300630 VO Free radicals in plants (2005W)

ECTS-Points: 1,5
Lecture: Bernard A. Goodman and Thomas G. Reichenauer
Free Radicals in Plants
Generation and significance of free radicals in plants under physiological conditions and stress conditions

Free radicals are molecules with unpaired electrons. The term implies that these molecules are very reactive, which very often are brought into connection with damage, illness and ageing. This is only part of the truth. In fact there are very short lived radicals like the hydroxyl radical (HO.), that reacts indiscriminately at its place of generation. Such radicals can be a danger for a living cell. However free radicals with a much longer life time exist. Moreover free radicals - short lived as well as long lived - also play an important role in normal physiology of plants. A prominent example is nitrogen monoxide (.NO) which is well known as a second messenger.
The lecture which is given partly in English and German is divided into three parts:

Part 1: Introduction into methods for detection of free radicals in plants and biological materials
Part 2: Generation and significance of free radicals under normal physiological conditions in plants.
Part 3: Generation and significance of free radicals under stress conditions.