The Photosynthetic Membrane. Molecular Mechanisms and Biophysics of Light Harvesting

The proteins that gather light for plant photosynthesis are embedded within cell membranes in a site called the thylakoid membrane (or the «photosynthetic membrane»). These proteins form the light harvesting antenna that feeds with energy a number of vital photosynthetic processes such as water oxidation and oxygen evolution, the pumping of protons across the thylakoid membranes coupled with the electron transport chain of the photosystems and cytochrome b6f complex, and ATP synthesis by ATP synthase utilizing the generated proton gradient. The Photosynthetic Membrane: Molecular Mechanisms and Biophysics of Light Harvesting is an introduction to the fundamental design and function of the light harvesting photosynthetic membrane, one of the most common and most important structures of life. It describes the underlying structure of the membrane, the variety and roles of the membrane proteins, the atomic structures of light harvesting complexes and their macromolecular assemblies, the molecular mechanisms and dynamics of light harvesting and primary energy transformations, and the broad range of adaptations to different light environments. The book shows, using the example of the photosynthetic membrane, how complex biological structures utilize principles of chemistry and physics in order to carry out biological functions. The Photosynthetic Membrane: Molecular Mechanisms of Light Harvesting will appeal to a wide audience of undergraduate and postgraduate students as well as researchers working in the fields of biochemistry, molecular biology, biophysics, plant science and bioengineering.

The classic and authoritative textbook, Molecular Mechanisms of Photosynthesis,is now fully revised and updated in this much-anticipated second edition. Whilst retaining the first edition’s clear writing style and accessible description of this complex process, updates now include cutting-edge applications of photosynthesis, such as to bioenergy and artificial photosynthesis as well as new analytical techniques. Written by a leading authority in photosynthesis research, this new edition is presented in full color with clear, student-friendly illustrations. An interdisciplinary approach to photosynthesis is taken, with coverage including the basic principles of energy storage, the history and early development of photosynthesis, electron transfer pathways, genetics and evolution. A comprehensive appendix, containing an introduction to the basic chemical and physical principles involved in photosynthesis, is also included. Molecular Mechanisms of Photosynthesis,second edition, is an indispensable text for all students of plant biology, bioenergy, and molecular biology, in addition to researchers in these and related fields looking for an accessible introduction to this vital and integral process to life on earth. stresses an interdisciplinary approach emphasizes recent advances in molecular structures and mechanisms includes the latest insights and research on structural information, improved techniques as well as advances in biochemical and genetic methods comprehensive appendix, which includes a detailed introduction to the physical basis of photosynthesis, including thermodynamics, kinetics, and spectroscopy associated website with downloadable figures as powerpoint slides for teaching

Molecular Mechanisms of Photosynthesis stands as an ideal introduction to this subject. Robert Blankenship, a leading authority in photosynthesis research, offers a modern approach to photosynthesis in this accessible and well-illustrated text. The book provides a concise overview of the basic principles of energy storage and the history of the field, then progresses into more advanced topics such as electron transfer pathways, kinetics, genetic manipulations, and evolution. Throughout, Blankenship includes an interdisciplinary emphasis that makes this book appealing across fields. Leading authority in Photosynthesis and the the President of the International Society of Photosynthesis Research. First authoritative text to enter the market in 10 years. Stresses an interdisciplinary approach, which appeals to all science students. Emphasizes the recent advances in molecular structures and mechanisms. Only text to contain comprehensive coverage of both bacterial and plant photosynthesis. Includes the latest insights and research on structural information, improved spectroscopic techniques as well as advances in biochemical and genetic methods. Presents the most extensive treatment of the Origin and evolution of photosynthesis. Comprehensive appendix, which includes a detailed introduction to the physical basis of photosynthesis, including thermodynamics, kinetics and spectroscopy.

The field of lymphokine research has grown in parallel to the exciting developments around the two sets of cells which defend the body. While lymphokines are the «property» of immunologists, the molecular regulators of hemopoiesis (CSFs) belong to the hematologists. This book offers the rare opportunity to examine these separate fields of expertise together.

Plants are forced to adapt for a variety of reasons— protection, reproductive viability, and environmental and climatic changes. Computational tools and molecular advances have provided researchers with significant new insights into the molecular basis of plant adaptation. Molecular Mechanisms in Plant Adaptation provides a comprehensive overview of a wide variety of these different mechanisms underlying adaptation to these challenges to plant survival. Molecular Mechanisms in Plant Adaptation opens with a chapter that explores the latest technological advances used in plant adaptation research, providing readers with an overview of high-throughput technologies and their applications. The chapters that follow cover the latest developments on using natural variation to dissect genetic, epigenetic and metabolic responses of plant adaptation. Subsequent chapters describe plant responses to biotic and abiotic stressors and adaptive reproductive strategies. Emerging topics such as secondary metabolism, small RNA mediated regulation as well as cell type specific responses to stresses are given special precedence. The book ends with chapters introducing computational approaches to study adaptation and focusing on how to apply laboratory findings to field studies and breeding programs. Molecular Mechanisms in Plant Adaptation interest plant molecular biologists and physiologists, plant stress biologists, plant geneticists and advanced plant biology students.

Recent application of the techniques of molecular biology and patch-clamp physiology has led to rapid advances in understanding the molecular events in chemosensory transduction. In this book, the latest results are presented and discussed by leading scientists. The extensive coverage encompasses many important topics, including mucous domains; microchemical heterogeneity in the mucociliary complex of the olfactory epithelium; membrane currents and mechanisms of olfactory transduction, and genetic and pathological taste variation.

This book features scientists from a broad spectrum of disciplines discussing recent data on aggression in laboratory animals with particular reference to possible implications for understanding human aggression. Chapters focus on the major current experimental issues in the study of aggression in humans and animals. The extensive discussions deal with specific problems of interpretation at the molecular level, as well as general issues relating to our understanding of human and animal aggression.

Following up on his first book, Fundementals of Biophysics, the author, a well-known scientist in this area, builds on that foundation by offering the biologist or scientist an advanced, comprehensive coverage of biophysics. Structuring the book into four major parts, he thoroughly covers the biophysics of complex systems, such as the kinetics and thermodynamic processes of biological systems, in the first part. The second part is dedicated to molecular biophysics, such as biopolymers and proteins, and the third part is on the biophysics of membrane processes. The final part is on photobiological processes. This ambitious work is a must-have for the veteran biologist, scientist, or chemist working in this field, and for the novice or student, who is interested in learning about biophysics. It is an emerging field, becoming increasingly more important, the more we learn about and develop the science. No library on biophysics is complete without this text and its precursor, both available from Wiley-Scrivener.

A range of alternative mechanisms can usually be postulated for most organic chemical reactions, and identification of the most likely requires detailed investigation. Investigation of Organic Reactions and their Mechanisms will serve as a guide for the trained chemist who needs to characterise an organic chemical reaction and investigate its mechanism, but who is not an expert in physical organic chemistry. Such an investigation will lead to an understanding of which bonds are broken, which are made, and the order in which these processes happen. This information and knowledge of the associated kinetic and thermodynamic parameters are central to the development of safe, efficient, and profitable industrial chemical processes, and to extending the synthetic utility of new chemical reactions in chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing, and academic environments. Written as a coherent account of the principal methods currently used in mechanistic investigations, at a level accessible to academic researchers and graduate chemists in industry, the book is highly practical in approach. The contributing authors, an international group of expert practitioners of the techniques covered, illustrate their contributions by examples from their own research and from the relevant wider chemical literature. The book covers basic aspects such as product analysis, kinetics, catalysis, and investigation of reactive intermediates. It also includes material on significant recent developments, e.g. computational chemistry, calorimetry, and electrochemistry, in addition to topics of high current industrial relevance, e.g. reactions in multiphase systems, and synthetically useful reactions involving free radicals and catalysis by organometallic compounds.

Biophysics is a science that comprises theoretical plotting and models based on contemporary physicochemical conceptions. They mirror physical specificity of the molecular organization and elementary processes in living organisms, which in their turn form the molecular basis of biological phenomena. Presentation of a complete course in biophysics requires vast biological material as well as additional involvement of state-of-the-art concepts in physics, chemistry and mathematics. This is essential for the students to “perceive” the specific nature and peculiarity of molecular biological processes and see how this specificity is displayed in biological systems. This is the essence of the up-to-date biophysical approach to the analysis of biological processes. Fundamentals of Biophysics offers a complete, thorough coverage of the material in a straightforward and no-nonsense format, offering a new and unique approach to the material that presents the appropriate topics without extraneous and unneeded filler material.