Entries by Kes Maio

Lights, camera, pectin: Bringing hypocotyl elongation out of the dark

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Light is a powerful signal, shaping plant development and growth. However, the cellular mechanisms that translate light signals into precise developmental responses are still being unravelled. The Arabidopsis hypocotyl (the embryonic stem, situated underneath the cotyledons in seedlings) rapidly restricts elongation upon light exposure. Zhang et al. combined molecular and mechanical techniques to uncover a […]

Finding balance: How plants achieve signal specificity in stomatal development and defense

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Plants need to develop and grow within their environment whilst defending themselves against potential external threats. There are limited resources for these energy-intensive processes and so cross-talk is common between the signalling pathways to find balance between growth and defence. Hermann et al., provide evidence for cross-regulation between stomatal development and the immune response and […]