Plant molecules

The use of plants for basic research and its application in various fields, e.g., agriculture, forestry, and medicine has interested scientists for a long time. Plants provide the basic staple food for nearly 2/3rd of human population and have been used for a variety of other essential components e.g., wood and fiber, beverages and dyes. One of the important areas of plant research is the identification, chemistry, and function of molecules that are essential for various fundamental processes in plant growth and reproduction, as well as the potential use of plant molecules in crop improvement and pharmaceutical industry. This book provides an impressive collection of chapters on various plant molecules both in terms of their basic function in the plant body and application in industry, especially agriculture and pharmaceuticals. The chapters are written by leading scientists who are involved in cutting-edge research in their respective fields and provide an up-to-date review of each topic.

Antonio Tiezzi is Professor of Botany, Plant Cytology and Plant Biotechnology, Biology Faculty, at Tuscia University, Viterbo. He is responsible of the Laboratory of Plant Cytology and Biotechnology at the Department of Environmental Sciences. He has been Director of Tuscia University Interdepartmental Centre of Electron Microscopy.

Annalisa Santucci is Professor of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, at the University of Siena. She is the responsible of the Laboratory of Cellular and Macromolecular Biochemistry at the Department of Molecular Biology. Her research has always been focused on protein biochemistry, particularly on structure/function relationships and proteomics.