Progress in Phytochemistry

Progress in Phytochemistry, Volume 4 deals with developments in phytochemistry and covers topics ranging from the pathway of nitrogen assimilation in plants to the biochemistry of plant amines and functions of steroids in plants. The naturally occurring cyanogenic glycosides are also considered, along with transfer RNA and aminoacyl-transfer RNA synthetases from higher plants. This volume is comprised of eight chapters and begins with a discussion on the pathway of nitrogen assimilation in plants and the enzymes involved in the process, with particular reference to glutamate synthase. The reader is then introduced to advances in the biochemistry of plant amines; the naturally occurring cyanogenic glycosides; phenylalanine ammonia lyase; and natural products such as flavonoid sulfates and sesterterpenes. The final chapter focuses on steroid functions in plants, giving emphasis to sterols, steroidal sapogenins and alkaloids, pregnane derivatives, cardiac glycosides, and sex hormones. This book will be of interest to phytochemists as well as non-specialists who want to obtain a clear picture of the problems involved in phytochemistry.