Cell Cycle Control and Plant Development

The cell cycle in plants consists of an ordered set of events, including DNA replication and mitosis, that culminates in cell division. As cell division is a fundamental part of a plant’s existence and the basis for tissue repair, development and growth, a full understanding of all aspects of this process is of pivotal importance.

Cell Cycle Control and Plant Development commences with an introductory chapter and is broadly divided into two parts. Part 1 details the basic cell machinery, with chapters covering cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs), cyclins, CDK inhibitors, proteolysis, CDK phosphorylation, and E2F/DP transcription factors. Part 2, which describes the cell cycle and plant development, covers cell cycle activation, cell cycle control during leaf development, endoreduplication, the cell cycle and trichome, fruit and endosperm development, the hormonal control of cell division and environmental stress, and cell cycle exit.

The editor of this important book, Professor Dirk Inzé, well known and respected internationally, has brought together an impressive team of contributing authors, providing an excellent new volume in Blackwell Publishing’s Annual Plant Reviews Series. The book is an essential purchase for research teams working in the areas of plant sciences and molecular, cell and developmental biology. All libraries in universities and research establishments where biological sciences are studied and taught should have copies of this essential and timely volume.

Professor Dirk Inzé, Scientific Director of the Department of Plant Systems Biology, Ghent University, Belgium.