Biocomplexity of Plant-Fungal Interactions

Here, an extremely experienced team of authors from five different continents provides a timely review of progress in the use and exploitation of soil bacteria to improve crop and plant growth. They present novel ideas on how to grow better, more successful crops, in an environmentally sound way, making this invaluable reading for those working in the pharmaceutical, biotechnological and agricultural industries.

This latest volume in Wiley Blackwell’s prestigious Annual Plant Reviews brings together articles that describe the biochemical, genetic, and ecological aspects of plant interactions with insect herbivores.. The biochemistry section of this outstanding volume includes reviews highlighting significant findings in the area of plant signalling cascades, recognition of herbivore-associated molecular patterns, sequestration of plant defensive metabolites and perception of plant semiochemicals by insects. Chapters in the genetics section are focused on genetic mapping of herbivore resistance traits and the analysis of transcriptional responses in both plants and insects. The ecology section includes chapters that describe plant-insect interactions at a higher level, including multitrophic interactions, investigations of the cost-benefit paradigm and the altitudinal niche-breadth hypothesis, and a re-evaluation of co-evolution in the light of recent molecular research. Written by many of the world’s leading researchers in these subjects, and edited by Claudia Voelckel and Georg Jander, this volume is designed for students and researchers with some background in plant molecular biology or ecology, who would like to learn more about recent advances or obtain a more in-depth understanding of this field. This volume will also be of great use and interest to a wide range of plant scientists and entomologists and is an essential purchase for universities and research establishments where biological sciences are studied and taught. To view details of volumes in Annual Plant Reviews, visit: www.wiley.com/go/apr Also available from Wiley: Plant Defense Dale Walters 9781405175890 Herbicides and Plant Physiology, 2nd Edn Andrew Cobb & John Reade 9781405129350

Annual Plant Reviews, Volume 11 Plant diseases are destructive and threaten virtually any crop grown on a commercial scale. They are kept in check by plant breeding strategies that have introgressed disease resistance genes into many important crops, and by the deployment of costly control measures, such as antibiotics and fungicides. However, the capacity for the agents of plant disease – viruses, bacteria, fungi and oomycetes – to adapt to new conditions, overcoming disease resistance and becoming resistant to pesticides, is very great. For these reasons, understanding the biology of plant diseases is essential for the development of durable control strategies. This volume provides an overview of our current knowledge of plant-pathogen interactions and the establishment of plant disease, drawing together fundamental new information on plant infection mechanisms and host responses. The role of molecular signals, gene regulation and the physiology of pathogenic organisms are emphasised, but the role of the prevailing environment in the conditioning of disease is also discussed. This is a book for researchers and professionals in plant pathology, cell biology, molecular biology and genetics.

Insect-Plant Interactions and Induced Plant Defence Chair: John A. Pickett, 1999 This book examines the sophisticated mechanisms that plants use to defend themselves against attack by insects and pathogens, focusing on the networks of plant signalling pathways that underlie these defences. In response to herbivory, plants release a complex blend of as many as 100 volatile chemicals, known as semiochemicals ('sign chemicals'). These act as an airborne SOS signal, revealing the presence of the herbivore to the predators and parasitoids that are its natural enemies. Plants also have endogenous defence mechanisms that can be induced in response to pathogens, and separate chapters deal with systemic acquired resistance, phytoalexins, and the interacting pathways in pathogen and pest resistance. The book discusses underlying biochemical mechanisms by which plant stress leads to the biosynthesis of chemical signals from pools of secondary metabolite precursors, or even from the primary metabolism source. Finally, consideration is given to the possibilities for exploiting these signalling pathways by plant molecular genetics. The use of plant signals and their analogues to switch on defence pathways in crop plants is covered in depth. Bringing together contributions from entomologists, chemical ecologists, molecular biologists and plant physiologists this book is truly interdisciplinary, and will be essential reading for anyone with an interest in agricultural pest control.

Visit the accompanying website from the author at www.blackwellpublishing.com/deacon. Fungal Biology is the fully updated new edition of this undergraduate text, covering all major areas of fungal biology and providing insights into many topical areas. Provides insights into many topical areas such as fungal ultrastructure and the mechanisms of fungal growth, important fungal metabolites and the molecular techniques used to study fungal populations. Focuses on the interactions of fungi that form the basis for developing biological control agents, with several commercial examples of the control of insect pests and plant diseases. Emphasises the functional biology of fungi, with examples from recent research. Includes a clear illustrative account of the features and significance of the main fungal groups.

The growing flood of new experimental data generated by genome sequencing has provided an impetus for the development of automated methods for predicting the functions of proteins that have been deduced by sequence analysis and lack experimental characterization. Prediction of Protein Structures, Functions and Interactions presents a comprehensive overview of methods for prediction of protein structure or function, with the emphasis on their availability and possibilities for their combined use. Methods of modeling of individual proteins, prediction of their interactions, and docking of complexes are put in the context of predicting gene ontology (biological process, molecular function, and cellular component) and discussed in the light of their contribution to the emerging field of systems biology. Topics covered include: first steps of protein sequence analysis and structure prediction automated prediction of protein function from sequence template-based prediction of three-dimensional protein structures: fold-recognition and comparative modelling template-free prediction of three-dimensional protein structures quality assessment of protein models prediction of molecular interactions: from small ligands to large protein complexes macromolecular docking integrating prediction of structure, function, and interactions Prediction of Protein Structures, Functions and Interactions focuses on the methods that have performed well in CASPs, and which are constantly developed and maintained, and are freely available to academic researchers either as web servers or programs for local installation. It is an essential guide to the newest, best methods for prediction of protein structure and functions, for researchers and advanced students working in structural bioinformatics, protein chemistry, structural biology and drug discovery.

The subject of this book – intermolecular interactions – is as important in physics as in chemistry and molecular biology. Intermolecular interactions are responsible for the existence of liquids and solids in nature. They determine the physical and chemical properties of gases, liquids, and crystals, the stability of chemical complexes and biological compounds. In the first two chapters of this book, the detailed qualitative description of different types of intermolecular forces at large, intermediate and short-range distances is presented. For the first time in the monographic literature, the temperature dependence of the dispersion forces is discussed, and it is shown that at finite temperatures the famous Casimir-Polder asymptotic formula is correct only at narrow distance range. The author has aimed to make the presentation understandable to a broad scope of readers without oversimplification. In Chapter 3, the methods of quantitative calculation of the intermolecular interactions are discussed and modern achievements are presented. This chapter should be helpful for scientists performing computer calculations of many-electron systems. The last two chapters are devoted to the many-body effects and model potentials. More than 50 model potentials exploited for processing experimental data and computer simulation in different fields of physics, chemistry and molecular biology are represented. The widely used global optimisation methods: simulated annealing, diffusion equation method, basin-hopping algorithm, and genetic algorithm are described in detail. Significant efforts have been made to present the book in a self-sufficient way for readers. All the necessary mathematical apparatus, including vector and tensor calculus and the elements of the group theory, as well as the main methods used for quantal calculation of many-electron systems are presented in the appendices.

Biology of Plant Metabolomics is an exciting new volume in Wiley-Blackwell's highly successful Annual Plant Reviews series. Concentrating on the biology and biological relevance of plant metabolomics, each chapter, written by internationally-acknowledged experts in the field from at least two different research groups, combines a review of the existing biological results with an extended assessment of possible future developments and the impact that these will have on the type of research needed for the future. Following a general introduction, this exciting volume includes details of metabolomics of model species including Arabidopsis and tomato. Further chapters provide in-depth coverage of abiotic stress, data integration, systems biology, genetics, genomics, chemometrics and biostatisitcs. Applications of plant metabolomics in food science, plant ecology and physiology are also comprehensively covered. Biology of Plant Metabolomics provides cutting edge reviews of many major aspects of this new and exciting subject. It is an essential purchase for plant scientists, plant geneticists and physiologists. All libraries in universities and research establishments where biological sciences are studied and taught should have a copy of this Annual Plant Reviews volume on their shelves.

The use of secondary interactions for the activation of non-reactive substrates constitutes a new and modern approach in catalysis. This first comprehensive treatment of this important research field covers the entire field and reveals the links between the various chemical disciplines. It thus adopts an interdisciplinary approach, making it of interest to the whole chemical community. A must for organic, inorganic, catalytic and complex chemists, as well as those working with/on organometallics.

Annual Plant Reviews, Volume 34 Molecular Aspects of Plant Disease Resistance Edited by Jane Parker In recent years, our understanding of the mechanisms involved in plant resistance to disease has seen major advances. This important new volume in Wiley-Blackwell’s Annual Plant Reviews provides cutting edge reviews on major aspects of plant immunity from many of the world's leading researchers in the area. Coverage includes: • Establishment of disease by microbial pathogens • Genomic approaches to understanding host-pathogen interactions • Local and systemic resistance signalling • Activities of small bioactive molecules • Plant-insect ecology This exciting volume is essential reading for all those studying plant-pathogen interactions including plant and agricultural scientists, molecular biologists, geneticists and microbiologists. Libraries in all universities and research establishments where biological and agricultural sciences are studied and taught should have copies of this important volume on their shelves. About the Editor Dr Jane Parker is a Group Leader in the Department of Plant-Microbe Interactions at The Max-Planck Institute of Plant Breeding Research, Cologne and Associate Professor at The Institute of Genetics, University of Cologne, Germany. Also Available Annual Plant Reviews, Volume 33 Intracellular Signaling in Plants Edited by Zhenbiao Yang Print: 9781405160025 Annual Plant Reviews, Volume 32 Cell Cycle Control and Plant Development Edited by Dirk Inz? Print: 9781405150439 Online: 9780470988923 Annual Plant Reviews, Volume 31 Plant Mitochondria Edited by David Logan Print: 9781405149396 Online: 9780470986592 Annual Plant Reviews, Volume 30 Light and Plant Development Edited by Garry C. Whitelam and Karen J. Halliday Print: 9781405145381 Online: 9780470988893