The membranes of plant cells are dynamic structures composed of phospholipids and proteins. Proteins harboring phospholipid-binding domains or lipid ligands can localize to membranes. Stress perception can alter the subcellular localization of these proteins dynamically, causing them to either associate with or detach from membranes. The mechanisms behind the re-localization involve changes in the lipidation state of the proteins and interactions with membrane-associated biomolecules. The functional significance of such re-localization includes the regulation of molecular transport, cell integrity, protein folding, signaling, and gene expression. In this review, proteins that re-localize to or away from membranes upon abiotic and biotic stresses will be discussed in terms of the mechanisms involved and the functional significance of their re-localization. Knowledge of the re-localization mechanisms will facilitate research on increasing plant stress adaptability, while the study on re-localization of proteins upon stresses will further our understanding of stress adaptation strategies in plants.

Soil is a complex mixture of minerals and organic matters in which microbes, plants, and animals interact. In the natural environment, soil constantly undergoes physical, chemical, and biological transformations under the influences of environmental factors such as humidity and temperature. Studies on soil chemical compositions, microbes, and abundances of plants and animals provide useful information on the soil property for proper land use planning. Since soil is a complex mixture, soil studies require the effective separation of its various components, which can be achieved with electrophoresis, a powerful method that exploits the inherent differences in the physical and chemical properties of these components. By combining electrophoresis with other technologies such as chromatography, mass spectrometry, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and DNA sequencing, substances including humic acids, amino acids, environmental pollutants, nutrients, and microbial, plant, and animal DNA can be identified and quantified. In this chapter, the applications of different electrophoresis-based technologies will be discussed with respect to soil research, and their principles, advantages, and limitations will be addressed.