An enduring goal of biologists is to link variation in the genome to phenotype. The discovery of easily measurable genetic markers in the recent past has led to the identification of variants controlling different traits through linkage analysis. Subsequently, advances in high-throughput sequencing have allowed genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for the identification of hundreds of […]
Oh et al. identify a far-red light-specific role for PIF8. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.19.00515 By Jeonghwa Oh, KAIST Background: When plants are in the dark, their stems get longer to search for light. When reaching the light, plant photoreceptors called phytochromes perceive light and signal the plant body to adapt to the light environment. Phytochrome A […]
The yield of key food crops (i.e., wheat [Triticum aestivum], rice [Oryza sativa], maize [Zea mays], and sorghum [Sorghum biocolor]) relies on their production of seeds, while the propagation of almost all crops is seed-dependent. Seed set in turn relies on the production of flowers containing the male and female gametophytes, successful fertilization, and the […]
Brumos and Zhao et al. developed an improved set of genetic tools to make precise sequence modifications in large DNA fragments and used them to tag hundreds of plant genes, including those involved in auxin production. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.19.00431 By Javier Brumos, Anna Stepanova, and Jose Alonso Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, Program in […]
Krynická et al. uncover the critical role of the FtsH1/3 protease complex in the acclimation of a model cyanobacterium to nutrient stress. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.19.00411 By Vendula Krynická1,2 and Philip J. Jackson3,4 1Centre Algatech, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Czech Republic 2Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Czech Republic 3Department […]
Sun et al. showed that OR interacts with TCP14 in the nucleus of dark-germinated seedlings and reduces chlorophyll biosynthesis, thylakoid membrane development and expression of EARLY LIGHT-INDUCIBLE PROTEINS, and that subsequent illumination relieves this repression. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc. 18.00290 By Tianhu Sun and Shan Lu, Nanjing University, China Background: Cotyledon greening is a crucial transition […]
Fixed carbon derived from photosynthates serves critical roles as both a chemical energy reservoir and a building block for anabolic processes. Environmental constraints that place limitations on a plant’s fixed-carbon economy, such as prolonged darkness and photosynthetic stress, can therefore be detrimental to growth and reproductive fitness – or lethal if the deficiency is sufficiently […]
Ren et al. examine the structure of maize pollen actin. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00973 Zhanhong Ren (Ph.D. candidate), Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Regulation Biology of Ministry of Education, Center for Biological Science and Technology, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai 519087, China Haiyun Ren (professor), Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Regulation […]
By Sabyasachi Mandal Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, USA Background: Acylsugars are specialized metabolites secreted through the trichomes (plant hairs) of many plants in the nightshade family (Solanaceae). These compounds provide protection against herbivores and plant pathogens. Acylsugars are glucose and sucrose esters of both branched-chain fatty acids and straight-chain fatty acids. […]