The Plant Cytoskeleton: a Key Tool for Agro-Biotechnology

Essential processes in biology such as cell and nuclear division, development, intracellular transport and physiological response, rely on the perception of environmental and intracellular signals and their transduction to subcellular targets. The mechanisms by which these signals are received by cells and transduced towards the proper targets by cytoskeletal components constitute one of the most important and rapidly developing areas in modern plant biology. In addition, fundamentally important responses of plants to biotic and abiotic factors also involve signalling to and through the cytoskeleton, which helps explain the current interest of biotechnology in this field of fundamental research. Manipulation of cytoskeletal components, the microtubules and microfilaments, had, until recently, not been a priority issue for plant biotechnology. However, given the fundamental role of the cytoskeleton during plant growth and development, the potential for biotechnological applications is immense. The NATO Advanced Research Workshop, The Plant Cytoskeleton: Genomic and Bioinformatic Tools for Biotechnology and Agriculture was held in Yalta, Ukraine, from September 19 to 23, 2006 which continued the tradition of the first two International Symposia Plant Cytoskeleton: Molecular Keys for Biotechnology (Yalta, Ukraine, 1998) and The Plant Cytoskeleton: functional diversity and biotechnological implications (Kiev, Ukraine, 2002).

Covers the scientific spectrum of plant cytoskeletal research Presents the state of the art in plant cytoskeletal research based on advances in plant genomics, bioinformatics, cell and molecular biology Represents a comprehensive review of plant cytoskeletal research for applications in biotechnology, agriculture and pharmacology

Inhalt
Cytoskeleton Fundamentals.- Plant Gamma-Tusc-Like Components: Their Role In Microtubule Nucleation.- Gamma-Tubulins And Their Functions In Plant Cells.- Coiled-Coil- And Intermediate Filament-Proteins In The Plant Nucleoskeleton.- Cytoskeleton And Development.- Microtubules And The Control Of Cell Elongation In Arabidopsis Roots.- Regulation Of Root Hair Tip Growth: Can Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases Be Taken Into Account?.- Cytoskeletal Changes During Spermatogenesis In Chara Antheridia.- Cytoskeleton And Signalling.- Plant Tubulin Phosphorylation And Its Role In Cell Cycle Progression.- Plant Myosins: Do They Have Roles In Gravi- And Mechanosensing?.- The Role Of The Cytoskeleton In Plant Cell Gravisensitivity.- Genomics Of The Cytoskeleton.- The Importance Of Being An Intron, By Wild....Type Tubulin Genes.- The Transcriptome Of The Tubulin Gene Family In Plants.- Array Technology For Studying Maize Tubulin.- Cytoskeleton Proteomics.- The Microtubule Proteome: A Role in Regulating Protein Synthesis and Import Into Organelles?.- Qualitative And Quantitative Analyses Of ß-Tubulin Cva (C-Terminal Variable Acidic Amino Acid Region) By Maldi-Tof Mass-Spectrometry.- Structural Biology And Bioinformatics For Cytoskeleton Research.- Tubulin Isotypes And Their Role In Microtubule Dynamic Instability, Implications For Modeling And Rational Design Of Inhibitors.- Dinitroaniline Interactions with Tubulin: Genetic and Computational Approaches to Define the Mechanisms of Action and Resistance.- Domain Complexity Of Plant Kinesins.- Bioinformatic Search For Plant Homologues Of Animal Structural Maps In The Arabidopsis Thaliana Genome.- Structural Biology And Bioinformatics For Cytoskeleton Research.- Spatial Distribution Of Tubulin Mutations Conferring Resistance ToAntimicrotubular Compounds.- Antimitotic Drugs For Microprotoplast-Mediated Chromosome Transfer In Plant Genomics, Cell Engineering And Breeding.- Modified Tubulin Genes as Selectable Markers for Plant Transformation.