Phytochemistry in the genomics and post-genomics eras / 1st ed.

Summary: Publisher Summary 1 Romeo (biology, U. of South Florida) and Dixon (Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation) present 13 papers originally contributed at the 2001 annual meeting of the Phytochemical Society of North America. The papers address a number of issues related to how the study of genomics and the sequencing of plant genes has fundamentally changed the nature of the study of plant biology. Several papers address plant gene function on a large scale, while others discuss alternative approaches to functional genomics. Descriptions of how the primary sequence of amino acids in a protein relate to the function of the protein are included. Also examined is attempts to understand the molecular genetics of plant natural product pathways and the application of that understanding to the bioengineering of plants. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)   Publisher Summary 2 This monograph series is commissioned by the Phytochemical Society of North America (PSNA). The volumes in this series contain articles on developing topics of interest to scientists, students and individuals interested in recent developments in the biochemistry, chemistry and molecular biology of plants. Volume 36 centers on the role of phytochemistry in the rapid developments in biology brought about by the application of large-scale genomics approaches. Several functional genomic approaches discussed in this volume address plant gene function on a large scale. Plants are combinatorial chemists par excellence, and understanding the principles that relate enzyme structure to function will open up unlimited possibilities for the rational design of new enzymes to generate novel biologically active natural products. Knowledge of the molecular genetics of plant natural product pathways will also facilitate the engineering of these pathways for plant improvement and human benefit. Phytochemistry truly has a great future in the genomics and post-genomics eras.