Archive: April, 2019

A goal of systems biology is to study how transcription factors participate in gene regulatory networks (GRN) underlying biological processes. In a recent report, Brooks et al. used network science to uncover how transcription factors mediate the early response to nitrogen (N). Authors identified the…

Insects provide a valuable service to the agricultural industry through pollination, which increases both the quality and harvest volume for many important food crops, however little is known regarding the role of insect functional trait differences in promoting crop pollination. Woodcock et al. tested…

The characteristics of flowers, including morphology, color, nectar and fragrance, are closely related to their pollination methods. To attract pollinators, plants often produce large,  colorful, or fragrant flowers. Increasing evidence has indicated that herbivorous feeding activity also affects flower…

How can a species with limited genetic variation rapidly adapt to new environments? This phenomenon is known as the genetic paradox of invasion. Here, Niu et al. studied the role of Transposable Elements (TEs) in Capsella rubella, focusing on flowering-time variation. By analyzing population genomics…

In shoot meristems, the CLAVATA (CLV)-WUSCHEL(WUS) signaling module contributes to the continuous stem cell proliferation for plant development. In Arabidopsis, core CLV-WUS signaling includes the peptide ligand CLV3 and its receptor protein kinase CLV1 together with the transcription factor WUS. These…

Review. After the deluge: Plant revival post-flooding Crop losses due to flooding are occuring with increasing frequency. Whilst time submerged can be lethal, the post-submergence period is also potentially lethal. In this new review, Yeung et al. provide an overview of factors that contribute to…

Laura Dalle Carbonare, first author of Zinc excess induces a hypoxia-like response by inhibiting cysteine oxidases in poplar roots Current Position: Postdoctoral research scientist at School of Biosciences – Plant and Crop Science Division, University of Nottingham (UK) Education: PhD degree in…

Heena Yadav, first author of Medicago Terpene Synthase 10 is involved in defense against an oomycete pathogen Current Position: Guest Scientist at Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Halle (Saale) Education: Ph.D. student in Plant Biochemistry (2014-2018), Department of Cell and Metabolic Biology,…