How a cell detects a drop in water potential, the physical signal of drought or salinity, has been a long-standing puzzle. Wang et al. identified SAM8, an Arabidopsis protein that reversibly condenses into nuclear droplets when cellular water becomes scarce. When water is freely available, a negatively…

Cells communicate with one another to coordinate signaling across tissues. Adjacent cells are connected by plasmodesmata that create a cellular continuum throughout the plant. Although many plasmodesmata-associated proteins have been identified, details of structure remain unclear. Techniques often used,…

Plasmodesmata are membrane-lined bridges between adjacent plant cells that control the exchange of signaling molecules and nutrients between neighbouring cells. Biotic stress is known to cause the rapid closure of plasmodesmata via callose deposition; however, its precise role in immune responses remains…

Potato productivity is highly vulnerable to drought and salinity, yet the signaling mechanisms underlying stress adaptation remain incompletely understood. A recent study by Zhu et al. used a genome-wide analysis of the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase (MAPKKK) family in potato and identified…

We are used to thinking of plants as slow-moving organisms, so the few exceptions that exist are not only fascinating curiosities but also scientific mysteries waiting to be resolved. The Venus flytrap is one of the most studied fast-moving plants. Until now, the rapid closure of its trap was thought…

Special Issue of Current Biology on plant evolution Current Biology has an excellent special issue on plant evolution full of fascinating articles. As an example, a Primer by Zhuo Feng looks at how plants were catastrophically impacted by the end-Permian mass extinction event approximately 250 million…