Tropic movement in plants (movement in relation to a directional stimulus) has fascinated thinkers since ancient times (reviewed in Whippo and Hangarter, 2006). This interest has led us to a good molecular understanding of how for example, plants direct their shoots towards light and their roots towards water. However, this is not the only form […]
Peñuelas et al. uncover the surprising functional conservation of jasmonate-related MYC transcription factors in liverwort. Plant Cell (2019) https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.19.00974 Background: Jasmonoyl-isoleucine (JA-Ile) is a lipid-derived plant hormone that regulates immunity, growth, and development in vascular plants. Non-vascular plants such as liverworts do not synthesize JA-Ile and use a different molecule (dinor-OPDA) to activate similar processes. […]
Shih et al. investigate red light-triggered pre-mRNA splicing in Physcomitrella patens. Plant Cell (2019) https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.19.00314 By Chueh-Ju Shih and Shih-Long Tu Background: Light is important for plant growth and development. Plants have developed various types of photoreceptors to perceive different wavelength of lights. In response to light, photoreceptors tightly regulate gene expression at various levels. […]
Author: Masanori Izumi Affiliation: Frontier Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai 980–8578, Japan Mitochondria are active organelles that move rapidly, change shape and undergo repeated fusion and fission (Frederick and Shaw, 2007; Tilokani et al., 2018). Since mitochondria have many important roles including respiratory energy production through the TCA cycle and oxidative phosphorylation […]
García-León et al. reveal a function for a trafficking protein in stomatal aperture regulation. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.19.00399 By Marta García-León and Vicente Rubio Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC) Darwin, 3. 28049 Madrid, Spain Background: Plants protect themselves against drought stress by closing their stomata, small pores in leaves and stems that control water transpiration and […]
Kiss et al. report that a rubredoxin-like protein conserved in oxygenic phototrophs binds to the D1 protein and facilitates the formation of the D1/D2 heterodimeric reaction center complex of photosystem II. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.19.00155 Background: Photosynthesis is the vital process that uses the energy of sunlight to produce most of the biomass on Earth. Photosystem […]
Liu et al. examine how plants allocate resources between growth and defense in unfavorable conditions. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00991 By Yang Liua and Haiyang Wangb aBiotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China bSchool of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, […]
Salt stress affects plant growth and development at all stages, reducing germination, and compromising seedling establishment, transpiration, and root growth (Munns and Tester, 2008). At later developmental stages, the overaccumulation of salt ions in the shoot disrupts photosynthesis and other vital processes, oftentimes resulting in premature leaf senescence. The release of vacuolar Ca2+ into the […]
Kim et al. reveal how the SAGL1-CER3 module regulates cuticular wax biosynthesis in response to ambient humidity. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.19.00152 By Hyojin Kim and Mi Chung Suh, Department of Life Science, Sogang University, Republic of Korea Background: The hydrophobic cuticle covers the primary aerial surfaces of land plants and serves as a defensive barrier against […]