Entries by Humberto Herrera-Ubaldo

A mobile auxin signal connects temperature sensing in cotyledons with growth responses in hypocotyls (Plant Phys)

May 10, 2019 in /by

An increase in ambient temperature affects plant growth and development; for instance, high temperatures trigger elongation in petioles, hypocotyls, and roots in Arabidopsis seedlings. Bellstaedt et al. studied the spatial relationships in sensing, signaling and growth responses to high temperature in these tissues. The first clue about organ-specific processes came from the transcriptomic analysis when […]

Network paths for nitrogen response in Arabidopsis (Nature Comms)

April 26, 2019 in /by

A goal of systems biology is to study how transcription factors participate in gene regulatory networks (GRN) underlying biological processes. In a recent report, Brooks et al. used network science to uncover how transcription factors mediate the early response to nitrogen (N). Authors identified the direct targets of 33 transcription factors using an in vivo […]

Moonlighting activities and control of meristem maintenance in maize ($) (Nature Plants)

April 12, 2019 in /by

The phosphorylated disaccharide trehalose 6-phosphate (T6P) is a regulator of meristem fate. Mutations in enzymes related to T6P metabolism (such as TPS, the synthase, or the phosphatase trehalose 6-phosphate phosphatase TPP, i.e., RAMOSA3 that dephosphorylates T6P to trehalose), are linked to defects in reproductive development in maize. For instance the ramosa3 (ra3) mutant has increased […]

Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals developmental trajectories of Arabidopsis root cells

April 5, 2019 in /by

New advances in sequencing technologies have made possible the understanding of the dynamics of developmental processes in an unprecedented manner. In a recent study, Denyer, Ma, et al. profiled nearly 5,000 cells from Arabidopsis roots using single-cell RNA sequencing technology. Gene expression profiles grouped cells into clusters representing the major cell types in the root; […]

Life between the cells: measuring apoplast hydration and content (Plant Phys)

March 22, 2019 in /by

The extracellular space within the leaves, or apoplast, has an active role in many aspects of plant physiology; since water from transpiration, sucrose from photosynthesis and other metabolites pass through the apoplast. Since abiotic and biotic factors (i.e., pathogens) modify the composition of the apoplast, several methods have been developed to study its content. In […]

NERD1, a novel regulator of ovule number in Arabidopsis (PLOS Genetics)

March 8, 2019 in /by

Seed number is a critical component of crop yield; the number of ovules determines the number of seeds. Ovule initiation in the carpel margin meristem (CMM) is controlled by genetic (i.e., AINTEGUMENTA, LEUNIG, SEUSS) and hormonal factors (auxins, cytokinins, gibberellins, and brassinosteroids). Most of the mutants affected in ovule number have also defects in other […]

(Auxin) Don’t stop me now. Auxin export from proximal fruits drives arrest in competent inflorescence meristems (bioRxiv)

February 22, 2019 in /by

The control of the beginning and the ending of the reproductive phase in plants are important factors related to seed and fruit production. Almost one century ago, it was noticed that fruit removal delays the floral arrest, and a model was proposed in 1994 by Hensel et al., highlighting the role of fruits in the […]

Global topological order emerges through local mechanical control of cell divisions in the Arabidopsis shoot apical meristem (Cell Systems)

February 8, 2019 in /by

In plants, the final shape of organs depends on how and when the cells divide. To get some insights about the rules governing this process, Jackson et al. applied network science to study the cell organization dynamics in the shoot apical meristem (SAM). They studied the L1, L2 and L3 cell layers in the SAM, […]