Isozymes In Plant Biology

Developments in Plant Genetics and Breeding, 1: Isozymes in Plant Genetics and Breeding, Part B focuses on the advancements in the processes, methodologies, principles, and approaches involved in the study of isozymes, including its role in plant genetics and breeding. The selection first offers information on maize, hexaploid wheat, and barley. Topics include polymorphism, linkage relations, esterases, evolutionary and crop improvement studies, special applications to genetics and breeding, alcohol dehydrogenase, amylase, catalase, and catechol oxidase. The text then examines Secale and triticale, oats, rice, and tomato. The publication takes a look at potato, peppers, and tobacco. Topics include biochemical characterization of isozymes, isozymes in cell and tissue cultures, glutamate dehydrogenase, lactate dehydrogenase and xanthine dehydrogenase, potato as a source of enzymes, and data for esterases in basic gels. The manuscript also tackles conifers, eucalyptus, fruit trees, cucurbits, and cole crops. The selection is a valuable reference for researchers interested in the role of isozymes in plant genetics and breeding.

Developments in Plant Genetics and Breeding, 1A: Isozymes in Plant Genetics and Breeding, Part A focuses on the advancements in the processes, methodologies, and approaches involved in the study of isozymes, including its role in plant genetics and breeding. The selection first elaborates on the historical perspectives of plant isozymes, plant genetics, and isozyme systems to study gene regulation during development. Discussions focus on the use of isozyme and similar comparisons to study differential gene regulation, gene preservation, dissemination of cultivars, propagation of cultivars and breeding lines, and studies on the effect of viral infection and hormones on isozyme expression. The text then examines allozymes in gene dosage studies, gene mapping, and plastid isozymes. The manuscript takes a look at the genetics of mitochondrial isozymes, evolution of plant isozymes, and detection of somatic variation. Topics include evolution of isozymes in plants, generation of isozymes, glutamate dehydrogenase, glutamate-oxaloacetate transaminase, and malate dehydrogenase. The text also ponders on enzyme activity staining, isozymic variation and plant breeders' rights, genetic purity of commercial seed lots, and use of isozymes in plant disease research. The selection is a valuable reference for researchers interested in the role of isozymes in plant genetics and breeding.

Offers comprehensive coverage of the latest developments in both biochemical and physiological approaches to fungal systematics. Incorporates recent advances in molecular biology into systematics methods that can revolutionize taxonomic schemes.

We have taught plant molecular biology and biotechnology at the undergraduate and graduate level for over 20 years. In the past few decades, the field of plant organelle molecular biology and biotechnology has made immense strides. From the green revolution to golden rice, plant organelles have revolutionized agriculture. Given the exponential growth in research, the problem of finding appropriate textbooks for courses in plant biotechnology and molecular biology has become a major challenge. After years of handing out photocopies of various journal articles and reviews scattered through out the print and electronic media, a serendipitous meeting occurred at the 2002 IATPC World Congress held in Orlando, Florida. After my talk and evaluating several posters presented by investigators from my laboratory, Dr. Jacco Flipsen, Publishing Manager of Kluwer Publishers asked me whether I would consider editing a book on Plant Organelles. I accepted this challenge, after months of deliberations, primarily because I was unsuccessful in finding a text book in this area for many years. I signed the contract with Kluwer in March 2003 with a promise to deliver a camera-ready textbook on July 1, 2004. Given the short deadline and the complexity of the task, I quickly realized this task would need a co-editor. Dr. Christine Chase was the first scientist who came to my mind because of her expertise in plant mitochondria, and she readily agreed to work with me on this book.

Plants depend on physiological mechanisms to combat adverse environmental conditions, such as pathogen attack, wounding, drought, cold, freezing, salt, UV, intense light, heavy metals and SO2. Many of these cause excess production of active oxygen species in plant cells. Plants have evolved complex defense systems against such oxidative stress. The