David G. Robinson - Böcker

Annual Plant Reviews, Volume 9The Golgi apparatus is at the fulcrum of secretory traffic, beginning at the endoplasmic reticulum and culminating at the cell surface or lytic/vacuolar compartments. Its major functions are protein glycosylation and polysaccharide synthesis, on one hand, and protein sorting on the other. With advances in our understanding of how the Golgi apparatus operates in plants, the possibility of manipulating the timing, type and site of delivery of secretory macromolecules is therefore becoming more and more feasible. This will be important not only for improving crop production, but also for increasing the use of plants as bioreactors for vaccines and other therapeutic agents. This volume concentrates on the major developments of the last few years, drawing attention to the distinct differences between the plant and non-plant Golgi apparatus and highlighting unsolved problems. A chapter is included on the yeast Golgi apparatus. This is a volume for researchers and professionals in plant cell biology, biochemistry, physiology and molecular biology.

In 1939, when the electron optics laboratory of Siemens & Halske Inc. began to manufacture the first electron microscopes, the biological and medical profes­ sions had an unexpected instrument at their disposal which exceeded the reso­ lution of the light microscope by more than a hundredfold. The immediate and broad application of this new tool was complicated by the overwhelming prob­ lems inherent in specimen preparation for the investigation of cellular struc­ tures. The microtechniques applied in light microscopy were no longer appli­ cable, since even the thinnest paraffin layers could not be penetrated by electrons. Many competent biological and medical research workers expressed their anxiety that objects in high vacuum would be modified due to complete dehydration and the absorbed electron energy would eventually cause degrada­ tion to rudimentary carbon backbones. It also seemed questionable as to whether it would be possible to prepare thin sections of approximately 0. 5 11m from heterogeneous biological specimens. Thus one was suddenly in posses­ sion of a completely unique instrument which, when compared with the light microscope, allowed a 10-100-fold higher resolution, yet a suitable preparation methodology was lacking. This sceptical attitude towards the application of electron microscopy in bi­ ology and medicine was supported simultaneously by the general opinion of colloid chemists, who postulated that in the submicroscopic region of living structures no stable building blocks existed which could be revealed with this apparatus.

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER), called "the mother of all membranes," is spotlighted in this timely new book. The work presented here is especially exciting since GFP-technology has provided new ways of looking at the dynamics of the ER and its relationship to other organelles, particularly the Golgi apparatus and peroxisomes. This book provides in-depth knowledge of the ER and the diverse roles it plays - for instance, in protein trafficking, homeostasis of cellular calcium, plant hormones, and lipid synthesis. These manifold activities are reflected in the great plasticity of the ER as a structure, with more than a dozen specialized domains recognized for this organelle.

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER), called "the mother of all membranes," is spotlighted in this timely new book. The work presented here is especially exciting since GFP-technology has provided new ways of looking at the dynamics of the ER and its relationship to other organelles, particularly the Golgi apparatus and peroxisomes. This book provides in-depth knowledge of the ER and the diverse roles it plays.