Review: The evolution of betalain biosynthesis in Caryophyllales (New Phytol)
Plant Science Research WeeklyIn the flowering plant order Caryophyllales (which includes beets), betalains substitute for anthocyanins, which are the most common form of pigmentation across the land plant phylogeny. Also found in the Basidiomycota fungal lineage, betalains are tyrosine-derived pigments that comprise of two groups…
Plant Science Research Weekly: August 2nd
WWR Full PostReview: Methods to quantify primary plant cell wall mechanics
Plant growth and morphogenesis are linked to cell wall properties, so a deep understanding of cell wall biochemistry and mechanics is essential for studying plant development. In a recent review, Bidhendi and Geitmann describe current and…
Algal-fungal symbiosis may account for the origin of basal land plant species (eLIFE)
Plant Science Research WeeklyLight serves as the source of energy as well as an information signal for photosynthetic plants. During evolution, plants have acquired the ability to monitor environmental light radiation and adjust their developmental patterns to optimally utilize light energy for photosynthesis. However how the early-diverging…
Molecular mechanisms driving switch behavior in xylem cell differentiation (Cell Reports)
Plant Science Research WeeklyXylem is involved in the movement of water and mineral nutrients through the plants from the roots to leaves; its cells are not totipotent and undergo programmed cell death. VASCULAR-RELATED NAC-DOMAIN (VND) transcription factors are master switches of xylem cell differentiation in Arabidopsis and much…
Lignin-based resistance to Cuscuta campestris in tomato (bioRxiv)
Plant Science Research WeeklyDodder (Cuscuta campestris) is a plant that parasitizes other plants by forming penetrating haustoria through which they tap into the host’s vascular tissues and extract nutrients. Most tomatoes are susceptible, but a few varieties are resistant. Jhu and Farhi et al. examined these resistant varieties…
Development of drought tolerant breeding lines derived from Helianthus annuus × H. argophyllus interspecific crosses (Plant Breeding)
Plant Science Research WeeklyDue to climate change, drought stress is threatening sunflower yield, and phenotypic diversity could be the solution. Here Hussain et al. studied the introgression of silver canopy traits related to lower excised leaf water loss (high cuticular waxes, intense hairiness, and smaller leaf area) from the…
Recognizing Plant Physiology first authors: Ana Karla Moreira Lobo
Plant Physiology, Plant Physiology: Author ProfilesAna Karla Moreira Lobo, first author of Overexpression of ca1pase decreases Rubisco abundance and grain yield in wheat
Current Position: Postdoctoral researcher of the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq, Proc. 154471/2018-6) in the Laboratory of Plant Metabolism (Labplant),…
Recognizing Plant Physiology first authors: Grace Hoysted
Plant Physiology, Plant Physiology: Author ProfilesGrace Hoysted, first author of Mucoromycotina fine root endophyte fungi form nutritional mutualisms with vascular plants
Current Position: NERC Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Leeds, UK
Education: PhD Plant Science, University of Leeds, UK
Non-scientific Interests: Movies, reading,…
Recognizing Plant Physiology first authors: Shubhada Kulkarni
Plant Physiology, Plant Physiology: Author ProfilesShubhada Kulkarni, first author of Enhanced TF binding site maps improve regulatory networks learned from accessible chromatin data
Current position: For the current month, I am not affiliated to any university. But formerly, I was a Doctoral researcher at Center for Plant Systems Biology, VIB-University…