CLAVATA allowed 3D growth in land plants (Curr. Biol.)
Plant Science Research WeeklyLand plants had to acquire new ways to occupy the terrestrial environment, including the innovative shooting system with organs in a radial position. This new 3D form of growth was possible thanks to the capacity to rotate stem cells divisions through different orientation planes. In Arabidopsis the…
Review: What do cars and plants have in common? (PLOS One)
Plant Science Research WeeklyPlants and cars need energy and are powered by a process that has changed depending on the environment: photosynthesis, in the case of plants and an engine in the case of cars. Hartzell and coworkers make an analogy in the evolution of the original C3 pathway and the evolution of the internal combustion…
Recognizing Plant Physiology first authors: Jesús Beltrán
Plant Physiology, Plant Physiology: Author ProfilesJesús Beltrán, first author of Specialized Plastids Trigger Tissue-specific Signaling for Systemic Stress Response in Plants
Current Position: Postdoctoral Research Associate at The Pennsylvania State University
Education: BSc in Biology, MPhil in Biology, PhD in Biology-Plant Science
Non-scientific…
Mentoring Lessons from Plants (Pub. Philos. J.)
Plant Science Research WeeklyEverybody mentors, but usually without much training in how to be an effective mentor. I recommend that you have a look at Beronda Montgomery’s short article, “From Deficits to Possibilities: Mentoring Lessons from Plants on Cultivating Individual Growth through Environmental Assessment and Optimization.”…
Stepwise and independent origins of roots among land plants (Nature)
Plant Science Research WeeklyThe Rhynie chert (near the village of Rhynie, Scotland; chert is a type of sedimentary rock) is an important site for plant biologists as it holds some of earliest and best preserved land-plant fossils. Hetherington and Dolan examined more than 600 thin sections prepared from this site, specifically…
Phosphoinositides control the localization of HOPS subunits and vacuole fusion (PNAS)
Plant Science Research Weekly
The plant vacuole makes up to 90% of the cell volume and its dynamics are important for regulating growth, development and stomatal movement. Membrane fusion between the vacuole and the smaller vesicles is at the heart of central vacuole establishment. Homotypic fusion and vacuole protein sorting…
Plant iron acquisition strategy exploited by an insect herbivore ($) (Science)
Plant Science Research WeeklyWhen it comes to evading pests and pathogens, stealth comes in handy. Anything that advertises “food here” is an invitation. Therefore, the work of Hu et al. shouldn’t be surprising, but it is a great story. Phytosiderophores such as benzoxazinoid are secreted by roots to chelate iron and facilitate…
Chloroplast TOC/TIC protein translocon pore size ($) (Plant Cell)
Plant Science Research WeeklyMost of the proteins that function inside of mitochondria or chloroplasts are encoded in the nucleus, translated in the cytosol, and imported through one or two membrane-localized translocons. (In mitochondria the outer- and inner-membrane translocons are called TOM and TIM, and in chloroplasts they…
The transcriptional landscape of polyploid wheat ($) (Science)
Plant Science Research WeeklyWheat is a tough nut to crack, as it is hexaploid, comprising three diploid genomes (the A, B and D genomes). The International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium has released a fully-annotated wheat reference genome, and Ramírez-González et al. present a thorough analysis of its transcriptome. Although…