CLAVATA 3/EMBRYO SURROUNDING REGION-related (CLE) peptides and CLAVATA type receptors have been well charecterized for their role in root and shoot apical meristem maintenance in Arabidopsis. CLE peptides are also referred to as “peptide hormones” for their role in contolling physiological and developmental changes in plants. In this review by Bashyal et al., the roles […]
Benzoxazinoids (BXs) are alkaloid specialized metabolites produced by important crops like maize. Their role in shaping the root and rhizosphere microbiomes and in plant defense against pest and pathogens is well known, although the mechanism remains unknown. One of the major BXs produced by maize is DIMBOA-Glc, which is rapidly converted to MBOA in the […]
Functional genomic studies across plants are incomplete without deciphering the putative gene functions in model as well as non-model plants. With an aim to facilitate gene function identification and cross-species expression analysis, Sreedasyam et al. describe the Joint Genome Institute (JGI) Plant Gene Atlas, an updateable large-scale data-resource from 18 diverse plant species spanning single […]
Although CRISPR/Cas9 tools have provided new opportunities for genome editing, using these systems to introduce large pieces of DNA has been challenging. A new genome editing technique, “PrimeRoot” (Prime editing-mediated Recombination Of Opportune Targets), was introduced by Sun et al. and shown to precisely insert large DNA donors/cargos in rice without double stranded break intermediates. […]
The phytohormone ethylene is known for its importance in plant development and mostly for its role in fruit ripening. However, in this review Huang et al. summarize recent findings on ethylene’s role in temperature (hot and cold) stress response and ethylene crosstalk with other hormones. Interestingly, different plants respond to heat stress differently. For example, […]