Plant Programmed Cell Death

Programmed cell death (PCD) is a genetically encoded, active process which results in the death of individual cells, tissues, or whole organs. PCD plays an essential role in plant development and defense, and occurs throughout a plant’s lifecycle from the death of the embryonic suspensor to leaf and floral organ senescence. In plant biology, PCD is a relatively new research area, however, as its fundamental importance is further recognized, publications in the area are beginning to increase significantly. The field currently has few foundational reference books and there is a critical need for books that summarizes recent findings in this important area. This book contains chapters written by several of the world’s leading researchers in PCD. This book will be invaluable for PhD or graduate students, or for scientists and researchers entering the field. Established researchers will also find this timely work useful as an up-to-date overview of this fascinating research area.

Dr. Arunika Gunawardena is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada. Over recent years the Gunawardena laboratory has pioneered the use of the beautiful lace plant, Aponogeton madagascariensis as a novel model organism for the study of programmed cell death. (http://pcdlab.biology.dal.ca).

Dr. Paul McCabe is Head of the Botany Programme at the School of Biology and Environmental Science at University College Dublin, Ireland. Dr. McCabe's research interests include the regulation of developmental cell fate and cell death determination. Dr. McCabe and his colleagues have used PCD morphology and in vitro cell cultures to study several aspects of plant programmed cell death.