Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (C. reinhardtii) is a unicellular green alga whose simple life cycle and ease of growth and manipulation for genetic analysis have made it a popular organism for research in diverse areas of cell biology and genetics. C. reinhardtii is important to a variety o research from studies of flagellar biogenesis and function that are highly relevant to medical research on sperm motility and ciliary function to work on chloroplast biogenesis and photosynthesis with critical importance for agriculture. In recent years it has also proved to be an outstanding model for investigation of signal transduction, rhodopsin-based vision, and the evolution of sexual processes.
The Chlamydomonas Sourcebook, published in 1989 by Academic Press, summarized the development of this alga as a laboratory system beginning in the 1940s, reviewed each major research area, as well as providing methods for growth, genetic analysis, and preparation of cellular fractions. Since the first edition published in 1989, Chlamydomonas research has grown significantly. This revised three-volume set which includes the Sourcebook, Chlamydomonas Metabolic Processes, and Chlamydomonas Motility and Taxis Responses provides the most comprehensive reference for this important research organism. The reference retains historical material, culture methods and some illustrations from the original book while adding molecular techniques, analysis of the recently sequenced genome, and reviews of the current status of the diverse fields in which Chlamydomonas is used as a model organism.