This 41st volume of RAP includes a total of twelve articles, all based on talks presented at the 49th annual meeting of the PSNA. These eight Perspectives and four Communications give a very good picture of the state of plant (bio)chemistry research in North America, which is also indicative of the state of the field worldwide. Each of these articles describes the integration of several different approaches to ask and then answer interesting questions regarding the function of interesting plant metabolites, either in the plant itself or in interactions with the environment (natural setting or human health application). The Phytochemical Society of North America (PSNA) is a nonprofit scientific organization with membership open to those interested in plant biochemistry, phytochemistry, and the role of plant substances in related disciplines. The PSNA exists to encourage and stimulate research in the chemistry and biochemistry of plant constituents, their effects upon plant and animal physiology and pathology, and their industrial importance and utilization. Annual meetings featuring symposium topics of current general interest and contributed papers by conference participants are held throughout Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Information about the PSNA, can be found at www.psna-online.org.

Zusammenfassung

This is the first volume to be published under a new series agreement for Recent Advances in Phytochemistry, co-published with the Phytochemical Society of North America.

Inhalt
Preface to Recent Advances in Phytochemistry 2010 1. The pursuit of potent anti-influenza activity from the Antarctic red marine alga Gigartina skottsbergii 2. Ginsenosides: Phytoanticipins or Host Recognition Factors? 3. Fractionation of grape seed proanthocyanidins for bioactivity assessment 4. Coloring Soybeans with Anthocyanins? 5. Pharmacogenetics in Potential Herb-Drug Interactions: Effects of Ginseng on CYP3A4 and CYP2C9 Allelic Variants 6. Biosynthesis and Function of Citrus Glycosylated Flavonoids 7. Ginsenoside Variation Within and Between Ontario Ginseng Landraces: Relating Phytochemistry to Biological Activity 8. Heat, Color and Flavor Compounds in Capsicum Fruit 9. Fungal attack and cruciferous defenses: tricking plant pathogens 10. Glucosinolate degradation products in fermented meadowfoam seed meal and their herbicidal activities 11. Elucidating the metabolism of plant terpene volatiles: Alternative tools for engineering plant defenses? 12. Stereoselectivity of the biosynthesis of norlignans and related compounds