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This book - the first published on this topic in plants - presents
the reader with an overview of recent research on nitric oxide (NO)
in plants, which, in view of its empirical interest and its growth
regulatory potential, is in the forefront of scientific endeavor in
plant science. Subject matter is divided into two parts: Part 1
deals with NO and peroxynitrite biochemistry and regulative
mechanisms as presently known in the Plant Kingdom and outlines
some of the problems still awaiting clarification. Emphasis is
placed on ethylene emission regulation, postharvest control, plant
phytopathology and environmental stress tolerance. A further topic
is plant NO, like Viagra, related to cyclic nucleotide turnover.
Part 2 deals with environmental aspects of NO as an atmospheric
pollutant and discusses endogenous means which plants at times
employ to cope with this particular type of stress, and how their
coping mechanisms may be harnessed for purposes of depollution and
augmentation of nitrogen fertilization. The text, accompanied by a
wealth of illustrations and annotated references, is intended for
lecturers, advanced students and research scientists at
universities and research institutes dealing with plant sciences
and agriculture, as well as for environmental researchers.
The plasma membrane is at once the window through which the cell
senses the environment and the portal through which the environment
influences the structure and activities of the cell. Its importance
in cellular physiology can thus hardly be overestimated, since
constant flow of materials between cell and environment is
essential to the well-being of any biological system. The nature of
the materials mov ing into the cell is also critical, since some
substances are required for maintenance and growth, while others,
because of their toxicity, must either be rigorously excluded or
permitted to enter only after chemical alteration. Such alteration
frequently permits the compounds to be sequestered in special
cellular compartments having different types of membranes. This
type of homogeneity, plus the fact that the wear and tear of
transmembrane molecular traffic compels the system to be constantly
monitored and repaired, means that the membrane system of any
organism must be both structurally complex and dy namic. Membranes
have been traditionally difficult to study because of their
fragility and small diameter. In the last several decades, however,
remarkable advances have been made because of techniques permit
ting the bulk isolation of membranes from homogenized cells. From
such isolated membranes have come detailed physical and chemical
analyses that have given us a detailed working model of membrane.
We now can make intelligent guesses about the structural and func
tional interactions of membrane lipids, phospholipids, proteins,
sterols and water.
The plasma membrane is at once the window through which the cell
senses the environment and the portal through which the environment
influences the structure and activities of the cell. Its importance
in cellular physiology can thus hardly be overestimated, since
constant flow of materials between cell and environment is
essential to the well-being of any biological system. The nature of
the materials mov ing into the cell is also critical, since some
substances are required for maintenance and growth, while others,
because of their toxicity, must either be rigorously excluded or
permitted to enter only after chemical alteration. Such alteration
frequently permits the compounds to be sequestered in special
cellular compartments having different types of membranes. This
type of homogeneity, plus the fact that the wear and tear of
transmembrane molecular traffic compels the system to be constantly
monitored and repaired, means that the membrane system of any
organism must be both structurally complex and dy namic. Membranes
have been traditionally difficult to study because of their
fragility and small diameter. In the last several decades, however,
remarkable advances have been made because of techniques permit
ting the bulk isolation of membranes from homogenized cells. From
such isolated membranes have come detailed physical and chemical
analyses that have given us a detailed working model of membrane.
We now can make intelligent guesses about the structural and func
tional interactions of membrane lipids, phospholipids, proteins,
sterols and water."
This book - the first published on this topic in plants - presents
the reader with an overview of recent research on nitric oxide (NO)
in plants, which, in view of its empirical interest and its growth
regulatory potential, is in the forefront of scientific endeavor in
plant science. Subject matter is divided into two parts: Part 1
deals with NO and peroxynitrite biochemistry and regulative
mechanisms as presently known in the Plant Kingdom and outlines
some of the problems still awaiting clarification. Emphasis is
placed on ethylene emission regulation, postharvest control, plant
phytopathology and environmental stress tolerance. A further topic
is plant NO, like Viagra, related to cyclic nucleotide turnover.
Part 2 deals with environmental aspects of NO as an atmospheric
pollutant and discusses endogenous means which plants at times
employ to cope with this particular type of stress, and how their
coping mechanisms may be harnessed for purposes of depollution and
augmentation of nitrogen fertilization. The text, accompanied by a
wealth of illustrations and annotated references, is intended for
lecturers, advanced students and research scientists at
universities and research institutes dealing with plant sciences
and agriculture, as well as for environmental researchers.
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