Entries by Francesca Resentini

Plasma membrane-associated receptor like kinases relocalize to plasmodesmata in response to osmotic stress (Plant Phys)

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Plasmodesmata are channels through the cell wall that allow molecules and substances to move back and forth as needed; they also play a central role in growth, development and defence of all higher plants. In this study, Grison et al. describe the rapid relocation to the plasmodesmata pores of two plasma membrane-located Leucine-Rich-Repeat Receptor-Like-Kinases (LRR-RLKs), […]

A signal amplifier that regulates soybean root growth in response to salt stress (Plant Cell_

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The balance between environmental stress tolerance and plant growth is an important research topic. Plant responses vary among species and varieties, but also with the growth environment. Soil, water, and environmental factors interact to affect plant growth responses to soil salinity. To engineer salt-tolerant crop varieties, it is crucial to identify the key components of […]

Review: Plant immunity, refining the model (Trends in Plant Sci and Curr Opin Plant Biol)

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Interactions between plants and microorganisms occur in many different ways and on many different levels. Scientists have been attracted to this field of research because of the need to identify the agents causing infectious diseases in economically important crops. Models have been developed to describe the coevolution of plants and microbial attack. Models are abstract […]

Structural and functional imaging of large and opaque plant specimen (J Exp Bot)

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Even the simplest organisms are highly complex systems in which countless dynamic biochemical processes occur simultaneously. To fully understand the mechanical significance of such a complex molecular machine, the ability to accurately characterize dynamic processes at different scales is required. A variety of imaging methodologies are used to collect data for quantitative studies of plant […]

Review: Connecting the pieces: uncovering the molecular basis for long-distance communication through plant grafting (New Phytol)

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Grafting is an ancient vegetative asexual plant propagation technique. It is characterized by the connection of two plant segments, the shoot piece known as ‘scion’ and the root piece called ‘rootstock’ or simply ‘stock’. Grafting is widely used in agriculture to improve crop production and provide tolerance to biotic and abiotic stress. Beyond its use […]

Tandem fluorescent protein timers for non-invasive relative protein lifetime measurement in plants (Plant Physiol)

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Proteins are in a dynamic state of synthesis and degradation and their half-lives can be adjusted under various circumstances. Many rapidly degraded proteins function as regulatory molecules, such as transcription factors. The rapid turnover of these proteins is necessary to allow their levels to change quickly in response to external stimuli. Other proteins are rapidly […]

ABA mediated drought-accelerated flowering ($) (Mol Plant)

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One of the most plastic developmental process in plants is the timing of flower initiation. Plants select favourable conditions to achieve reproductive success. Light and temperature are continuously monitored through molecular mechanisms that are still poorly understood. Drought escape (DE) is an adaptive mechanism which involves rapid flowering to enable the completion of the full […]