Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol. 52, No. 356, pp. 0,
April 2001
© 2001 Oxford University Press
Preface
January 2001
Much of our knowledge of biochemical pathways has arisen from studies of whole tissue extracts, or from organelles isolated from whole organs. While these approaches have been of immense value, they have failed to take account of the heterogeneity of the original tissue in terms of its cellular composition. As discussed in the paper by Bowsher and Tobin, for example, a major proportion of the soluble extract from a leaf may consist of cytosol extracted from non-photosynthetic cells. This has important implications when attempting to interpret in vitro studies within the context of the whole plant. The aim of this Special Issue is therefore to emphasize the need to consider the cellular composition of plant tissue and its relationship with metabolic specialization. Particular emphasis was given to the potential role of cellular compartmentation and the extent to which metabolic pathways may be spatially distributed both within and between cells. The development and application of new techniques is allowing a greater level of resolution of metabolic activity, often at the single cell level, as described in a number of these review articles. It is hoped that these new technical approaches, together with an increased awareness of this topic, will lead to more research and a greater understanding of cellular compartmentation of plant metabolism.
The review articles presented here were invited contributions from among the scientists who presented papers at a colloquium held in March 2000 at the Annual SEB meeting at Exeter University. Generous financial support from the SEB (including support from the Plant Metabolism Group) and also from the Journal of Experimental Botany, allowed a number of invited contributors to attend from several European countries, and from the USA, Australia and Japan. The reviews cover technical approaches and applications, as well as current knowledge of metabolic compartmentation, and authors have also attempted to speculate on future developments. All of the papers were subject to peer review and we thank all those scientists who took part in this process. We thank, in particular, the authors for their timely submission, and we are extremely grateful to the staff at the Journal of Experimental Botany office who efficiently progressed the manuscripts through the whole review process. Hopefully, during the course of this we did not, as editors, frustrate them too greatly! We also hope that the reviews presented here will not only be of individual interest but will also be considered collectively as a current overview of our understanding of cellular compartmentation as an important component of metabolic regulation in plants.
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