Archive: July, 2018

The plant hormone auxin is a major player in determining root growth and architecture, but we are just starting to understand how auxin distribution is altered by abiotic stresses. Kover et al. discuss how the “upside-down fountain” of auxin in the root is affected by abiotic stress conditions. Auxin…

Brachypodium distachyon is an annual C3 grass that has become an important model species. Scholthof et al. review the genetic tools and resources (sequences and mutants) as well as robust protocols for transformation that have been developed for it. The presence of wild and perennial species within the…

The Arabidopsis genome encodes nine Argonaute proteins and an AGO pseudogene. The nine functional proteins fall into three clades based on sequence. Ma and Zhang update what we know about these proteins. It turns out, the simple assumptions made early on have not entirely been borne out. For example,…

Genetically-encoded biosensors are produced from genes, and provide a specific readout (usually fluorescence or luminescence) of the amount and distribution of a compund of interest (the analyte). We’ve all see data obtained from genetically encoded biosensors, such as the widely-used cameleon family…

Review. Genetically encoded biosensors in plants: Pathways to discovery ($) Genetically-encoded biosensors are produced from genes, and provide a specific readout (usually fluorescence or luminescence) of the amount and distribution of a compund of interest (the analyte). We’ve all see data obtained…

Part of the "Self Reflection" series by and for early-career researchers Scientists are sometimes obsessive with their work: this is both a cliché and many times a reality, at least during certain periods of their professional life. The infamous “Publish or perish” saying comes to mind. However,…

Ye et al. discover a protein that mediates phosphate translocation and is dependent on environmental phosphate supply. Plant Cell (2018). https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.17.00845 By Qing Ye and Yi-Fang Chen Background: Phosphorus is a major essential nutrient for plant growth and development, and phosphate…

Wei et al. Study m6A binding protein ECT2 in Arabidopsis. The Plant Cell (2018). https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.17.00934 By Lian-Huan Wei Background: N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most abundant chemical modification of eukaryotic messenger RNA (mRNA). The regulation of m6A modification plays important…