This 41st volume of RAP includes a total of twelve articles, all based on talks presented at the 49th annual meeting of the PSNA. These eight Perspectives and four Communications give a very good picture of the state of plant (bio)chemistry research in North America, which is also indicative of the state of the field worldwide. Each of these articles describes the integration of several different approaches to ask and then answer interesting questions regarding the function of interesting plant metabolites, either in the plant itself or in interactions with the environment (natural setting or human health application). The Phytochemical Society of North America (PSNA) is a nonprofit scientific organization with membership open to those interested in plant biochemistry, phytochemistry, and the role of plant substances in related disciplines. The PSNA exists to encourage and stimulate research in the chemistry and biochemistry of plant constituents, their effects upon plant and animal physiology and pathology, and their industrial importance and utilization. Annual meetings featuring symposium topics of current general interest and contributed papers by conference participants are held throughout Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Information about the PSNA, can be found at www.psna-online.org.
The Biological Activity of Phytochemicals Volume 41
Recent Advances in Phytochemistry Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief: David R. Gang, Institute of Biological Chemistry, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA Associate Editors: Mark A. Bernards, Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada Laurence B. Davin, Institute of Biological Chemistry, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA Reinhard Jetter, Departments of Botany and Chemistry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada Susan McCormick, Bacterial Foodborne Pathogens and Mycology Research Unit, USDA-ARS-NCAUR, Peoria, IL, USA John T. Romeo, Department of Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA James A. Saunders, Departments of Biological Sciences and Chemistry, Towson University, Towson, MD, USA
For further volumes: http://www.springer.com/series/6474
David R. Gang Editor
The Biological Activity of Phytochemicals
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Editor David R. Gang Washington State University Pullman, WA 99164-6340, USA
[email protected]
ISBN 978-1-4419-6961-3 e-ISBN 978-1-4419-7299-6 DOI 10.1007/978-1-4419-7299-6 Springer New York Dordrecht Heidelberg London Library of Congress Control Number: 2010937099 © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2011 All rights reserved. This work may not be translated or copied in whole or in part without the written permission of the publisher (Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013, USA), except for brief excerpts in connection with reviews or scholarly analysis. Use in connection with any form of information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed is forbidden. The use in this publication of trade names, trademarks, service marks, and similar terms, even if they are not identified as such, is not to be taken as an expression of opinion as to whether or not they are subject to proprietary rights. Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com)
Preface
The publication of this volume marks the reintroduction of the Recent Advances in Phytochemistry (RAP) series, an annual journal supported by the Phytochemical Society of North America. In the past, RAP was a proceedings book representing the focus of the PSNA annual meetin