Archive: August, 2023

Strigolactones are a class of hormones first identified in the 1960s as components of root exudates that promote germination of parasitic Striga seeds, and later as a promoter of associations with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Strigolactones also have endogenous roles within plants, for example as regulators…

Invertases catalyse the conversion of sucrose into glucose and fructose. In plants, invertases fall into two clades – the mitochondrially/plastid localized α clade and the cytoplasmically localized β clade. However, we do not fully understand how these clades evolved. Here Wan et al. identified 665…

Cellulose in one of the most abundant polymers on the planet and is synthesized by plasma membrane-bound cellulose synthases (CESAs). Phosphorylation plays a role in CESA regulation, however the kinases which catalyse the phosphorylation are not well described. Here Xin et al. identified calcium-dependent…

In plants, gravity sensing is orchestrated by specialized cells called statocytes that contain starch-filled plastids (amyloplasts) called statoliths, whose positions are influenced by the direction of gravity. However, the molecular mechanisms of gravity sensing and signaling are poorly understood.…

Phosphoinositides (membrane lipids with cytosolic inositol headgroups carrying phosphate residues at various positions) serve as road markings for membrane and membrane/cytoskeleton dynamics. Here, Lebeco et al. add further detail to the map. Previously the authors showed that the plant-specific enzyme…

It’s a well-established fact that some proteins are highly variable across species, and others such as histones hardly vary at all. Highly conserved proteins such as histones have very little wiggle room in their structure; small changes can lead to a loss of function. However, for some other proteins…

In this fantastic, engaging paper, Hu et al. carries the reader from the origins of life on land through the dramatic uplift of the Tibetan plateau and into the modern age of climate change, all through the lens of the “enigmatic” Takakia moss. It’s enigmatic because it has features that are more…

As global CO2 emissions continue to rise, wildlife faces new challenges due to climate change. The biotic and environmental factors impacted by the rising temperature and sea level pose unprecedented threat to the plants and lichens listed on the Endangered Species Act (ESA). In this paper, the tolerance…