About the Book
The purpose of this text book is to present classical plant development in modern, molecular-genetic terms. The study of plant development is rapidly changing as genome sequencing projects uncover a multitude of new genes. This book provides a framework for integrating gene discovery and genome analysis into the context of plant development. Taking a systems approach, concepts in plant development are compared with those in animal development, and complex processes, such as flowering and photomorphogenesis, are presented as pathways of gene action regulated by positional and environmental cues. Emphasis is placed on organ formation, such as the development of roots, shoots and leaves, and life cycle events, for example, embryogenesis, seedling development, and the transition to flowering. Examples are drawn primarily from model plants with well-studied genetic systems, particularly Arabidopsis and maize. Molecular Genetics of Plant Development is designed to be used as a textbook for upper division or graduate courses in plant development.
Table of Contents:
Abridged contents: Preface. A word on genetic nomenclature; 1. Approaches to the study of plant development; 2. Cell lineages and positional information; 3. Embryogenesis; 4. Seedling development; 5. Shoot Development; 6. Leaf Development; 7. Transition to flowering; 8. Flower development; 9. Development of floral reproductive organs and gametophytes; 10. Pollination and apomixis: pollen germination, pollen tube guidance, self incompatibility, apomixis; 11. Seed and fruit development; 12. Root development; 13. Vascular development; Index. Complete contents: Preface: a word on genetic nomenclature; 1. Approaches to the study of plant development: pattern formation in development, important differences between animal and plant development, model plant systems, cloning genes relevant to plant development, the 'virtual' plant; 2. Cell lineages and positional information: predictability of cell fates, marking cells within a lineage, founding cells and developmental compartments, determining the number of founder cells by cell lineage analysis, cell fate mapping in early embryogenesis, experimental disruption of cell lineages, positional information in animal development, positional information in plant development, cell layers and chimeras, transmission of information between cell layers; 3. Embryogenesis: early events in embryogenesis, complexity of gene expression in the embryo, genetics of embryogenesis, embryo lethal mutants, pattern mutants, polarity or apical-based axis mutants, segment deletion mutants, radial axis mutants, summary about pattern formation in embryogenesis, cell fate maps in embryo development, in vitro fertilization and development of plant embryos, somatic embryogenesis; 4. Seedling development: photomorphogenesis, light insensitive photomorphogenic mutants:hy mutants, constitutive light response mutants,det and cop mutants, fusca mutants, downstream events in photomorphogenesis, ethylene mutants and the triple response; 5. Shoot development: shoot apical meristem organization: layers and zones, SAM mutants, cell determination in the SAM, SAM molecular biology, phyllotaxy, elongation of internodes and gibberellic acid, phase changes in vegetative growth; 6. Leaf development: leaf determination, origins of leaf primordia in dicots, dicot leaf development, genetics of leaf development, compound leaves, trichome development and patterning, stomate patterning and spacing; 7. Transition to flowering: transition to flowering in pea, transition from vegetative to inflorescence development in Arabidopsis, transition from inflorescence to floral development in Arabidopsis, control of flowering through the action of transgenes, transition from inflorescence to floral development in Antirrhinum, floral transitions in non-inducible systems; 8. Flower development: founding cell populations for flowers, molecular genetics and the ABC model, identification of floral homeotic genes, cadasteral functions of homeotic genes, positive regulation of homeotic gene function, molecular functions of MADS box genes, genes mediating the interactions between floral meristem and floral organ identity genes, control of whorl formation and number of organs per whorl, sex determination: monecious and dioecious plants; 9. Development of floral reproductive organs and gametophytes: anther development and pollen formation, genetics of anther development and pollen formation, pistil, ovule and embryo sac development, mutants affecting pistil, ovule and embryo sac development; 10. Pollination and apomixis: pollen germination, pollen tube guidance, self incompatibility, apomixis; 11. Seed and fruit development: seed development, morphogenesis stage, maturation stage, desiccation stage, dormancy and the control of germination, fruit development; 12. Root development: the root apical meristem and the promeristem, cell fates and cell lin
Review :
'The quality of Stephen Howell's book is first class. It is well-written and up-to-date … The book is packed with helpful illustrations and photographs … an excellent book that I can wholeheartedly recommend. It sets a benchmark for future advanced undergraduate texts and I look forward to seeing further editions in due course.' Jerry Roberts, Annals of Botany
' … excellent, and it can be highly recommended for advanced students and researchers in the fields of plant development and plant molecular biology.' Biologia Plantarum
