Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol. 51, No. 353, pp. 2127,
December 2000
© 2000 Oxford University Press
Deepesh N. De. Plant cell vacuoles: an introduction. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, 2000. Pp. 288. Price US$ 60.00. ISBN 0643 062548.
Plant cell vacuoles are multifunctional organelles that occupy a large part of most plant cells. They form acidic, hydrolytic compartments and also store a range of ions and metabolites and, in some tissues, proteins and other macromolecules. The last 20 years or so have seen an upsurge in interest in the diverse roles of the vacuoles, stimulated by the first reports in the mid-1970s of methods for the isolation of high yields of intact vacuoles from higher plant tissues. These organelles are no longer seen as empty, low activity structures, but as essential components of plant cell function and homeostasis and of certain stress response processes. This book aims to redress the neglect of vacuoles that invariably occurs in general cell biology texts. It provides a broad introductory coverage of all aspects of vacuolar structure, content, development, and physiology with an extensive reference list from the very earliest publications up to June 1999. Other recent valuable sources of information and ideas on vacuoles include the extensive, multi-author Advances in botanical research (Vol. 25, 1997) and several reviews in The Plant Cell (Vol. 11, April 1999).
Thus the book begins with a short chapter on the early studies of vacuoles, followed by an extensive chapter on the methodologies for the study of vacuoles including both microscopic and cell fractionation techniques. It includes detailed protocols of some cytochemical procedures and isolation methods, although this section is perhaps a little unbalanced in that not all techniques are given the same detailed coverage. The next section covers the occurrence of vacuoles in various plant groups and tissues, followed by chapters on the ultrastructure and biochemical nature of the tonoplast and on the diverse contents of vacuoles. Next comes a detailed discussion of vacuolar biogenesis and development, including a description of current concepts of vesicular transport in animal cells and yeast; clearly there is much still to do in relation to trafficking and sorting in plant cells. The longest chapter covers the varied regulatory, storage and lytic functions of vacuoles including an outline of the diverse range of transporters that occur at the tonoplast. The final section provides a summary of the importance and uniqueness of vacuoles and looks forward with prospects for the genetic engineering of the tonoplast for plant improvement.
This is a useful introductory text for advanced students and researchers and a rich source of references on all aspects of vacuolar biology.
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