Plant Science 155 (2000) 111
Book review
www.elsevier.com/locate/plantsci
Seed Proteins. Edited by Peter Shewry and Rod Casey, Kluwer, Dordrecht, (ISBN:041285702); NLG 900, USD 540
Since Osborn’s seminal classification of seed proteins based on solubility classes, research on the subject has burgeoned to such an extent that maintaining an overview is far from simple. This comprehensive book should help considerably. The editors have struck a balance between describ-ing the seed protein complement of all major crop plants, and summarizing the underlying relation-ships between them, and the associated biology. The contents are rounded off by excellent in-troductory chapters giving a historical perspective to the subject.
More than half of the contents are provided by sections on the major storage protein classes, the prolamins, gloulins and albumins. Although our present state of knowledge is based on protein fractionation and classification, and more recently extensive gene sequencing, these sections are fortu-nately not, for the most part, just lists of polypep-tides and their sequences. Instead, they are enlivened and enriched by recent structural data, discussions on the evolution of the major classes, and the nutritional and technological properties of these proteins. The remainder of the volume cov-ers other seed protein classes, including those im-plicated in defence against pathogens and herbivores, and the LEA proteins, involved in the acquisition of desiccation tolerance. The sheer va-riety of protein types that have been identified in seeds may be an indicator of their potential in biotechnological and pharmaceutical applications. The presentation is well-structured, with chap-ters in a uniform format, and of a length propor-tional to the state of knowledge in that particular area. Inevitably, not all of the 35 chapters have comparable information contents, but there is a
very high average. This book is not to be confused with one of those meeting spin-offs which appear form time-to-time, with little attempt at integra-tion and a shelf-life of ca. – 2 years from the purchase date. The minor flaws I noted probably had more to do with the exigencies of publishing than with the authors. It is unfortunate that the colour prints are bundled at the front. Although the citations are no longer up-to-date, with the most recent being articles in press from 1998, the content is not obviously dated. There are a few irritating mistakes in symbol representation due presumably to problems in file conversions. One odd feature is that the main text and figure legends are in the same typeface and format. However, my overall impression is that this will be an invaluable reference source, with many practical features such as the inclusion of Genbank accession numbers for the sequence described.
Seed protein research received a boost in the early 1980’s when it offered model systems for molecular genetic analysis. More recently, there has been something of a renaissance, fuelled by at-last usable transformation systems for legumes and cereals, the first crystal structures, and the intensity of Arabidopsis genome analysis. This book can be firmly recommended, both to new-comers to the area, and as a useful reference source for plant biologists in general. Lastly, it is a good read for students and others who may be intrigued by questions such as how legumes and cereals have solved the problems of high density protein packing in quite different ways.
R.D. Thompson
Max-Planck-Institut fu¨r Zu¨chtungsforschung,
D-50829 Ko¨ln,
Germany
E-mail: [email protected]
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