Alternative Respiratory Pathways in Higher Plants


Book Description

Rapid developments in molecular and systems biology techniques have allowed researchers to unravel many new mechanisms through which plant cells switch over to alternative respiratory pathways. This book is a unique compendium of how and why higher plants evolved alternative respiratory metabolism. It offers a comprehensive review of current research in the biochemistry, physiology, classification and regulation of plant alternative respiratory pathways, from alternative oxidase diversity to functional marker development. The resource provides a broad range of perspectives on the applications of plant respiratory physiology, and suggests brand new areas of research. Other key features: written by an international team of reputed plant physiologists, known for their pioneering contributions to the knowledge of regular and alternative respiratory metabolism in higher plants includes step-by-step protocols for key molecular and imaging techniques advises on regulatory options for managing crop yields, food quality and environment for crop improvement and enhanced food security covers special pathways which are of key relevance in agriculture, particularly in plant post-harvest commodities Primarily for plant physiologists and plant biologists, this authoritative compendium will also be of great value to postdoctoral researchers working on plant respiration, as well as to graduate and postgraduate students and university staff in Plant Science. It is a useful resource for corporate and private firms involved in developing functional markers for breeding programs and controlling respiration for the prevention of post-harvest losses in fruit, vegetables, cut flowers and tubers.




Alternative Respiratory Pathways in Higher Plants


Book Description

Rapid developments in molecular and systems biology techniques have allowed researchers to unravel many new mechanisms through which plant cells switch over to alternative respiratory pathways. This book is a unique compendium of how and why higher plants evolved alternative respiratory metabolism. It offers a comprehensive review of current research in the biochemistry, physiology, classification and regulation of plant alternative respiratory pathways, from alternative oxidase diversity to functional marker development. The resource provides a broad range of perspectives on the applications of plant respiratory physiology, and suggests brand new areas of research. Other key features: written by an international team of reputed plant physiologists, known for their pioneering contributions to the knowledge of regular and alternative respiratory metabolism in higher plants includes step-by-step protocols for key molecular and imaging techniques advises on regulatory options for managing crop yields, food quality and environment for crop improvement and enhanced food security covers special pathways which are of key relevance in agriculture, particularly in plant post-harvest commodities Primarily for plant physiologists and plant biologists, this authoritative compendium will also be of great value to postdoctoral researchers working on plant respiration, as well as to graduate and postgraduate students and university staff in Plant Science. It is a useful resource for corporate and private firms involved in developing functional markers for breeding programs and controlling respiration for the prevention of post-harvest losses in fruit, vegetables, cut flowers and tubers.




Plant Respiration


Book Description

Respiration in plants, as in all living organisms, is essential to provide metabolic energy and carbon skeletons for growth and maintenance. As such, respiration is an essential component of a plant’s carbon budget. Depending on species and environmental conditions, it consumes 25-75% of all the carbohydrates produced in photosynthesis – even more at extremely slow growth rates. Respiration in plants can also proceed in a manner that produces neither metabolic energy nor carbon skeletons, but heat. This type of respiration involves the cyanide-resistant, alternative oxidase; it is unique to plants, and resides in the mitochondria. The activity of this alternative pathway can be measured based on a difference in fractionation of oxygen isotopes between the cytochrome and the alternative oxidase. Heat production is important in some flowers to attract pollinators; however, the alternative oxidase also plays a major role in leaves and roots of most plants. A common thread throughout this volume is to link respiration, including alternative oxidase activity, to plant functioning in different environments.




Photosynthesis: Physiology and Metabolism


Book Description

Photosynthesis: Physiology and Metabolism is the we have concentrated on the acquisition and ninth volume in theseries Advances in Photosynthesis metabolism of carbon. However, a full understanding (Series Editor, Govindjee). Several volumes in this of reactions involved in the conversion of to series have dealt with molecular and biophysical sugars requires an integrated view of metabolism. aspects of photosynthesis in the bacteria, algae and We have, therefore, commissioned international cyanobacteria, focussing largely on what have been authorities to write chapters on, for example, traditionally, though inaccurately, termed the ‘light interactionsbetween carbon and nitrogen metabolism, reactions’(Volume 1, The Molecular Biology of on respiration in photosynthetic tissues and on the Cyanobacteria;Volume2,AnoxygenicPhotosynthetic control of gene expression by metabolism. Photo- Bacteria, Volume 3, Biophysical Techniques in synthetic carbon assimilation is also one of the most Photosynthesis and Volume 7, The Molecular Biology rapid metabolic processes that occurs in plant cells, of the Chloroplasts and Mitochondria in Chlamy- and therefore has to be considered in relation to domonas). Volume 4 dealt with Oxygenic Photo- transport, whether it be the initial uptake of carbon, synthesis: The Light Reactions, and volume 5 with intracellular transport between organelles, inter- Photosynthesis and the Environment, whereas the cellular transport, as occurs in plants, or transport structure and function of lipids in photosynthesis of photosynthates through and out of the leaf. All was covered in Volume 6 of this series: Lipids in these aspects of transport are also covered in the Photosynthesis: Structure, Function and Genetics, book.




Plant Mitochondria: From Genome to Function


Book Description

Mitochondria in plants, as in other eukaryotes, play an essential role in the cell as the major producers of ATP via oxidative phosphorylation. However, mitochondria also play crucial roles in many other aspects of plant development and performance, and possess an array of unique properties which allow them to interact with the specialized features of plant cell metabolism. The two main themes running through the book are the interconnection between gene regulation and protein function, and the integration of mitochondria with other components of plant cells. The book begins with an overview of the dynamics of mitochondrial structure, morphology and inheritance. It then discusses the biogenesis of mitochondria, the regulation of gene expression, the mitochondrial genome and its interaction with the nucleus, and the targeting of proteins to the organelle. This is followed by a discussion of the contributions that mutations, involving mitochondrial proteins, have made to our understanding of the way the organelle interacts with the rest of the plant cell, and the new field of proteomics and the discovery of new functions. Also covered are the pathways of electron transport, with special attention to the non-phosphorylating bypasses, metabolite transport, and specialized mitochondrial metabolism. In the end, the impact of oxidative stress on mitochondria and the defense mechanisms, that are employed to allow survival, are discussed. This book is for the use of advanced undergraduates, graduates, postgraduates, and beginning researchers in the areas of molecular and cellular biology, integrative biology, biochemistry, bioenergetics, proteomics and plant and agricultural sciences.




Physiological Responses of Plants to Attack


Book Description

Despite the research effort put into controlling pathogens, pests and parasitic plants, crop losses are still a regular feature of agriculture worldwide. This makes it important to manage the crop appropriately in order to maximise yield. Understanding the relationship between the occurrence and severity of attack, and the resulting yield loss, is an important step towards improved crop protection. Linked to this, is the need to better understand the mechanisms responsible for reductions in growth and yield in affected crops. Physiological Responses of Plants to Attack is unique because it deals with the effects of different attackers – pathogens, herbivores, and parasitic plants, on host processes involved in growth, reproduction, and yield. Coverage includes effects on photosynthesis, partitioning of carbohydrates, water and nutrient relations, and changes in plant growth hormones. Far from being simply a consequence of attack, the alterations in primary metabolism reflect a more dynamic and complex interaction between plant and attacker, sometimes involving re-programming of plant metabolism by the attacker. Physiological Responses of Plants to Attack is written and designed for use by senior undergraduates and postgraduates studying agricultural sciences, applied entomology, crop protection, plant pathology and plant sciences. Biological and agricultural research scientists in the agrochemical and crop protection industries, and in academia, will find much of use in this book. All libraries in universities and research establishments where biological and agricultural sciences are studied and taught should have copies of this exciting book on their shelves




Photosynthetic Nitrogen Assimilation and Associated Carbon and Respiratory Metabolism


Book Description

According to many textbooks, carbohydrates are the photosynthesis and mitochondrial respiration fluctuate in a circadian manner in almost every unique final products of plant photosynthesis. However, the photoautotrophic production of organic organism studied. In addition, external triggers and environmental influences necessitate precise and nitrogenous compounds may be just as old, in appropriate re-adjustment of relative flux rates, to evolutionary terms, as carbohydrate synthesis. In the algae and plants of today, the light-driven assimilation prevent excessive swings in energy/resource provision of nitrogen remains a key function, operating and use. This requires integrated control of the alongside and intermeshing with photosynthesis and expression and activity of numerous key enzymes in respiration. Photosynthetic production of reduced photosynthetic and respiratory pathways, in order to carbon and its reoxidation in respiration are necessary co-ordinate carbon partioning and nitrogen assim- ation. to produce both the energy and the carbon skeletons required for the incorporation of inorganic nitrogen This volume has two principal aims. The first is to into amino acids. Conversely, nitrogen assimilation provide a comprehensive account of the very latest developments in our understanding of how green is required to sustain the output of organic carbon cells reductively incorporate nitrate and ammonium and nitrogen. Together, the sugars and amino acids into the organic compounds required for growth.




Mitochondria and Anaerobic Energy Metabolism in Eukaryotes


Book Description

Mitochondria are sometimes called the powerhouses of eukaryotic cells, because mitochondria are the site of ATP synthesis in the cell. ATP is the universal energy currency, it provides the power that runs all other life processes. Humans need oxygen to survive because of ATP synthesis in mitochondria. The sugars from our diet are converted to carbon dioxide in mitochondria in a process that requires oxygen. Just like a fire needs oxygen to burn, our mitochondria need oxygen to make ATP. From textbooks and popular literature one can easily get the impression that all mitochondria require oxygen. But that is not the case. There are many groups of organismsm known that make ATP in mitochondria without the help of oxygen. They have preserved biochemical relicts from the early evolution of eukaryotic cells, which took place during times in Earth history when there was hardly any oxygen avaiable, certainly not enough to breathe. How the anaerobic forms of mitochondria work, in which organisms they occur, and how the eukaryotic anaerobes that possess them fit into the larger picture of rising atmospheric oxygen during Earth history are the topic of this book.







Plant Mitochondria


Book Description

This detailed volume presents a wide range of techniques for plant mitochondrial analysis, ranging from tried-and-tested work horse techniques to the latest innovations. Within its pages, it explores subjects such as affinity-based isolation of mitochondria with magnetic beads, mitochondrial quality assessment protocols, measurement of uptake and release of specific metabolites, mitochondrial protein identification and visualization, as well as gene splicing and editing, and much 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 Mitochondria: Methods and Protocols provides a highly useful set of methodologies for the plant mitochondrial community to help discover more interesting aspects of plant mitochondria in the years to come.