Pathogens deploy an array of molecules to create favorable conditions and promote infections in host plants. These molecules are well-known for suppressing host immunity, rendering them more susceptible. However, two recent reports suggest that some pathogen-produced virulence factors may also act independently…

Cell surface receptor complexes act as the first line of defense in detecting pathogens and preventing invasion. Upon recognizing extracellular immunogenic patterns, a cascade of signaling relays occurs, mediated by phosphorylation events among a large array of membrane-associated proteins. These proteins…

Plant resistance genes encode proteins that trigger immune responses when they recognize pathogen effectors. Their activation must be carefully regulated, as overexpression of activation of R genes usually causes a decrease in growth rate. Here, Sun et al. investigated the role of alternative splicing…

Review: Stem cells of the vascular cambium Vascular cambium cells are meristematic cells responsible for secondary growth. Lineage tracing studies in Arabidopsis and poplar show the presence of single bifacial stem cells in each radial cell file that produce xylem inwards and phloem cells outwards.…

Wang et al. investigate how disruption of maternal nitric oxide affects female gametophyte development and fertility under both optimal and stress conditions. By Junzhe Wang1,3, Xiaolong Guo1, Shengbao Xu1 and Elizabeth Vierling2 1State Key Laboratory for Crop Stress Resistance and High-Efficiency…

Agrofoglio et al. explore how the methylation of arginine residues on a key splicing factor affects alternative splicing. Julieta Mateos, María José Iglesias, Yamila Agrofoglio. IFIBYNE-UBA-CONICET https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koae051 Background: Plants are constantly subjected to a variety…

Zhihe Cai (Synthetic and Functional Biomolecules Center, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China) https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koae149 Background:…

Dr. Jyostna Devi Mura is a USDA-ARS Research Molecular Biologist at the Vegetable Crops Research Unit and Assistant Research Professor at the Department of Plant and Agroecosystem Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is a plant physiologist with expertise in the fields of molecular biology…