- Email: [email protected]
Arabidopsis, A Practical Approach
Phytochemistry 56 (2001) 211±213
www.elsevier.com/locate/phytochem
Book reviews Secondary Plant Products. Antinutritional and Bene®cial Actions in Animal Feeding John C. Caygill, Irene Mueller-Harvey (Eds.), Nottingham University Press, 1999, ISBN: 1-897676-28-X, £25 On the ®rst of September in 1998 a meeting was held at the University of Reading to consider secondary compounds and their possible eects on animal nutrition. Obviously this was (and still is) a timely issue as farmers move back to feeding plant products to livestock. The chapters in the book fall into two major categories, the ®rst of which considers individual classes of compound and their biological signi®cance. Therefore review articles cover tannins (Irene Muellar-Harvey), tannins and eects on non-ruminants (Vernon) and eects of dietary tannins on ruminant livestock (Butter, Dawson and Buttery). Plant protease inhibitors and plant lectins are both comprehensively reviewed by Grant. These chapters are a particularly nice synthesis of work in these clearly de®ned areas and in many cases give a good animal perspective on plant chemistry. Review chapters are well referenced and oer students and scientists a convenient route into an understanding of research in these complex disciplines. The other chapters in the book deal with wider issues such as an overview of antinutritional factors in higher plants (Harborne) and an interesting chapter by Fox and Domoney entitled `Plant Breeding: what is being,
can be and should be done'. If I were to have a criticism of this book it is that much descriptive work is included but it is dicult to get a view as to future research directions in what is clearly an important discipline in agricultural research. One need only consider the current programmes of work on analysing the eects of secondary products, functional foods and human nutrition to realise the level of interest in plant chemistry that is developing within the scienti®c community as a whole. This book does not cover generic topics such as how should we de®ne an individual plant component as bene®cial, deleterious or neutral for particular nutritional applications; what level of evidence is required for de®ning optimal levels of end products in animal feedseeds or forages; and how do we structure multidisciplinary research to answer these critically important questions? Nevertheless I can warmly recommend this reasonably priced text as an introduction to secondary metabolism and animal feeding and it will certainly be used as a source text by myself and by members of my laboratory. Mark P. Robbins Cell Biology Department Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research Plas Gogerddan Abberystwyth, Ceredigion, UK E-mail address: [email protected]
PII: S0031-9422(00)00329-0
Arabidopsis, A Practical Approach Edited by Z.A. Wilson, Practical Approach Series, Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK, 2000, 296 pp., ISBN 0-19-963564-1, £32.50 The ``tentacles'' of Arabidopsis are spreading throughout all areas of plant science. While some researchers have been reluctant to assimilate what appeared to them as an invasive young newcomer, most have agreed that the little crucifer brings to plant biology the power of genetics in a most accessible way. Phytochemistry is not an exception to this. The dis-
covery that auxin biosynthesis can take place without its once thought-o key precursor, tryptophan, was due to the analysis of an Arabidopsis mutant. Similarly, brassinosteroids, now regarded as important plant growth regulators, lingered at the edges of mainstream research, until Arabidopsis cabbage-type mutants showed the dramatic consequences of their de®ciency. These are just examples of the prospects opened by Arabidopsis classical genetics. And in reality there is today much more to the little thale cress than just classical genetics. ``Metabolome'' analysis is just one of the new words and areas starting to be developed in the genome era.
0031-9422/01/$ - see front matter # 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. PII: S0031-9422(00)00329-0
212
Book reviews / Phytochemistry 56 (2001) 211±213
The present volume, put together by Dr. Zoe Wilson, at the University of Nottingham, in the well known ``Practical Approach'' series, is therefore a most timely resource for those trying to incorporate this model species into their work, as well as for those already using it. The volume is composed of ten chapters, written by British specialists of the highest international standing in each of the areas, plus a complement of other European and American groups. The ®rst two chapters are written by the curators of the two international Arabidopsis stock centres, and provide detailed information on the handling of both live plant and nucleic acid resources, available from them. The two following chapters deal with the analysis of mutants, from visible to gene-expression phenotype, and the mapping of both identi®ed genes (mutants in the region can give a clue to function) and unknown genes identi®ed by mutation. Cytogenetics and Arabidopsis transformation, both transient and stable, are covered in the following chapters, which also deal with the use of protoplasts and reporter genes. The next two chapters introduce the identi®cation of genes from mutants. They also explain the use of collections of mutagenised plants to identify knock-out plants in genes/pathways of interest, what is known as reverse genetics, from gene to phenotype. These ``tag''-mutagenised plants can also be used in classical, forward genetics, allowing a much quicker
route from phenotype to gene. The ®nal two chapters describe key concepts and the current state of genome projects, as well how to fully exploit them using internet resources. The book, in the ``Practical Approach'' tradition, is full of simple, but descriptive protocols which, where examined in some detail, I could ®nd easy to follow on the bench. There have been, to my knowledge, two previous Arabidopsis ``methods'' volumes. This one obviously provides the most up-to-date information, but in a compact format. It is also in some respects complementary: the authors' interests inevitably transpire, and the chapters on mutant characterisation, the genome initiative, or the use of web-based resources, are highly original. Inevitably, some of them will be extremely dicult to keep up to date for long, and in fact many of the internet resources have since become accessible through a single, new US-based entry point, www.arabidopsis.org (how did nobody think of this before?). This excellent team eort should help make Arabidopsis an even more accessible resource for researchers of all walks of modern plant science. Enrique LoÂpez-Juez School of Biological Sciences Royal Holloway University of London, UK
PII: S0031-9422(00)00364-2
Medicine Quest: In Search of Nature's Healing Secrets By Mark J. Plotkin, Published by Penguin Group, ISBN 0-670-86937-6, price $22.95 I have not had the pleasure of reading Mark Plotkin's earlier book, Tales of Shaman's Apprentice. As a scientist, had I seen this title on the shelves I would probably have passed it by but now, having read Medical Quest, I think this would have been a mistake. The authors of most science texts write with a speci®c readership in mind. Dr Plotkin, however, has produced a book which will provide most readers with something of signi®cant interest. Yes, an initial scan of the Index, which goes from ``ABT-594'' to `` zoopharmacognosy'' via ``isohydrohistrionicotoxin'', is guaranteed to frighten all but the most dedicated `bons'. However, the curious should read further and establish that there is a wealth of fascinating, anecdotic, `connective tissue' which links the various facets of the serious comment that the
author makes about the treasures and potential treasures of the natural world. The essential case for protecting biodiversity for medical purposes is made obvious and early in the text. However, it is doubtful whether most readers will fully appreciate the full complexity of the biosphere and the massive range of chemical structures that its occupants have produced, mainly for their own protection. Dr Plotkin does this. The problem, now, is to be able to exploit these materials for the bene®t of the developed and developing worlds with the minimum of environmental damage. The battle against age-old diseases and future surprises will not go away, indeed the capacity for microbial counter attacks against an ever advancing medical front are probably without end. We need new items for our chemical armoury and the plant and animal worlds will provide us with compounds and ideas that we have not dreamed of Ð amazing products of evolution which have allowed living organisms to survive in unsatisfactory environments for many millennia.
www.elsevier.com/locate/phytochem
Book reviews Secondary Plant Products. Antinutritional and Bene®cial Actions in Animal Feeding John C. Caygill, Irene Mueller-Harvey (Eds.), Nottingham University Press, 1999, ISBN: 1-897676-28-X, £25 On the ®rst of September in 1998 a meeting was held at the University of Reading to consider secondary compounds and their possible eects on animal nutrition. Obviously this was (and still is) a timely issue as farmers move back to feeding plant products to livestock. The chapters in the book fall into two major categories, the ®rst of which considers individual classes of compound and their biological signi®cance. Therefore review articles cover tannins (Irene Muellar-Harvey), tannins and eects on non-ruminants (Vernon) and eects of dietary tannins on ruminant livestock (Butter, Dawson and Buttery). Plant protease inhibitors and plant lectins are both comprehensively reviewed by Grant. These chapters are a particularly nice synthesis of work in these clearly de®ned areas and in many cases give a good animal perspective on plant chemistry. Review chapters are well referenced and oer students and scientists a convenient route into an understanding of research in these complex disciplines. The other chapters in the book deal with wider issues such as an overview of antinutritional factors in higher plants (Harborne) and an interesting chapter by Fox and Domoney entitled `Plant Breeding: what is being,
can be and should be done'. If I were to have a criticism of this book it is that much descriptive work is included but it is dicult to get a view as to future research directions in what is clearly an important discipline in agricultural research. One need only consider the current programmes of work on analysing the eects of secondary products, functional foods and human nutrition to realise the level of interest in plant chemistry that is developing within the scienti®c community as a whole. This book does not cover generic topics such as how should we de®ne an individual plant component as bene®cial, deleterious or neutral for particular nutritional applications; what level of evidence is required for de®ning optimal levels of end products in animal feedseeds or forages; and how do we structure multidisciplinary research to answer these critically important questions? Nevertheless I can warmly recommend this reasonably priced text as an introduction to secondary metabolism and animal feeding and it will certainly be used as a source text by myself and by members of my laboratory. Mark P. Robbins Cell Biology Department Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research Plas Gogerddan Abberystwyth, Ceredigion, UK E-mail address: [email protected]
PII: S0031-9422(00)00329-0
Arabidopsis, A Practical Approach Edited by Z.A. Wilson, Practical Approach Series, Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK, 2000, 296 pp., ISBN 0-19-963564-1, £32.50 The ``tentacles'' of Arabidopsis are spreading throughout all areas of plant science. While some researchers have been reluctant to assimilate what appeared to them as an invasive young newcomer, most have agreed that the little crucifer brings to plant biology the power of genetics in a most accessible way. Phytochemistry is not an exception to this. The dis-
covery that auxin biosynthesis can take place without its once thought-o key precursor, tryptophan, was due to the analysis of an Arabidopsis mutant. Similarly, brassinosteroids, now regarded as important plant growth regulators, lingered at the edges of mainstream research, until Arabidopsis cabbage-type mutants showed the dramatic consequences of their de®ciency. These are just examples of the prospects opened by Arabidopsis classical genetics. And in reality there is today much more to the little thale cress than just classical genetics. ``Metabolome'' analysis is just one of the new words and areas starting to be developed in the genome era.
0031-9422/01/$ - see front matter # 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. PII: S0031-9422(00)00329-0
212
Book reviews / Phytochemistry 56 (2001) 211±213
The present volume, put together by Dr. Zoe Wilson, at the University of Nottingham, in the well known ``Practical Approach'' series, is therefore a most timely resource for those trying to incorporate this model species into their work, as well as for those already using it. The volume is composed of ten chapters, written by British specialists of the highest international standing in each of the areas, plus a complement of other European and American groups. The ®rst two chapters are written by the curators of the two international Arabidopsis stock centres, and provide detailed information on the handling of both live plant and nucleic acid resources, available from them. The two following chapters deal with the analysis of mutants, from visible to gene-expression phenotype, and the mapping of both identi®ed genes (mutants in the region can give a clue to function) and unknown genes identi®ed by mutation. Cytogenetics and Arabidopsis transformation, both transient and stable, are covered in the following chapters, which also deal with the use of protoplasts and reporter genes. The next two chapters introduce the identi®cation of genes from mutants. They also explain the use of collections of mutagenised plants to identify knock-out plants in genes/pathways of interest, what is known as reverse genetics, from gene to phenotype. These ``tag''-mutagenised plants can also be used in classical, forward genetics, allowing a much quicker
route from phenotype to gene. The ®nal two chapters describe key concepts and the current state of genome projects, as well how to fully exploit them using internet resources. The book, in the ``Practical Approach'' tradition, is full of simple, but descriptive protocols which, where examined in some detail, I could ®nd easy to follow on the bench. There have been, to my knowledge, two previous Arabidopsis ``methods'' volumes. This one obviously provides the most up-to-date information, but in a compact format. It is also in some respects complementary: the authors' interests inevitably transpire, and the chapters on mutant characterisation, the genome initiative, or the use of web-based resources, are highly original. Inevitably, some of them will be extremely dicult to keep up to date for long, and in fact many of the internet resources have since become accessible through a single, new US-based entry point, www.arabidopsis.org (how did nobody think of this before?). This excellent team eort should help make Arabidopsis an even more accessible resource for researchers of all walks of modern plant science. Enrique LoÂpez-Juez School of Biological Sciences Royal Holloway University of London, UK
PII: S0031-9422(00)00364-2
Medicine Quest: In Search of Nature's Healing Secrets By Mark J. Plotkin, Published by Penguin Group, ISBN 0-670-86937-6, price $22.95 I have not had the pleasure of reading Mark Plotkin's earlier book, Tales of Shaman's Apprentice. As a scientist, had I seen this title on the shelves I would probably have passed it by but now, having read Medical Quest, I think this would have been a mistake. The authors of most science texts write with a speci®c readership in mind. Dr Plotkin, however, has produced a book which will provide most readers with something of signi®cant interest. Yes, an initial scan of the Index, which goes from ``ABT-594'' to `` zoopharmacognosy'' via ``isohydrohistrionicotoxin'', is guaranteed to frighten all but the most dedicated `bons'. However, the curious should read further and establish that there is a wealth of fascinating, anecdotic, `connective tissue' which links the various facets of the serious comment that the
author makes about the treasures and potential treasures of the natural world. The essential case for protecting biodiversity for medical purposes is made obvious and early in the text. However, it is doubtful whether most readers will fully appreciate the full complexity of the biosphere and the massive range of chemical structures that its occupants have produced, mainly for their own protection. Dr Plotkin does this. The problem, now, is to be able to exploit these materials for the bene®t of the developed and developing worlds with the minimum of environmental damage. The battle against age-old diseases and future surprises will not go away, indeed the capacity for microbial counter attacks against an ever advancing medical front are probably without end. We need new items for our chemical armoury and the plant and animal worlds will provide us with compounds and ideas that we have not dreamed of Ð amazing products of evolution which have allowed living organisms to survive in unsatisfactory environments for many millennia.