Plant reproductive biology has undergone a revolution during the past five years, with the cloning, sequencing and localization of the genes important in reproduction. These advantages in plant molecular biology have led to exciting applications in plant biotechnology, including the genetic engineering of male sterility and other reproductive processes. This book presents an interesting and contemporary account of these new developments from the scientists in whose laboratories they have been made. The chapters focus on two areas: the molecular biology of self-incompatibility, which is the system of self-recognition controlled by the S-gene and related genes; and the cellular and molecular biology of pollen development and genetic dissection of male sterility. Some chapters feature Arabidopsis, with its unique genetic system. Reproduction is vital for seed production in crop plants, and this book presents new approaches to manipulate plant breeding systems for the 21st century.

Great progress has been made in our understanding of pollen-pistil interactions and self-incompatibility (SI) in flowering plants in the last few decades. This book covers a broad spectrum of research into SI, with accounts by internationally renowned scientists. It comprises two sections: Evolution and Population Genetics of SI, Molecular and Cell Biology of SI Systems. The reader will gain an insight into the diversity and complexity of these polymorphic cell-cell recognition and rejection systems. Heteromorphic and homomorphic SI systems and our current understanding of the evolution and phylogeny of these systems, based on the most recent molecular sequence data, are covered. Further, the book presents major advances in our knowledge of the pistil and pollen S-determinants and other unlinked components involved in SI, as well as the apparently diverse cellular regulatory mechanisms utilised to ensure inhibition of “self” pollen.

Biotechnological methods are opening new ways in plant breeding. They allow novel strategies for improving crop productivity and quality, especially in the agrofood sector. The molecular mechanisms underlying these biotechnological approaches are presented here. Topics included are: pollen development, pollen tube growth, macrosporogenesis and fertilization and the effects of pesticides on sexual plant reproduction. Fertilization in higher plants is a complex process consisting of two events, the fusion of the egg with one sperm cell resulting in the diploid zygote, and the fusion of embryosac nuclei with another sperm cell, leading to a triploid endosperm. This "double fertilization" is preceded by the pollination process and a long lasting interaction between the dipoid pistil and the haploid pollen tube (progamic phase). Fertilization of flowering plants results in the formation of seeds and fruits, our basic food supply.

Tip growth is a type of cellular growth that is represented in many and diverse cell types, which are important to plant breeding (pollen tubes), agriculture (root hairs) and plant and animal pathology (fungal hyphae). Also moss and fern protonemata as well as algal zygotes and yeasts exhibit the features unique for tip growth: directable apical linear growth which renders the cell able to penetrate its growth environment. In this volume various cell biological aspects of this particular growth phenomenon are discussed, such as the initiation and maintenance of an anisotropically growing cell, the function of cytoskeletal elements, extracellular matrix and turgor, the regulation of ion homeostasis, the mechanism of signalling events, and the interaction of the cell with the environment.

This book contains the proceedings of the International Symposium on the Mechanisms of Sexual Reproduction in Animals and Plants, where many plant and animal reproductive biologists gathered to discuss their recent progress in investigating the shared mechanisms and factors involved in sexual reproduction. This now is the first book that reviews recent progress in almost all fields of plant and animal fertilization. It was recently reported that the self-sterile mechanism of a hermaphroditic marine invertebrate (ascidian) is very similar to the self-incompatibility system in flowering plants. It was also found that a male factor expressed in the sperm cells of flowering plants is involved in gamete fusion not only of plants but also of animals and parasites. These discoveries have led to the consideration that the core mechanisms or factors involved in sexual reproduction may be shared by animals, plants and unicellular organisms. This valuable book is highly useful for reproductive biologists as well as for biological scientists outside this field in understanding the current progress of reproductive biology.

Advances in plant cell molecular biology have considerably increased our understanding of pollen-pistil barriers, particularly those operated by incompatibility mechanisms, and, at the same time, demonstrated the complexity and diversity of rejection systems once considered to be relatively simple. This book reviews the impressive knowledge acquired in the last century on the biology, particularly the inheritance and population genetics of self-incompatibility, and presents the new approaches to the study of the structure, function and evolution of incompatibility alleles and the analysis of cell-cell recognition and pollen rejection. The different methods now available for transforming the breeding behaviour of higher plants are also discussed.

Nucleases, enzymes that restructure or degrade nucleic acid polymers, are vital to the control of every area of metabolism. They range from “housekeeping” enzymes with broad substrate ranges to extremely specific tools (1). Many types of nucleases are used in lab protocols, and their commercial and clinical uses are expanding. The purpose of Nuclease Methods and Protocols is to introduce the reader to some we- characterized protein nucleases, and the methods used to determine their activity, structure, interaction with other molecules, and physiological role. Each chapter begins with a mini-review on a specific nuclease or a nuclease-related theme. Although many chapters cover several topics, they were arbitrarily divided into five parts: Part I, “Characterizing Nuclease Activity,” includes protocols and assays to determine general (processive, distributive) or specific mechanisms. Methods to assay nuclease products, identify cloned nucleases, and determine their physiological role are also included here. Part II, “Inhibitors and Activators of Nucleases,” summarizes assays for measuring the effects of other proteins and small molecules. Many of these inhibitors have clinical relevance. Part III, “Relating Nuclease Structure and Function,” provides an overview of methods to determine or model the 3-D structure of nucleases and their complexes with substrates and inhibitors. A 3-D structure can greatly aid the rational design of nucleases and inhibitors for specific purposes. Part IV, “Nucleases in the Clinic,” summarizes assays and protocols suitable for use with t- sues and for nuclease based therapeutics.

International Review of Cytology presents current advances and comprehensive reviews in cell biology-both plant and animal. Articles address structure and control of gene expression, nucleocytoplasmic interactions, control of cell development and differentiation, and cell transformation and growth. Authored by some of the foremost scientists in the field, each volume provides up-to-date information and directions for future research. - Unusual Autonomic Ganglia - Embryonic Genome Activation in Mammal Embryos - Temporal and Spatial Coordination Plastid Components - Sexual Incompatibility in Plants and Fungi

Monocots: Systematics and Evolution presents leading work from around the world on non-grass monocotyledons and includes reviews and current research into their comparative biology, phylogeny and classification. The papers are based on presentations at the Second International Conference on the Comparative Biology of the Monocotyledons, Monocots II, held in Sydney, Australia in late 1998. Many were subsequently updated or extended to take into account new information. All 72 papers have been peer-reviewed.

The revolutionary progress made in this fascinating field of sexual reproduction inspired this generously illustrated volume. It includes 21 chapters written by experts, covering all aspects of the embryology of angiosperms, ranging from development, isolation, and structure of gametes to endosperm and seed development.