Recent Posts

The highly buffered Arabidopsis immune signaling network conceals the functions of its components

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Classic genetic approaches have been instrumental in identifying genes that control developmental and defense networks, but as Hillmer et al. point out, analysis of single mutants is complicated by network buffering. They describe network buffering as occurring when the effect of losing a gene’s function…

When pollinators are also herbivores ($)

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The interaction between wild tobacco (Nicotiana attenuata) and the moth Manduca sexta, which is both a pollinator and a herbivore, is a model for plant/ arthropod interactions and has revealed insights into chemical signals and defenses. Zhou et al. show that a single compound, the sesquiterpene (E)-α-bergamotene,…

Discovery of nitrate–CPK–NLP signalling in central nutrient–growth networks ($)

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Nitrate acts as a potent signal as well as a source of nutritional nitrogen, but key players in the nitrate response have been missing from our understanding. Liu et al. identified a unique calcium signal stimulated by nitrate in mesophyll cells. They then found that in vitro kinase activity of Ca2+-sensor…

TOPLESS mediates brassinosteroid control of shoot boundaries and root meristem development in Arabidopsis thaliana

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Shoot and root development in Arabidopsis thaliana are controlled by many factors, one of which is brassinosteroid (BR) signaling.  BR-responsive gene expression is controlled by the BES1 and BZR1 transcription factors.  Using its EAR domain, BES1 binds to the transcriptional repressor TOPLESS (TPL)…

A TRIM insertion in the promoter of Ms2 causes male sterility in wheat

The first dominant male-sterile mutant in wheat, ms2 was identified more than 40 years ago, and Xia et al. have now identified the molecular basis for this trait. They find that the mutation is caused by a transposon (a terminal-repeat retrotransposon in miniature, or TRIM) insertion into the promoter…

A nice cuppa genome: The tea (Camellia sinensis) genome

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The release of the tea (Camellia sinensis) genome completes the set of the three major caffeine-producing plants (also coffee and cacao). (Note that the title of this article refers to the “tea tree”, a name that is often used for a different plant, Melaleuca alternifolia, the source of tea tree…

Review: Communication in the phytobiome ($)

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An old ad stated, “Without chemicals, life itself would be impossible,” but it’s only more recently that we’ve begun to understand the importance of semiochemicals – chemicals produced for communication. Leach et al. pull together insights from chemical ecologists, soil scientists, plant pathologists…

Review: Chloroplast function and ion regulation in plants growing on saline soils: lessons from halophytes ($)

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Salinity is a growing problem for food production. Progress has been made in understanding how plants tolerate salinity, mostly focused on strategies for tolerance at the plasma membrane and cytosol. Bose et al. review studies that focus on how the chloroplast is affected by salinity. The authors review…

Review: Advances in methods for identification and characterization of plant transporter function ($)

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Transporters are massively important for the functions of a cell and organism, but also notoriously difficult to study. Larsen et al. review advances in the tools available for transporter research, ranging from expression in Xenopus oocytes to genetic screens using toxic analogues and fluorescent substrates,…