Plant Membranes

Download or read book Plant Membranes written by Y.Y. Leshem and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-03-09 with total page 344 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Download or read book Molecular Biology of the Cell written by and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Plant Plasma Membrane written by Angus S. Murphy and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2010-11-11 with total page 494 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In plant cells, the plasma membrane is a highly elaborated structure that functions as the point of exchange with adjoining cells, cell walls and the external environment. Transactions at the plasma membrane include uptake of water and essential mineral nutrients, gas exchange, movement of metabolites, transport and perception of signaling molecules, and initial responses to external biota. Selective transporters control the rates and direction of small molecule movement across the membrane barrier and manipulate the turgor that maintains plant form and drives plant cell expansion. The plasma membrane provides an environment in which molecular and macromolecular interactions are enhanced by the clustering of proteins in oligimeric complexes for more efficient retention of biosynthetic intermediates, and by the anchoring of protein complexes to promote regulatory interactions. The coupling of signal perception at the membrane surface with intracellular second messengers also involves transduction across the plasma membrane. Finally, the generation and ordering of the external cell walls involves processes mediated at the plant cell surface by the plasma membrane. This volume is divided into three sections. The first section describes the basic mechanisms that regulate all plasma membrane functions. The second describes plasma membrane transport activity. The final section of the book describes signaling interactions at the plasma membrane. These topics are given a unique treatment in this volume, as the discussions are restricted to the plasma membrane itself as much as possible. A more complete knowledge of the plasma membrane’s structure and function is essential to current efforts to increase the sustainability of agricultural production of food, fiber, and fuel crops.

Download or read book Plant Lipid Metabolism written by J.C. Kader and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-04-18 with total page 598 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A collection of papers that comprehensively describe the major areas of research on lipid metabolism of plants. State-of-the-art knowledge about research on fatty acid and glycerolipid biosynthesis, isoprenoid metabolism, membrane structure and organization, lipid oxidation and degradation, lipids as intracellular and extracellular messengers, lipids and environment, oil seeds and gene technology is reviewed. The different topics covered show that modern tools of plant cellular and molecular biology, as well as molecular genetics, have been recently used to characterize several key enzymes of plant lipid metabolism (in particular, desaturases, thioesterases, fatty acid synthetase) and to isolate corresponding cDNAs and genomic clones, allowing the use of genetic engineering methods to modify the composition of membranes or storage lipids. These findings open fascinating perspectives, both for establishing the roles of lipids in membrane function and intracellular signalling and for adapting the composition of seed oil to the industrial needs. This book will be a good reference source for research scientists, advanced students and industrialists wishing to follow the considerable progress made in recent years on plant lipid metabolism and to envision the new opportunities offered by genetic engineering for the development of novel oil seeds.

Download or read book The Photosynthetic Membrane written by Alexander V. Ruban and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2012-09-17 with total page 412 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Download or read book Plant Cell Biology written by Randy O. Wayne and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2018-11-13 with total page 748 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Plant Cell Biology, Second Edition: From Astronomy to Zoology connects the fundamentals of plant anatomy, plant physiology, plant growth and development, plant taxonomy, plant biochemistry, plant molecular biology, and plant cell biology. It covers all aspects of plant cell biology without emphasizing any one plant, organelle, molecule, or technique. Although most examples are biased towards plants, basic similarities between all living eukaryotic cells (animal and plant) are recognized and used to best illustrate cell processes. This is a must-have reference for scientists with a background in plant anatomy, plant physiology, plant growth and development, plant taxonomy, and more. - Includes chapter on using mutants and genetic approaches to plant cell biology research and a chapter on -omic technologies - Explains the physiological underpinnings of biological processes to bring original insights relating to plants - Includes examples throughout from physics, chemistry, geology, and biology to bring understanding on plant cell development, growth, chemistry and diseases - Provides the essential tools for students to be able to evaluate and assess the mechanisms involved in cell growth, chromosome motion, membrane trafficking and energy exchange

Download or read book The Molecular Biology of Plant Cells written by H. Smith and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 1977-01-01 with total page 516 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Plant cell structure and function; Gene expression and its regulation in plant cells; The manipulation of plant cells.