Designed as an upper-level textbook and a reference for researchers, this important book concentrates on central concepts of the bacterial lifestyle. Taking a refreshingly new approach, it present an integrated view of the prokaryotic cell as an organism and as a member of an interacting population. Beginning with a description of cellular structures, the text proceeds through metabolic pathways and metabolic reactions to the genes and regulatory mechanisms. At a higher level of complexity, a discussion of cell differentiation processes is followed by a description of the diversity of...

Viruserkrankungen von Mensch und Tier, wie etwa Influenza, Masern, Aids oder Maul- und Klauenseuche, sind in der Offentlichkeit bekannt und neue Forschungsergebnisse und Therapievorschlage zu diesen Krankheiten werden durch die Medien verbreitet und diskutiert. Die molekularen - chanismen der Virus Wirtsinteraktion werden intensiv untersucht. Viel weniger ist uber Viruserkrankungen der Pflanzen bekannt, die aber gleichwohl von grosser Bedeutung sind, weil sie jahrlich weltweit betrac- liche wirtschaftliche Schaden an Kulturpflanzen hervorrufen. Das erste - rus, das als filtrierbares,...

Cells of phototrophic bacterla are fitted out with a characteristic and sometimes species-specific membrane-system: the continuous but differ- ently composed cytoplasmic-intracytoplasmic membrane systems in purple bacteria, the cytoplasmic membrane with the attached light-harvesting chlorosomes in green bacteria and the intracytpplasmic thylakoids with the attached light-harvesting phycobilisomes in cyanobacteria. During the long-lasting evolutionary process phototrophic bacteria have been adapted to numerous ecological niches and on this way they have developed various types of...