When flooding occurs, soils become saturated and oxygen solubility and diffusion decreases. This situation creates a hypoxic environment in the roots that stresses the plant, causing significantly decreased growth. However, the quiescent center (QC) stem cells, located in the root apical meristem, are highly hypoxic under normal oxygen tension. When hypoxia is imposed to the […]
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a crucial role in plant cell homeostasis, particularly in response to environmental biotic and abiotic stresses. The transcription of miRNAs is mediated by RNA Polymerase II which generates the primary miRNA transcripts (pri-miRNAs). HYPONASTIC LEAVES 1 (HYL1) is a miRNA biogenesis protein indirectly associated with chromatin through the interaction with the nascent […]
Flowering time is determined by both endogenous factors and environmental cues to ensure successful reproduction. ETHYLENE INSENSITIVE 3 (EIN3) and EIN3 LIKE 1 (EIL1) are transcription factors which are the key downstream regulators of ethylene signal transduction. Rapid flowering is promoted by the repression of FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC). It has been seen that FLOWERING […]
Plant growth adaptation to heat stress (thermomorphogenesis) is regulated by changes in plant morphology such as petiole and hypocotyl elongation. One of the known players in this response is PHYTOCHROME-INTERACTING FACTOR 4 (PIF4), a central regulator of hypocotyl elongation. However, the mechanisms underlying the response, including PIF4 interactors, are unclear. In addition, cortical microtubules can […]
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that down-regulate their targets through translational repression or mRNA cleavage. Some pri-miRNAs encode small regulatory peptides (miPEP) which regulate plant growth and development by modulating subsequent miRNA expression. How different biotic or abiotic stresses may affect the role of these peptides remains unclear. In this work, Kumar et al. […]
Floods limit plant oxygen availability, impacting their growth and productivity. In hypoxia, the ERF-VII group of transcription factors are stabilized and activate Hypoxia-Responsive Genes (HRG) that prepare the plant to face the stress. In this situation, plant metabolism switches from oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondria to fermentation, decreasing the production of ATP. Four hours after the […]
Guard cells are responsible for the opening and closing of stomata through changes in osmotic content and turgor pressure. These changes occur in response to activation or inactivation of ion transport proteins that are in turn regulated by protein kinase and phosphatase networks. The kinase network comprises different families, such as CBL-Interacting Protein Kinases (CIPKs). […]
Lately, reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been recognized as signaling molecules that regulate plant cellular proliferation and differentiation in many areas of the plant, including root tips. Chloroplasts, peroxisomes, and mitochondria are the main cellular compartments for ROS generation in cells. SYNTAXIN OF PLANTS81 in Arabidopsis thaliana (AtSYP81), a SNARE protein, has been suggested to […]
Climate change affects rain patterns and hydrological cycles all over the world, exacerbating water scarcity issues. Root branching is altered by local spatial differences in soil moisture. Indeed, when root tips temporarily lose contact with moisture, root branching stops until the appropriate moisture level is encountered again. This response is named xerobranching and in this […]