Entries by Ching Chan

Review: Optimizing nutrient transporters to enhance disease resistance in rice

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Plants rely on an array of mineral nutrients for their growth, development, and reproductive processes. The molecular mechanisms governing the uptake, translocation, storage, and utilization of these essential minerals are orchestrated by specific nutrient transporters and their associated regulatory elements, including microRNAs and the ubiquitylation system. Intriguingly, mounting evidence indicates that beyond the traditional roles […]

Glutamine induces lateral root initiation, stress responses, and disease resistance in Arabidopsis

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Nitrogen (N) is vital for plant growth, with plants typically absorbing inorganic N compounds like nitrate (NO3−) and ammonium (NH4+) from the soil. Yet plants can also utilize organic N sources, including amino acids like glutamine (Gln). Gln, as the first organic N compound assimilated within plant cells, goes beyond its metabolic function, influencing various […]

Glutamate receptors shape plant systemic wound signaling and anti-herbivore defense

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Systemic immunity, where local plant interactions with microbes or insects trigger enhanced resistance in distant organs, has parallels to the nervous system in animals. In plants, GLUTAMATE RECEPTOR-LIKE (GLR) genes have a pivotal role in long-distance wound signal transmission and the initiation of defense mechanisms including the accumulation of the defense hormone jasmonate (JA) at […]

Visualizing plant intracellular inorganic orthophosphate distribution

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Phosphorus is the second most essential macronutrient in terms of limiting plant growth, acquired in the form of orthophosphate (Pi) by plant roots. The intricate processes of sensing, uptake, transport, storage, utilization, and cellular compartmentalization of Pi are finely orchestrated by a complex network of transporters and their regulators. The plant’s Pi status, encompassing both […]

Review. Milestones in understanding phosphorus uptake, transport, sensing, use, and signaling

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Phosphorus (P) is an essential nutrient and critical component of nucleic acids, phospholipids, and other molecules. Yang et al. provide a historical (since 1996) overview of the processes controlling its uptake and use. Plants take up P from the rhizosphere primarily in the form of orthophosphate (Pi). However, Pi in the soil often complexes with […]

Review: Salicylic acid in plant immunity and beyond

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Salicylic acid (SA) is a pivotal natural compound in plant science and finds applications in herbal medicine; specifically, aspirin, the renowned anti-inflammatory drug and pain reliever, is a derivative of SA. As summarized in this review by Spoel and Dong, within plants SA serves as a crucial phytohormone essential for basal immunity and systemic acquired […]