Mycopathologia 133:31, 1996. 9 1996KluwerAcademic Publishers. Printedin the Netherlands.

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Book review

Host Wall Alterations by Parasitic Fungi, edited by Orlando Petrini & Guillemond B. Ouellette, St. Paul, MI. American Phytopathological Society Press, 1994, 159 pp. Host Wall Alterations by Parasitic Fungi is a short soft-cover book that introduces the reader to its subject through a series of papers which examine wail changes in infected plant tissues from an assortment of disciplinary orientations. Subjects include the techniques used to assess wall changes, the specific kinds of change that are seen in different kinds of fungusplant interactions, and the biochemical factors which cause these changes. In some cases the papers are minireviews of a given aspect of cell-wall study. In others, authors present detailed case studies featuring their own work. In all cases the referencing to relevant work is substantial. A single reference list is provided at the book's end. Cell-wall change is generally reported in terms of particular constituents that can be isolated and analyzed in vitro. The very localized nature of the alterations that occur in response to pathogen challenge makes the rather gross, strictly chemical analytical approaches for the variety of the more-recently developed histochemical approaches (immunogold tagging with wall-targeting enzymes, labelling with lectins and antibodies, etc.) that are used to provide a "cell wall structural element" specificity to anatomical studies. Not all approaches are discussed with equal weight and some are not presented at all. Nonetheless, the chapters are a very good introduction to these techniques and the references provide an excellent back-up to the overview presentations. One of the few disconcerting aspects of the book is found in the paper on "Fine morphology of fungal structures", where figures are discussed in the text several pages before they are actually presented. The middle section of the book includes several biochemical/molecular biological studies describing our

current understanding of the mechanisms involved in fungal penetration of cuticular, polysaccharide, and lignin barriers and fungal induction of host cell-wall modifications. These presentations are narrower in scope and some readers may be distressed that their favorite aspect of wall metabolism is not addressed. For instance, the metabolism &pectic polysaccharides is not discussed because the paper on polysaccharide degradation focuses on woody species. On the other hand, the purpose of this book is to introduce concepts involving wall alteration, and it succeeds quite well in this; it does not attempt to provide blanket coverage of the field. The final two papers return to an anatomical orientation and describe the specialized associations of mycorrhizal and endophytic fungi with the cell walls of their plant partners. The micrographs presented are excellent. Many illustrate the value of the specialized labelling techniques presented in the first portion of the book. Who would benefit from purchasing this book? The student of cell-wall structure and biochemistry may be disturbed that some important areas are not examined. I would guess that the plant pathologist will also identify gaps in coverage. The importance of this book is in what it does, not in what it lacks. The book makes clear to the cell-wall student that localized cell-wall alterations play a significant part in determining the outcome of many important plant-pathogen interactions. The book introduces the plant pathologist to many useful approaches for studying cell-wall alterations. The substantial reference list provides direction for a more intensive examination of the subjects covered. Host Wall Alterations by Parasitic Fungi is intended as an introductory bridge between two important areas of study, and it does this quite well.

John M. Labavitch Davis, CA, USA