Molecular Biotechnology for Plant Food Production

Preface Section I: Cellular and Molecular Approaches to Plant Biotechnology The Biology of Flowering Plants The Nature of Flowering Plants o The Flowering Plant Body o The Plant Cell and its Organelles o Tissue Types of Flowering Plants o Photosynthesis o Growth and Development of the Plant Body o Environmental Factors that Promote Growth and Development o Environmental Factors that Compromise Growth and Development: Stress Responses o References Molecular Biology Research Procedures Introduction o DNA Structure and Function o Manipulating Genes o Tools and Procedures in Molecular Biology o Construction of Recombinant DNA Molecules: Cloning Strategies o Transformation Strategies for Higher Plants o References In Vitro Mass Cultivation of Cells and Tissues Plant Cells and Tissue Cultures o In Vitro Procedures for Plant Regeneration o Somaclonal and Gametoclonal Variation * Concluding Remarks o References Plant-Pathogen Interactions in Plant Biotechnology Introduction o Genetic Basis of Interaction o Molecular Basis of Interaction o Bacterial Pathogens as Models o Fungi as Plant Pathogens o Minimal Pathogens, the Viroids o Final Remarks o References Genetic Engineering for Crop Improvement: Strategies for Gene Isolation Introduction o Positional Cloning of Plant Genes o Insertional Mutagenesis in Plants o Exploiting Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a System to Isolate and Analyze Plant Genes o Analysis of Differential Gene Expression o Subtractive Cloning of Plant Genes o Targeted Inactivation of Genes in Plants o Genomics, a Contemporary View in Genetics o References Section II: Applications of Molecular Biotechnology for Plant Food Production Transgenic Plants for the Improvement of Field Characteristics Limiting Crop Production Introduction o Increased Tolerance to Abiotic Stress o Transgenic Plants with Resistance to Insect Pests o Transgenic Plants with Disease Resistance o Conclusions o References Molecular Markers for Crop Improvement Introduction o Types of Molecular Marker o Applications of Molecular Markers for Crop Improvement o Conclusions o Acknowledgements o References Physiology and Molecular Biology of Fruit Ripening Introduction o Ripening Processes o The Control of Ripening o The Softening/Storage Compromise o Role of Gene Expression During Ripening o Isolation and Analysis of Genes Related with the Ripening Process o Genetic Manipulation of Fruit Ripening o Fruits and Other Edible Plant Tissues' Vaccine Delivery Systems o References Molecular Aspects of Secondary Metabolites in Plant Food Production Introduction o Flavors and Aroma o Browning, Texture and Astringency o Poisons and Deleterious Substances o Perspectives o References Plant Pigments: Characterization, Biosynthesis, Gene Regulation, and Applications as Food Additives Introduction o The Anthocyanin Biosynthetic Pathway o The Carotenoid Biosynthetic Pathway o The Betalain Biosynthetic Pathway o Application of Plant Pigments as Food Additives o Analytical Methods o Perspectives o References Genetic Modifications of Plant Seed Storage Proteins for Food Production Introduction o Characteristics of Seed Storage Proteins o Classification of Seed Storage Proteins o Plant Storage Proteins Gene Structure o Cereal Seed Storage Proteins and their Genes o Major Seed Proteins from Dicotyledonous Plants o Biotechnology of Storage Proteins and Protein Food Products o Acknowledgements o References Chemistry, Biosynthesis, and Engineering of starches and Other Carbohydrates Introduction o Starch Storage o Biosynthesis of Starch o Genetic Modification of Starch Structure o Production of Non-Starch Carbohydrates o Conclusions o References Chemistry and Engineering of Edible Oils and Fats Quality of Edible Oils and Fats o Traditional and Novel Techniques to Enhance Functional Properties o Improvement of Oilseed Quality by Genetic Engineering o Uses of Engineered Products o Future Development o Acknowledgements o References Biotechnology for the Improvement of Nutritional Quality of Food Crop Plants Nutritionally Important Components in Plants o Antinutritional Factors in Plants o Pigments o Allergenicity of Foods o Regulation and Risks for Crop Transgenic Plants o Human Health and Food-Crop Plants o References