Phytochemical Signals and Plant-Microbe Interactions


Book Description

Proceedings of a joint Meeting of the Phytochemical Society of North America and the Phytochemical Society of Europe held in Noordwijkerhout, The Netherlands, April 20-23, 1997




Plant-Microbe Interactions


Book Description

Recent years have seen tremendous progress in unraveling the molecular basis of different plant-microbe interactions. Knowledge has accumulated on the mecha nisms of the microbial infection of plants, which can lead to either disease or resistance. The mechanisms developed by plants to interact with microbes, whether viruses, bacteria, or fungi, involve events that can lead to symbiotic association or to disease or tumor formation. Cell death caused by pathogen infection has been of great interest for many years because of its association with plant resistance. There appear to be two types of plant cell death associated with pathogen infection, a rapid hypersensitive cell death localized at the site of infection during an incompatible interaction between a resistant plant and an avirulent pathogen, and a slow, normosensitive plant cell death that spreads beyond the site of infection during some compatible interactions involving a susceptible plant and a virulent, necrogenic pathogen. Plants possess a number of defense mechanisms against infection, such as (i) production of phytoalexin, (ii) formation of hydrolases, (iii) accumulation of hydroxyproline-rich glycoprotein and lignin deposition, (iv) production of pathogen-related proteins, (v) produc tion of oligosaccharides, jasmonic acid, and various other phenolic substances, and (vi) production of toxin-metabolizing enzymes. Based on these observations, insertion of a single suitable gene in a particular plant has yielded promising results in imparting resistance against specific infection or disease. It appears that a signal received after microbe infection triggers different signal transduction pathways.




The Ecology of Plant Secondary Metabolites


Book Description

Plant secondary metabolites (PSMs) such as terpenes and phenolic compounds are known to have numerous ecological roles, notably in defence against herbivores, pathogens and abiotic stresses and in interactions with competitors and mutualists. This book reviews recent developments in the field to provide a synthesis of the function, ecology and evolution of PSMs, revealing our increased awareness of their integrative role in connecting natural systems. It emphasises the multiple roles of secondary metabolites in mediating the interactions between organisms and their environment at a range of scales of ecological organisation, demonstrating how genes encoding for PSM biosynthetic enzymes can have effects from the cellular scale within individual plants all the way to global environmental processes. A range of recent methodological advances, including molecular, transgenic and metabolomic techniques, are illustrated and promising directions for future studies are identified, making this a valuable reference for researchers and graduate students in the field.




The Biological Activity of Phytochemicals


Book Description

This is the first volume to be published under a new series agreement for Recent Advances in Phytochemistry, co-published with the Phytochemical Society of North America.




Phytochemicals in Human Health Protection, Nutrition, and Plant Defense


Book Description

Proceedings of the 38th Annual Meeting at the Phytochemical Society of North America on Phytochemicals in Human Health Protection, Nutrition and Plant Defense, held July 26-31, 1998 in Pullman, WA, USA




Integrative Plant Biochemistry


Book Description

The publication of this volume marks the 40th anniversary of the Recent Advances in Phytochemistry series which has essentially documented a history of the origins of Phytochemistry. The 45th annual meeting of the Phytochemical Society of North America (PSNA) was held July 13-August 3, 2005 in La Jolla, California, USA. The meeting was hosted by the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. The theme of the meeting was – Integrative Plant Biochemistry as we Approach 2010. The focus was "to celebrate the past accomplishments of the PSNA and its focus, the growing importance of phytochemistry and plant biochemistry to the public, and to set a course for the future, by linking the past with the present and attracting a wider breath of scientists and disciplines to the society." Integrative Plant Biochemistry summarizes a number of important methodological approaches and innovative techniques that were discussed at the meeting: - Biosynthesis and Regulation of Signaling Molecules - Conservation and Divergence in Enzyme Function - Translational Opportunities in Plant Biochemistry - Temporal and Spatial Regulation of Metabolism - Lipids, Fatty Acids and Related Molecules - Metabolic Networks Each chapter in this volume concludes with a short summary and addresses the expected future directions of the work. The series marks the transition and progression of the dramatic integration of classical phytochemistry into molecular plant biology. - Explores the growing importance of phytochemistry and biochemistry - Discusses important methodological approaches and innovative techniques - Representation from a unique interdisciplinary forum of scientists at the 45th Annual meeting of the Phytochemical Society of North America




Functions of Plant Secondary Metabolites and Their Exploitation in Biotechnology


Book Description

"The book is designed for use by advanced students, researchers and professionals in plant biochemistry, physiology, molecular biology, genetics, pharmacology, medicine, pharmacy and agriculture working in the academic and industrial sectors, including the pesticide and pharmaceutical industries."--Jacket.




Lipid Biotechnology


Book Description

This text presents the latest advances in supercritical fluid technology, biocatalysis, bioprocess engineering, and crop breeding. It offers an in-depth review of the most recent principles and approaches utilized in the development and design of lipids for cosmetic, industrial and pharmaceutical, and food products. Discussing a variety of lipid-active enzymes from animal, plant, fungal, and microbial sources, "Lipid Biotechnology" covers modern techniques in genetic engineering for the modification of conventional oilseed crops and biosynthetic pathways for cutin polymers, flavor volatiles, oxylipins, and terpenoid compounds. It chronicles the use of lipases and phospholipases in the creation of structured lipids and fats, including cocoa butter, low-calorie fats, and Betapol, and emerging methods using supercritical carbon dioxide as a benign solvent for lipid analysis, fractionation, and enzymatic reaction. It also covers reaction conditions, reactor design, solvent selection, immobilization technology, and enzyme sources for optiml large-scale manufacturing, and describes the formation of oxylipins through the lipoxygenase pathway, as well as other unusual fatty acids. The authors provide in-depth analyses of the structure, metabolic and enzymatic functions and mechanisms, defensive and catalytic properties, industrial uses, and other applications of oxilipins and lipases.




Regulation of Phytochemicals by Molecular Techniques


Book Description

The papers assembled in this volume were originally presented at the joint meeting of the Phytochemical Society of North America and the Mid-Atlantic Plant Molecular Biology Society, in August 2000. The symposium from which these chapters were prepared was entitled "Regulation of Phytochemicals by Molecular Techniques" and was organised by James Saunders and Ben Matthews. This joint meeting was timely because of recent landmark advances in molecular biology and genomics as well as the renewed interest in phytochemistry as a rich source of nutraceuticals, drugs, and alternatives to synthetic agriculture pesticides. Progress in genome sequencing in plants such as Arabidopsis and rice has been remarkable, as have expressed sequence tag (EST) projects in other plants, including maize and soybean. Recently, private and public sector participants of the Human Genome Project announced that a rough draft of the human genome has been constructed. These advances directly influence phytochemical investigations by providing both insight and tools for exploring and manipulating genomes. The chapters cover a wide range of applications from molecular biology to phytochemistry, and from basic studies on promoters and gene expression to pathway regulation and engineering with transformed plants. A number of noteworthy aspects emerge from this volume: applications of molecular biology to phytochemical practical problems are succeeding; newly emerging molecular tools promise to open new doors to discovery; and remarkable progress has already occurred in phytochemical pathway engineering.




Fungal Metabolites


Book Description