The past decade has witnessed an explosion of our knowledge on the structure, coding capacity and evolution of the genomes of the two DNA-containing cell organelles in plants: chloroplasts (plastids) and mitochondria. Comparative genomics analyses have provided new insights into the origin of organelles by endosymbioses and uncovered an enormous evolutionary dynamics of organellar genomes. In addition, they have greatly helped to clarify phylogenetic relationships, especially in algae and early land plants with limited morphological and anatomical diversity. This book, written by leading experts, summarizes our current knowledge about plastid and mitochondrial genomes in all major groups of algae and land plants. It also includes chapters on endosymbioses, plastid and mitochondrial mutants, gene expression profiling and methods for organelle transformation. The book is designed for students and researchers in plant molecular biology, taxonomy, biotechnology and evolutionary biology.

Provides a thorough overview of current research with the green alga Chlamydomonas on chloroplast and mitochondrial biogenesis and function, with an emphasis on the assembly and structure-function relationships of the constituents of the photosynthetic apparatus. Contributions emphasize the multidisciplinary nature of current research in photosynthesis, combining molecular genetics, biochemical, biophysical, and physiological approaches. The 36 articles address topics including nuclear genome organization; RNA stability and processing; splicing; translation; protein targeting in the chloroplast; photosystems; pigments; glycerolipids; the ATP synthase; and ferrodoxin and thioredoxin. Further contributions address new measurements methods for photosynthetic activity in vivo; starch biosynthesis; the responses of Chlamydomonas to various stress conditions; nitrogen assimilation; and mitochondrial genetics. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

We have taught plant molecular biology and biotechnology at the undergraduate and graduate level for over 20 years. In the past few decades, the field of plant organelle molecular biology and biotechnology has made immense strides. From the green revolution to golden rice, plant organelles have revolutionized agriculture. Given the exponential growth in research, the problem of finding appropriate textbooks for courses in plant biotechnology and molecular biology has become a major challenge. After years of handing out photocopies of various journal articles and reviews scattered through out the print and electronic media, a serendipitous meeting occurred at the 2002 IATPC World Congress held in Orlando, Florida. After my talk and evaluating several posters presented by investigators from my laboratory, Dr. Jacco Flipsen, Publishing Manager of Kluwer Publishers asked me whether I would consider editing a book on Plant Organelles. I accepted this challenge, after months of deliberations, primarily because I was unsuccessful in finding a text book in this area for many years. I signed the contract with Kluwer in March 2003 with a promise to deliver a camera-ready textbook on July 1, 2004. Given the short deadline and the complexity of the task, I quickly realized this task would need a co-editor. Dr. Christine Chase was the first scientist who came to my mind because of her expertise in plant mitochondria, and she readily agreed to work with me on this book.

Advances in Botanical Research publishes in-depth and up-to-date reviews on a wide range of topics in plant sciences. Features a wide range of reviews by recognized experts on all aspects of plant genetics, biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, physiology and ecology. This thematic volume features reviews on Mitochondrial genome evolution. Publishes in-depth and up-to-date reviews on a wide range of topics in plant sciences Features a wide range of reviews by recognized experts on all aspects of plant genetics, biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, physiology and ecology This thematic volume features reviews on mitochondrial genome evolution