Yalin Liu, Handong Su, Jing Zhang, et al. explore centromere birth and death by inducing rearrangements via pollen irradiation in maize. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.20.00389 Background: The centromere is one of the most important components of chromosomes. Every normal chromosome has one functional centromere. The centromere is essential for accurate orientation and distribution during each cell […]
Steinbeck et al. investigate in vivo NAD redox dynamics in Arabidopsis. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.20.00241 By Janina Steinbeck and Markus Schwarzländer Background: All organisms rely on their cellular metabolism to live, develop, grow, and procreate. Metabolism provides the energy, building blocks, and reductant (i.e., electrons) needed for these activities. A major proportion of the total electron […]
Chen et al. uncover a strategy used by a DNA geminivirus to exploit the host machinery in order to inhibit methylation-mediated defense responses when establishing infection. The Plant Cell (2020) https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.20.00249. Background: Geminiviruses belong to one of the largest and most important families of plant viruses, with genomes comprising one or two single-stranded circular DNAs. […]
Iwatate et al. demonstrate that SNAP-tag technology can be used to label plant cell proteins. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.20.00439 By Ryu J. Iwatatea,b, Akira Yoshinaria, Noriyoshi Yagia, Wolf B. Frommera,c, and Masayoshi Nakamuraa a Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules (WPI-ITbM), Nagoya University, Chikusa, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan b School of Medicine, Nagoya University, Showa, Nagoya 466−8550, Japan c […]
López-Hernández et al. reveal that arabinogalactans function in calcium signaling from outside to inside the cell. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.20.00027 Federico López Hernández and Paul Dupree University of Cambridge, Department of Biochemistry, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QW UK Background: Arabinogalactan (AG) is a complex carbohydrate, made of sugars, that surrounds all plant cells. No one […]
Rodrigues et al. found that the source and sink identities of sugar beet shoots vs. taproots are switched upon vernalization (chilling) due to a cold-induced reversal of the phloem stream. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.20.00072 By Cristina Martins Rodriguesa, Christina Müdsamb and Benjamin Pommerreniga a Plant Physiology, University of Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, Germany b Biochemistry, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität (FAU) Erlangen-Nürnberg, […]
Liu et al. connect small RNA biogenesis and meiotic recombination by examining RNA-dependent RNA polymerase 6. The Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.20.00213 By Changzhen Liu, Yi Shen and Zhukuan Cheng Background: Meiosis is a specialized cell division that takes place in sexually reproducing eukaryotes and homologous recombination during meiosis increases diversity. During meiosis, homologous recombination is […]
Rich-Griffin et al. uncover cell type-specific gene networks that function in plant immunity in Arabidopsis roots. The Plant Cell (2020) https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.20.00154 By Charlotte Rich-Griffin1, Ruth Eichmann1,2, Sascha Ott3,4,5 & Patrick Schäfer1,2 1School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, United Kingdom 2Institute of Molecular Botany, Ulm University, 89069 Ulm, Germany 3Warwick Medical […]
From the flat white sheets of our favourite weed Arabidopsis thaliana to the colourful cups and spirals of orchids, petals come in a spectacular array of shapes, sizes, colours and textures. These elaborate forms have often evolved to attract pollinators. For example, bee orchids produce petals that mimic female bees to attract amorous males for […]