Soap-Film Aids Study of Cell Division
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellMartinez et al. show that a model based on three-dimensional cell shape successfully predicts the division planes of plant and animal cells, confirming a century-old hypothesis. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00401
Background: Plant cell division has long been thought to mimic weightless…
Opaque-2 Plays a Broad Role in Regulation of Endosperm Development and Function
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellZhan et al. report on genome-wide analysis of genes regulated by the maize transcription factor Opaque-2. Plant Cell. https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00392
By Junpeng Zhan and Ramin Yadegari, University of Arizona
Background: In flowering plants, development of seeds is initiated by double fertilization.…
Scaling Relationships between Ploidy and Size
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellRobinson et al. investigate scaling relationships between ploidy and size in Arabidopsis. The Plant Cell (2018). https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00344
By Dana O. Robinson and Adrienne H.K. Roeder
Background: The term “ploidy” refers to the number of copies of the genome contained in a cell.…
Blue Light Helps Plants Build Rigid Walls
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellZhang et al. investigate how Blue light enhances cell wall thickening https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00315.
Background: Plant vascular tissues provide plants with mechanical strength and long-distance transportation, and the thickened secondary cell walls of certain types of vascular cells help…
An Unconventional Route for Viral Replication Vesicle Trafficking
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellGarcia Cabanillas et al. show the existence of a tug-of-war for successful plant virus infection. The Plant Cell (2018). https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00281
By Daniel Garcia Cabanillas, Jun Jiang and Jean-François Laliberté
Background: Plants are susceptible to viruses, which cause severe…
Leaves Call to Roots: “Need More Zinc!”
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellSinclair et al. show that a low Zn status of shoots triggers in roots the transcription of genes important in root-to-shoot translocation of Zn. The Plant Cell (2018). https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00207
By Scott A. Sinclair and Ute Krämer
Department of Molecular Genetics and Physiology of…
Combinatorial Chemistry Solutions to Explore Intracellular Trafficking
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellMishev, Lu, et al. discover a new chemical inhibitor of a protein family involved in the regulation of endomembrane transport. Mishev, Lu, et al. Plant Cell (2018) https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00145
By Kiril Mishev and Qing Lu
Background: The structural and functional compartmentalization…
A New Chemical (ES4) Affects Intracellular Trafficking in Plants
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellBy Urszula Kania, Tomasz Nodzyński and Jiří Friml
Background: Membrane proteins integrated into the lipid membranes of trafficking vesicles follow an elaborated road to arrive to their destination where they perform their tasks. Precise intracellular routing is especially critical and visible in…
Alternative Splicing Regulates Mineral Homeostasis
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellDong et al. identify important regulators of mineral nutrition in rice. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00051
By Luqing Zheng
College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210095, P. R. China
Background: Mineral nutrients are essential for plant growth…