Plants must regulate the harvesting of light to maintain proper energy fluxes though photosystem I (PSI) and photosystem II (PSII). Under optimal conditions, the light-harvesting complex II (LHCII) is phosphorylated and forms a supercomplex with the PSI core and the light-harvesting complex I (LHCI). This phosphorylation is due to a kinase (STN7) that senses the […]
Part of the Self-Reflection; series by and for early-career researchers Outreach is defined as “any scientific communication that engages an audience outside of academia” (Varner J., BioScience, 2014). Most scientists and scientists-in-training are aware of outreach as something that is included in most grant proposals. However, outreach is more than just a few lines in a grant […]
As more people move to cities, urban agriculture will make larger contributions to food security. There has been little investigation on the role of plant biodiversity in urban agricultural systems. Wan and colleagues use monitoring data collected from community farms in Shanghai, China, to investigate the role of border and neighboring crops on rice production. […]
Green plants use photosynthesis to covert light into ATP (adenosine triphosphate) through the molecular action of the chloroplast F1Fo ATP synthase (cF1Fo). The ATP synthesis happens in the hydrophilic head (c F1) and is powered by the cFo rotary motor located in the photosynthetic membrane. This rotary motor is driven by the electrochemical gradient maintained […]
Plants modify gene expression and physiological processes to overcome temporal and spatial variations in nitrogen availability. These modifications rely on complex root-shoot-root signaling networks which are triggered by cytokinin biosynthesis. Poitout and colleagues use mutant analysis, transcriptome analysis and hormone profiling to understand complex long distance nitrogen signaling networks in Arabidopsis thaliana. In the shoots, […]
The integration of light-based environmental signals with photoreceptors and transcriptional regulators is essential for coordinating plant growth, development and energy production. One such integrator of light and signaling components is the Arabidopsis thaliana TANDEM ZINC-FINGER PLUS3 (TZP). TZP is a positive regulator of hypocotyl elongation and interacts with ZINC-FINGER HOMEODOMAIN 10 (ZFHD10). Perrella and colleagues […]
Drought stress drastically decreases crop productivity. Some root-associated bacteria have been shown to decrease the negative effects of drought stress on plants, but the role of drought in the development of the root microbiome has not been studied. Xu and colleagues use root metabolomics and 16S rRNA amplicon and metatranscriptome sequencing to elucidate the impact […]
The cell cycle of plants is regulated by signals that integrate endogenous and environmental cues to allow for adaptation to varying conditions. When a plant is under drought stress, cell division in young leaves is stopped by an active mechanism to conserve resources. Cyclin-dependent kinase-inhibitory proteins (CKIs) have been studied in relation to cell cycle […]
Stress due to high heat and drought causes losses in wheat production all over the world. While genetic variation and quantitative trait loci for drought and heat tolerance are known, the genetic loci that underlie tolerance to these combined stress are likely different from those that underlie each stress alone, as responses to these stresses […]