Main description:

Essential processes in biology such as cell and nuclear division, development, intracellular transport and physiological response, rely on the perception of environmental and intracellular signals and their transduction to subcellular targets. The mechanisms by which these signals are received by cells and transduced towards the proper targets by cytoskeletal components constitute one of the most important and rapidly developing areas in modern plant biology. In addition, fundamentally important responses of plants to biotic and abiotic factors also involve signalling to and through the cytoskeleton, which helps explain the current interest of biotechnology in this field of fundamental research. Manipulation of cytoskeletal components, the microtubules and microfilaments, had, until recently, not been a priority issue for plant biotechnology. However, given the fundamental role of the cytoskeleton during plant growth and development, the potential for biotechnological applications is immense. The NATO Advanced Research Workshop, "The Plant Cytoskeleton: Genomic and Bioinformatic Tools for Biotechnology and Agriculture" was held in Yalta, Ukraine, from September 19 to 23, 2006 - which continued the tradition of the first two International Symposia "Plant Cytoskeleton: Molecular Keys for Biotechnology" (Yalta, Ukraine, 1998) and "The Plant Cytoskeleton: functional diversity and biotechnological implications" (Kiev, Ukraine, 2002).

Contents:

Cytoskeleton Fundamentals.- Plant gamma-TuSC-like Components: their Role in Microtubule Nucleation; V. Seltzer et al.- Gamma-tubulins and their Functions in Plant Cells; P. Binarova et al.- Coiled-coil and Intermediate Filament-Proteins in the Plant Nucleoskeleton; S. Moreno Diaz de la Espina, C. de la Torre.- Cytoskeleton and Development.- Microtubules and the Control of Cell Elongation in Arabidopsis Roots; J.-P. Verbelen et al.- Regulation of Root Hair Tip Growth: Can Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases be taken into Account?; M. Ovecka et al.- Cytoskeletal Changes during Spermatogenesis in Chara Antheridia; Q. Jin, K.H. Hasenstein.- Cytoskeleton and Signalling.- Plant Tubulin Phosphorylation and its Role in Cell Cycle Progression; Y.B. Blume et al.- Plant Myosins: Do they have a Role in Gravi- and Mechanosensing?; D. Volkmann, F. Baluska.- Role of Cytoskeleton in Gravisensing of Plant Root Cells; E.L. Kordyum et al.- Genomics of the Cytoskeleton.- The Importance of being an Intron. By Wild... type Tubulin Genes; D. Breviario et al.- Transcription of the Tubulin Gene in Plants; V.V. Radchuk.- Array Technology for Studying Maize Tubulin; D. Griffin, S. Wick.- Cytoskeleton Proteomics.- Microtubules and Organelle Dynamics in Plants; T. Quilichini, D.G. Muench.- Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of ss-tubulin Cva (C-Terminal Variable Acidic Amino Acid Region) by MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry; S. Okamura et al.- Structural Biology and Bioinformatics for Cytoskeleton Research.- Tubulin Isotypes and their Role in Microtubule Dynamic Instability, Implications for Modeling and Rational Design of Inhibitors; J. Tuszynski et al.- Dinitrolaniline Interactions with Tubulin; N. Morrissette, D. Sept.- Domain Complexity of Plant Kinesins; J. Malcos, R. Cyr.- Bioinformatic Search for Homologues of Animal Structural MAPs in the Arabidopsis Thaliana Genome; P.A. Karpov, Y.B. Blume.- Applied Biology/Biotechnology.- The Regularities of Structural Distribution in Tubulin MutationsResponsible for Resistance to Antimicrotubular Compounds; A.Y. Nyporko, Y.B. Blume.- Antimitotic Drugs for Microprotoplast- Mediated Chromosome Transfer in Plant Genomics, Cell Engineering and Breeding; A.I. Yemets, Y.B. Blume.- Plant Transformation Vectors Based upon Modified Tubulin Genes as Selectable Markers; A.I. Yemets et al.-