Molecular Cell Biology of the Growth and Differentiation of Plant Cells encompasses cell division, cell enlargement and differentiation; which is the cellular basis of plant growth and development. Understanding these developmental processes is fundamental for improving plant growth and the production of special plant products, as well as contributing to biological understanding. The dynamics of cells and cellular organelles are considered in the context of growth and differentiation, made possible particularly by advances in molecular genetics and the visualization of organelles using molecular probes. There is now a much clearer understanding of these basic plant processes of cell division, cell enlargement and differentiation. Each chapter provides a current and conceptual view in the context of the cell cycle (6 chapters), cell enlargement (5 chapters) or cell differentiation (9 chapters). The book provides state of the art knowledge (and open questions) set out in a framework that provides a long term reference point. The book is targeted at plant cell biologists, molecular biologists, plant physiologists and biochemists, developmental biologists and those interested in plant growth and development. The book is suitable for those already in the field, plant scientists entering the field and graduate students.

THE PLANT CELL CYCLE. Plant Cell Cycle Transitions. Discovering the World of Plant Nuclear Proteins. Plastid Division. Mitochondrial and Peroxisomal Division. Mechanism of Organelle Inheritance in Dividing Plant Cells. Cell Division and Cell Growth. PLANT CELL ENLARGEMENT. Organization of the Plant Cell Wall. Biosynthesis and Assembly of Cellulose. Signaling - Dependent Cytoskeletal Dynamics and Plant Cell Growth. The Regulation of Plant Cell Expansion-Auxin-Induced Turgor-Driven Cell Elongation. How Plant Hormones and Their Interactions Affect Cell Growth. PLANT CELL DIFFERENTIATION. Cellular Dynamics of the Primary Shoot and Root Meristem. The Cell Cycle in Nodulation. Cellular and Molecular Features of the Procambium and Cambium in Plant Vascular Tissue Development. Asymmetric Cell Division in the Zygote of Flowering Plants: The Continuing Polarized Event of Embryo Sac Development. Plant Stem Cells. Transdifferentiation: a Plant Perspective. Genetic Reprogramming of Plant Cells In Vitro via Dedifferentiation or Pre-existing Stem Cells. Death and Rebirth: Programmed Cell Death during Plant Sexual Reproduction. Storage Cells - Oil and Protein Bodies.