Roland J. Caubergs – författare

This text provides a treatment of the involvement of plasma membrane redox reactions in the origin and development of biological stress and disease. Thirteen chapters, provided by invited specialists, cover the role of plasma membrane redox systems in cell defence (of plant and animal cells), growth control, antioxidative defence reactions, development of tumour cells, entry of toxins and viruses, reduction and uptake of iron and nitrate, and development of atherosclerosis. Each of these chapters deals extensively with the most recent molecular and cell biological developments in these topics, thereby providing new insights and hypotheses on the mechanisms of action. Overview chapters on the nature and molecular properties of redox proteins identified at the plasma membrane of animal, plant and fungal cells are also included.

Oxidation-reduction (i.e. redox) processes at the plasma membrane of any cell have been attracting more and more attention, both in basic and in applied research, since the first workshop dealing with the plasma membrane oxidoreductases was organized in Cordoba, Spain, in 1988. This evolution is evident considering the numerous cell functions performed by plasma membrane redox systems not only in healthy cells but also in cells that escaped from the normal metabolic control (e.g. cancer cells) and cells under attack by pathogens. Plasma membrane redox processes have now been demonstrated to play an essential role in growth control and defense mechanisms of these cells. The great importance of the plasma membrane redox systems originates in the fact that they are located in the membrane which is essentially the site of communication between the living cell and its environment. We may say that the plasma membrane can be considered as the "sensory part" of the cell. No chemical substance can enter the cell interior without interaction with the plasma membrane.