The plant cytoskeleton in cell differentiation and development. Annual Plant Reviews, volume 10.
 Hussey PJ, ed. 2004.
 Oxford: Blackwell Publishing/Boca Raton: CRC Press.
 £99·50 (hardback). 325 pp

Over 40 years ago, in what is surely one of the most famous ‘throw-away lines’ in botany, Ledbetter and Porter (1963) suggested that the similar orientations of cytoplasmic microtubules and structures considered to be cellulose microfibrils in the cell wall was not coincidental. This notion led almost single-handedly to the present and enduring interest amongst certain plant cell biologists in understanding the role of microtubules in wall formation. And as a result of this intense interest in such matters, it has become clear that microtubules are not only ‘just one’ component amongst an ever-expanding array of cytoskeletal proteins and associated molecules, but that they also play roles in phenomena other than cell wall synthesis. Allied to that is the recognition that it is increasingly difficult for any one person to keep on top of all of the literature in this complicated field of endeavour. Acknowledging that latter point is the development of specialist publications that review the major/emerging areas of interest in a way that the more general practitioner can understand. In that regard, over the years we have such landmark publications as Lloyd (1982, 1991), focusing primarily on microtubules, and Staiger et al. (2000), devoted to a consideration of actin filaments. However, in great part, those worthy tomes concentrated on single aspects of the cytoskeleton, which was largely a reflection of the then state of knowledge of the plant cytoskeleton. Nowadays, we are beginning to appreciate not only how complex is the array of proteins that comprise the cytoskeleton, but also how various parts of the cytoskeleton interact with others. This 21st century recognition of cytoskeletal complexity is now matched by a multidisciplinary approach to its study, exemplified in a most timely manner by December 2004's issue of Plant Physiology, which devoted many pages to this very topic (Wasteneys and Yang, 2004). Capitalizing on this expansive mood in plant cytoskeletal research comes the present volume edited by Hussey. So what does this latest edition to the cytoskeletal library offer?

The book's 10 chapters are sub-divided into three parts. In Part 1 (‘The cytoskeleton: the machinery and key molecules’), Lloyd et al. and Staiger and Hussey deal, respectively, with microtubules and associated proteins, and actin and modulating proteins; i.e. they primarily consider the nuts-and-bolts of these important aspects of cytoskeletal machinery. The remaining chapters in Part 2 (‘Fundamental cytoskeletal activities’) and Part 3 (‘The cytoskeleton and plant cell morphogenesis’) take as their theme particular cell activities/processes and consider the cytoskeletal contribution to them. Thus we have: Wasteneys and Collings exploring axial cell growth; Weingarner et al. examining plant mitosis; Franz Grolig considering organelle movements; Sugimoto-Shirasu et al. reviewing the cell wall as a sensory panel for signal transduction; Grierson and Ketelaar bringing us root hair development; Malhó and Camacho writing about pollen tubes; Beilstein and Szymanski illuminating the cytoskeletal requirements of Arabidopsis trichome development; and Duque et al. expounding on signalling and cytoskeleton in guard cells.

Each chapter is self-contained, illustrated where considered appropriate, and has an up-to-date list of references at the end. At approximately 31 pages, each chapter is not overlong; and the contributors read like a ‘who's who’ of the plant cytoskeletal field.

There is little to criticize about the present volume. Certainly, other editors may have chosen different topics, but those included are justified on the basis of their currency and topicality. However, one feature that does stand out is the rare mention of myosin (where covered, it is mainly in Staiger and Hussey's chapter). Given the ever-expanding involvement of this actin-associated protein in plant cell development (e.g. Chaffey and Barlow, 2002), this will no doubt feature more prominently in future similar collections. In short, though, the book delivers what its title promises.

I know of no competitor for this book. Of course, given the lag time between completion of chapters and publication of the book, recent specialist reviews in journals are likely to be more up-to-date, but the collection of articles here provides a very useful ‘at-a-glance’ state of the art (and science) of plant cytoskeletal research, in one place.

My major criticism about presentational aspects of the book is the images, particularly the absence of any colour images. Beilstein and Szymanski's SEMgraphs in Fig. 9.1 are ‘nice’, but I feel they would have been even more impressive on glossy paper. Lest this be seen as a naïve plea for form over substance, surely—of all botanical subjects—the beautiful, 3-dimensional, photogenic cytoskeleton is one of the few which deserves to be well illustrated (and in colour where possible!).

Another suggestion: inclusion of a glossary might have been useful. All aspects of modern biology are such abbreviation-/acronym-intensive fields that it is sometimes difficult to keep in mind what the shorthand means (especially for those unfamiliar with the topic). A glossary might also have helped to avoid the nagging doubt I always have with such works over whether MAP should be interpreted as microtubule-associated protein (as in Lloyd et al.'s chapter) or as mitogen-activated protein (as is probably, but only sometimes(?), the intended meaning in Weingarner et al.'s contribution).

Although not cheap, one hopes that this volume will be widely available to workers in the plant cytoskeletal field (to help to keep them up-to-date), other plant biologists (to show them what they're missing!), and those in allied fields—such as zoologists and biomedical scientists (to enable them to appreciate some of the wonderful discoveries being made in the botanical world).

This volume will not answer the question of whether microtubules orient cellulose microfibrils (this is not the aim, as Lloyd et al. tell us on page 4), but it will give you a useful insight into current thinking on some of the intricacies of the plant cytoskeleton.