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 hormone 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.

Inhalt
The Morphology and Dynamics of the ER.- Targeting of RNAs to ER Subdomains and its Relationship to Protein Localization.- The ER Folding Helpers: A Connection Between Protein Maturation, Stress Responses and Plant Development.- Endoplasmic Reticulum-associated Protein Degradation in Plant Cells.- ER-to-Golgi Transport: The COPII-Pathway.- Transport of Proteases to the Vacuole: ER Export Bypassing Golgi?.- Induction of Specialized Compartments from the ER.- Synthesis of Structural and Storage Lipids by the ER.- Oleosins and Endoplasmic Reticulum in Seeds and Anthers.- Participation of the Plant ER in Peroxisomal Biogenesis.- The ER and Plant Hormones.- The ER and Cell Calcium.- The ER Within Plasmodesmata.- The ER in Replication of Positive-Strand RNA Viruses.