Aiqing Sun, co-first author of MYC2-Activated TRICHOME BIREFRINGENCE-LIKE 37 Acetylates Cell Walls and Enhances Herbivore Resistance Current Position: Postdoc in Shanghai Jiaotong University Education: PhD, 2014-2019, Shanghai Institute for Biological Sciences, CAS; Bachelor, 2010-2014, Nanjing Agricultural…

The green alga Chlorella ohadii was recently isolated from the harsh environment of desert biological sand crusts, where it is able to grow and thrive in extreme conditions. Previously, studies showed that it is unusually resistant to photodamage, even at twice the irradiance of maximal sunlight thanks…

Arabinogalactan proteins (AGPs) are a class of apoplastic carbohydrate-binding proteins with a carbohydrate portion that can also bind to calcium (Ca2+) ions in a pH-dependent manner. Here, Lopez-Hernandez and colleagues have probed the role of AGPs and the functional significance of their Ca2+-binding…

Chlamydomonas, like many green algae, divides by so-called “multiple fission” where the mother cell can grow many-fold in size before undergoing a series of rapid divisions. The dramatic separation of cell growth from cell division makes Chlamydomonas an attractive system to study genetic control…

The contractile actomyosin ring (CAR) would be familiar to most students of cell biology. It is often assigned a major role in the formation of the cleavage furrow that bisects the cell during cytokinesis.  The contractile force of the ring is generated by type-II myosin motor proteins pulling on actin…

Protein degradation is mediated by several systems: the ubiquitin-proteasome system, multi-vesicle body-mediated vacuolar sorting (MVB), and the autophagy-vacuole pathway. However, the communication between these different protein degradation systems are less characterized. Here, Xia et al. report a…

Plant roots should prevent immune activation by innocuous soil microbiota, as constitutive immune activation is harmful to plant growth. Previous studies have indicated variable immune competence of different root cell types and developmental zones, but this is currently poorly understood with the fine…

During root development, auxin accumulates at the stem cell niche (SCN) located at the root meristem. Both polar auxin transport and local auxin biosynthesis contribute to the auxin accumulation. During root regeneration after wounding, the source of auxin accumulation is still a question. To address…