Hou et al. report a DEAD-box helicase as a component of the RNA microprocessor complex and highlight its importance in embryogenesis. Plant Cell http://bit.ly/2LhT7LO By Xiu-Li Hou,a,b Xiu-Fen Song,a,b Chun-Ming Liua,b,c a Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Physiology, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China b University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, […]
Herrmann et al. uncover the role of KINESIN-12E in the rapid alignment of chromosomes during cell division. The Plant Cell (2020) http://bit.ly/3lCfIzf By Arvid Herrmann Howards Hughes Medical Institute at University of Texas at Austin, Sabine Müller, Center for Plant Molecular Biology, University of Tübingen Background: Cell division is the process by which a parent […]
Tian et al. Background: Flowering time plays an important role in plant reproductive success. In the model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, several flowering time pathways adjust flowering time in response to day length), hormones, and temperature (i.e. vernalization a period of cold). During photoperiodic control of flowering, leaves are the major organs that sense the day-length […]
Gao et al. demonstrate TaNAC019 regulates kernel weight and quality in wheat. The Plant Cell (2021). http://bit.ly/3qCTXSH By YJ Gao, KX An, WW Guo, YM Chen, RJ Zhang, X Zhang, SY Chang, V Rossi, FM Jin, XY Cao, MM Xin, HR Peng, ZR Hu, WL Guo, JK Du, ZF Ni, QX Sun, and YY Yao […]
Yokoyama et al. explore regulation of the shikimate biosynthetic pathway in plants. https://bit.ly/3oZeh01 By Ryo Yokoyama and Hiroshi A. Maeda, Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin-Madison Background: The shikimate pathway directs bulk carbon toward biosynthesis of aromatic amino acids (AAAs) and numerous AAA-derived natural products, which are essential for plant development and adaptation and provide […]
Arteaga et al. report that some natural populations of Arabidopsis have trichomes on fruits. They exploit this previously unknown trait to explore the genetic underpinnings of trichome development and their evolutionary relevance. Plant Cell http://bit.ly/3byAMFl By Noelia Arteaga, Belén Méndez-Vigo, Marija Savic and Carlos Alonso-Blanco Background: Trichomes, or plant hairs, are specialized epidermal cells that […]
Cereal grains accumulate large amounts of proteins and starch and are a major source of dietary calories for humans and animals. In maize (Zea mays), most of the storage compounds are synthesized during the grain-filling period of kernel development. Several key transcription factors (TFs) that regulate grain-filling have been discovered (reviewed in Li and Song, […]
Zhang, Zhu, Shen, Ji et al. discover a way to enhance nitrogen use efficiency and grain yield in rice. The Plant Cell (2020) https://bit.ly/3s3bLb3 Background: Nitrogen (N), an essential element for crop growth, is provided to plants by external fertilizer application. However, the excessive use of N fertilizers increases the cost of agricultural production and […]
Dong, LeBlanc, Poulet et al. investigate genomic stability in Arabidopsis. The Plant Cell (2020) https://bit.ly/3nhgdQ5 By Jie Dong, Chantal LeBlanc, Axel Poulet, and Yannick Jacob Background: DNA is the genetic material used by all living organisms on Earth. The faithful replication of DNA ensures the precise transfer of genetic information from mother cell to daughter […]