Endosperm: Developmental and Molecular Biology

R. C. Brown, B. E. Lemmon (auth.), Odd-Arne Olsen (eds.)978-3-540-71234-3

The nutritive endosperm of angiosperms is mankind’s most important source of food, livestock feed and industrial raw material. This book is the first comprehensive overview of the developmental and molecular biology of endosperm. The text covers cereal endosperm development from fertilization to maturity, including molecular and cell biology of the syncytial phase, the cellularization process and cell fate specification of the embryo surrounding region cells, the basal transfer cells, the starchy endosperm and aleurone cells. In addition, endosperm development in the model species Arabidopsis thaliana is covered, along with recent progress in endosperm in vitro culture. Special features of endosperm, such as imprinting, polyploidy, programmed cell death and anthocyanin biosynthesis, are described in separate chapters. Finally, the genes and pathways for the main nutritional components of endosperm, storage proteins and starch are covered in detail. Each chapter is illustrated with figures and diagrams, accompanied by text intended for readers at all levels with a basic understanding of cell and molecular biology.

Table of contents :
Front Matter….Pages I-X
The Developmental Biology of Cereal Endosperm….Pages 1-20
Endoreduplication and Programmed Cell Death in the Cereal Endosperm….Pages 21-43
Aleurone Cell Development….Pages 45-56
The Embryo Surrounding Region….Pages 57-71
Transfer Cells….Pages 73-89
Arabidopsis as a Model for Understanding the Basics of Endosperm Development….Pages 91-110
Endosperm Cell and Organ Culture….Pages 111-119
Anthocyanin Synthesis in Maize Aleurone Tissue….Pages 121-139
Protein Body Biogenesis in Cereal Endosperms….Pages 141-158
Endosperm Cell Walls: Formation, Composition, and Functions….Pages 159-177
Starch Formation in the Cereal Endosperm….Pages 179-193
The Structure and Expression of Cereal Storage Protein Genes….Pages 195-218
Genomic Imprinting in Arabidopsis thaliana and Zea mays ….Pages 219-239
Back Matter….Pages 241-248