Irene Garcia, first author of HCN regulates cellular processes through posttranslational modification of proteins by S-cyanylation Current Position: Distinguished Researcher at the Institute of Plant Biochemistry and Photosynthesis (CSIC-Universidad de Sevilla) Seville, Spain. Education: PhD in Biological…

(This press release has been translated from the original) In the evolution of plants, the production of vascular organizations is a major event. Vascular plants provide structural support and water transport to stems by producing xylem vessels, thickening secondary cell walls, and programmed cell…

The discovery of the gene behind stem juiciness in sweet sorghum could have huge agricultural implications Perhaps you've never tasted sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), the fifth most popular crop in the world, but you probably will soon. This ancient grain is a common source of food in developing countries…

Thousands of years of artificial selection have produced rice plants (Oryza sativa) that are vastly different from their wild progenitor species in terms of architecture, yield, and resilience. Most of the genetic changes linked to rice domestication involved genes encoding transcription factors. However,…

Although secondary cell walls represent the bulk of plant biomass, the mechanism by which cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin assemble into a functional three-dimensional matrix is unknown. Cortical microtubules are thought to guide cellulose deposition in the plasma membrane by defining the trajectories…

How many genes control a phenotype? Dozens? Hundreds? Thousands? The whole genome? And what about the epigenome? Such fascinating questions on biological complexity and the interaction between genes and the environment (or, in the case of infection by a plant pathogen, multiple genomes) have long…

Plants balance CO2 uptake with water loss via a complex network of signals regulating stomatal aperture size. Stomata close in response to a number of stimuli, including drought, low light intensity, low air humidity, elevated intercellular CO2 concentration, pathogens, and certain air-borne chemicals…

Valentin Couvreur, first author of Going with the flow: multiscale insights into the composite nature of water transport in roots Current Position: FRS-FNRS postdoctoral researcher, University of Louvain, Earth and Life Institute Education: PhD in Agronomical Sciences and Biological Engineering,…