Entries by Linda Palmer

EPSIN1 contributes to plant immunity by modulating the abundance of pattern recognition receptors at the plasma membrane

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Wei Zhang Department of Plant Pathology, Kansas State University, 1712 Claflin Road, Throckmorton Hall, Manhattan, KS, 66502, USA [email protected] ORCID 0000-0002-5092-643X Plants have evolved many pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) that localize to the cell surface. As the frontline of defense, PRRs recognize invading pathogens and activate immune responses. Newly synthesized PRRs travel from the endoplasmatic […]

Endosidin20: A Key to Unlock the Secrets of Cellulose Biosynthesis

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By now, you would think we’d know everything about cellulose, given its status as the most abundant biopolymer on Earth and its simple chemical composition. Cellulose is composed of β-1,4-D-glucose units assembled into straight chain polymers. These rod-like molecules are packed into strong microfibrils held tightly together by hydrogen bonds and van der Waals forces. […]

Comparing genomes of diverse plants reveals new candidate genetic components for plant disease resistance

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Baggs et al. look for key immune genes bases on their presence/absence patterns in different plant species. The Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.19.00903 by Erin Baggs, University of California, Berkeley, USA Ruby O’Grady, The John Innes Centre and The Sainsbury Laboratory, Norwich, UK Background: Plants are constantly battling microbes that cause disease whilst in their natural habitats. […]

Breaking the Mold: Reduced Protein Storage in Brassica napus Seed Triggers Unexpected Structural Changes

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During development, seeds pack away large amounts of storage nutrients in the form of starch, proteins, and lipids (typically triacylglycerides), but the ratios of these storage products vary tremendously between seed types. Because of the obvious agricultural implications, researchers have long sought ways to manipulate the partitioning of resources imported from the maternal plant in […]

Cellular plasticity in protein re-balancing

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Rolletschek et al. examine the role of cellular plasticity in oil-protein balancing. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.19.00879 By Hardy Rolletschek and Ljudmilla Borisjuk Leibniz Inst Plant Genet & Crop Plant Res (IPK) Gatersleben, Germany Background: Seeds of some crops like canola/rapeseed are capable of accumulating storage oils and proteins—both of which are valuable products used for human […]

MYB30 Regulates Photomorphogenesis via Interactions with Active Phytochromes and PIFs

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MYB proteins are a group of transcription factors that are highly conserved in all vertebrates and were first implicated in avian myeloblastosis (leukemia). Subsequently, they were shown to be cellular proto-oncogenes that regulate production of blood cells in animals. MYB proteins contain a DNA-binding MYB domain, which consists of one or more imperfect repeats of […]

Guard cell starch-derived glucose drives fast stomatal opening kinetics

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Flütsch et al. examine how starch degradation and light-regulated membrane transport control stomatal opening kinetics. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00802 By Sabrina Flütsch and Diana Santelia Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland Background: Stomatal opening is driven by the blue light-activated H+-ATPase (AHA1) at the guard cell plasma membrane, which hyperpolarizes the plasma membrane causing […]

The Butterfly Effect: Natural Variation of a Chloroplast tRNA-Modifying Enzyme Leads to Pleiotropic Developmental Defects in Rice

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Translation of RNA information into protein is a fundamental process ensuring the production of functional proteins in cells. Transfer RNA (tRNA) is a vital component of the translation machinery as it delivers the correct amino acids to the elongating peptide chain based on codon-anticodon recognition. tRNAs are extensively modified at various sites, greatly contributing to […]

MYB30 Promotes PIF4 and PIF5 Accumulation in the Light

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Yan et al. discovered that MYB30, an R2R3-MYB family transcription factor, is a negative regulator of Arabidopsis photomorphogenic development and promotes PIF4 and PIF5 accumulation under prolonged red light irradiation. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.19.00645 By Yan Yan and Jigang Li, China Agricultural University) Background: The red (600-700 nm) and far-red (700-750 nm) light components of sunlight […]