Plant Programmed Cell Death

?Programmed cell death (PCD) is a genetically encoded, active process which results in the death of individual cells, tissues, or whole organs. As in animals, PCD plays an important role in plant development and defense, and occurs throughout a plant’s lifecycle from the death of the embryonic suspensor to leaf and floral organ senescence. Programmed cell death is a relatively recent research area in plants and publications in the area are now beginning to exponentially increase as it becomes more mainstream as a research area. The field currently lacks foundational reference books (to our knowledge the last one was published in 2003) and therefore there is a critical need for a book that summarizes recent findings in this important field. This book will be invaluable for PhD or graduate students, and for scientists and researchers entering the field of plant anatomy and development. Established researchers will also find this work useful as an up-to-date overview of this important area of research.?

Dr. Arunika N. Gunawardena serves as Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at Dalhousie University. Dr. Gunawardena is head of The Gunawardena Lab, focusing on plant developmental programmed cell death in the Madagascar lace plant,Aponogeton madagascariensis.

Dr. Paul McCabe serves as Senior Lecturer for the School of Biology and Environmental Science at University College Dublin. Dr. McCabe's research interests include the role of cell-cell signalling molecules in controlling plant embryogenesis and the regulation of programmed cell death in plants.