs spectroscopic, synthetic and biological tools become more and more sophisticated, photochemistry and photobiology are merging-making interdisciplinary research essential. Following in the footsteps of its bestselling predecessors, the CRC Handbook of Organic Photochemistry and Pho