Root Hairs: Cell and Molecular Biology - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 4431702822 ISBN 13: 9784431702825

Publisher: Springer, 2000

Synopsis

Root hairs are tip-growing cells that originate from epidennal cells called trichoblasts. Their role may be simply thought of as extending the surface area of the root to facilitate absorption of nutrients and water. However, as you will see in this book, the root hair is far more than that. To an increasingly larger number of plant biologists, the root hair is a model cell. It grows in much the same way as a pollen tube, by sending vast numbers of vesicles containing cell wall precursors to a rounded apical dome, the tip. Once the trichoblast becomes committed to root hair fonnation, it no longer divides. The root hair cell has a migrating nucleus and a complex cytoskeleton. It has a varied cell wall. It is easy to observe through differential interference contrast microscopy because there are no other cells around it to disturb the image. Cytoplasmic streaming is exceptionally clear, and amyloplasts and even mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum can be seen without reporter labelling in some species. Root hair mutants are easy to distinguish and catalogue. Plant honnones are involved in their growth and development. It is thus an almost ideal plant cell for experimental manipulation and observation. The root hair is also involved in interactions with soil microbes, as you will learn from later chapters of the book.

About this title

Synopsis

Today's plant biologists are increasingly using the root hair as a model for investigating cell and molecular biology. This book focuses on the four major aspects of those investigations - cell biology, physiology, genetics, and symbiosis - with detailed explanations of concomitant techniques. The first part of the book deals with cell biology and includes such topics as the role of microtubules, filamentous actin, and small molecules. The middle section covers the role of hormones, electrobiology, calcium, pH, and nutrient uptake. The final chapters encompass cell biology, physiology, and genetics and provide explanations of recent advances in symbiosis with rhizobia, mycorrhizae, and Frankia. This compilation of the most up-to-date information on root hair biology by experts in the field is a valuable source for researchers from introductory to advanced levels.

Edition details

• Publisher: Springer
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 4431702822
• ISBN 13: 9784431702825
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 352
• Editor: Ridge R.W., Emons A.M.C.