Allelic mutations in the Ripening-inhibitor (RIN) locus generate extensive variation in tomato ripening ($) (Plant Physiol)
Plant Science Research WeeklyRipened fruits attract animals to eat and disperse seeds, allowing propagation. Slowing down the fruit ripening process is often used commercially to decrease damage during transport and extend shelf life. Molecular (increased pigment, aroma, and flavor) and physiological (softened flesh) changes of…
Disturbance of floral color pattern by activation of an endogenous virus in aged petunia plants (Plant J)
Plant Science Research WeeklyThe red color of petunia petals is due to the presence of anthocyanin pigments, produced in part through the action of the chalcone synthase enzyme. In the “Red Star”’ variety, expression of the CHS-A gene encoding chalcone synthase is silenced in cells around the midvein through post-transcriptional…
An ancestral signalling pathway is conserved in intracellular symbioses-forming plant lineages ($) (Nature Plants)
Plant Science Research WeeklyIt’s widely thought that plants acquired the ability to live on land thanks to a little help from their friends, specifically arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Even now, most land plants form mutually beneficial associations with fungi or bacteria, and these often involve the plant cells acting as hosts…
Plant Science Research Weekly: March 13
Blog, WWR Full PostOpinion: We aren’t good at picking candidate genes, and it’s slowing us down
Recent advances have facilitated the generation of huge phenotypic datasets from plant populations. However, the means to inexpensively organise such datasets to unequivocally determine causal genes has evaded researchers.…
The Cold Never Bothered Me Anyway: DELLA-Interacting GROWTH REGULATING FACTORS Mediate Plant Growth in Cold Stress
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In BriefThe gibberellin (GA) hormone signaling pathway is a key regulator of major plant developmental processes such as seed germination, cell elongation, and flowering time. The influence of GA is mediated by DELLA repressor proteins which, in the absence of GA, inhibit the activity of transcription factors.…
A Closer Look at the Fatty Acid Assembly Line
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellNam et al. describe a general method to analyze and quantify the fatty acid biosynthetic profile of any sample with the use of an aspartate protease and LC-MS/MS. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.19.00954
By Lauren M. Jenkinsa,b, Jeong-Won Nama, and Doug K. Allena,b (aDonald Danforth Plant…
The Case of Virus-Induced Plant Autophagy: Cui Bono?
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In BriefPlant-viral interactions, like other plant-pathogen interactions, involve a molecular arms race. When plants mount a defense response against an unwanted viral invasion, the invaders eventually evolve mechanisms to thwart or sabotage the defense response, thus placing plants back under pressure to evolve…
Recognizing Plant Cell authors: Stephan Grunewald
The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: Author ProfilesStephan Grunewald, first author of The Tapetal Major Facilitator NPF2.8 is required for Accumulation of Flavonol Glycosides on the Pollen Surface in Arabidopsis thaliana
Current Position: PhD student, Department of Cell and Metabolic Biology, Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Halle (Saale), Germany
Education:…
Recognizing Plant Cell authors: Zhuqing Zhou
The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: Author ProfilesZhuqing Zhou, co-first author of Specific Recruitment of Phosphoinositide Species to the Plant-Pathogen Interfacial Membrane Underlies Arabidopsis Susceptibility to Fungal Infection
Current Position: Professor, Cell and Developmental Biology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural…