Wang et al. examine single-copy, conserved genes of unknown function, with OPENER as proof of concept. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.19.00033 By Wei Wang and Totte Niittylä, Umeå Plant Science Centre, Sweden Background: Thale cress or Arabidopsis thaliana was the first sequenced plant species, the genome sequence was published already in 2000. Despite being the most […]
Griffiths et al. examine how allopolyploidy facilitated the expansion of white clover. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00606 By Andrew Griffiths; Forage Genetics, AgResearch, Grasslands Research Centre, Palmerston North, New Zealand and Stig Uggerhøj Andersen; Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark Background: White clover (Trifolium repens) is found in lawns and grasslands […]
Roth et al. investigate how a green alga turns photosynthesis off and on when glucose is added and then removed from the culture medium. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00742 By Melissa Roth and Krishna Niyogi, University of California-Berkeley Background: Photosynthesis is the life-sustaining process that plants and algae use to convert sunlight into the chemical energy that […]
Li et al. identify the gene underlying the long-studied variegated albostrians mutant of barley. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.19.00132 By Mingjiu Li, Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), Germany Background: Chloroplasts are the site of photosynthesis, which provides the energy basis of life for most organisms on earth. Chloroplast development requires the concerted […]
Fan et al. explore the roles of autophagy in Arabidopsis lipid metabolism. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.19.00170 By Jilian Fan, Linhui Yu and Changcheng Xu Biology Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory Background: Autophagy is a self-eating process during which cytoplasmic materials including macromolecules and organelles are delivered to vacuoles (yeast and plants) or lysosomes (mammals) for degradation. This […]
Méndez-Vigo et al. explore how plants from different world regions adapt to different temperature conditions. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00938. By Belen Méndez-Vigo and Carlos Alonso-Blanco Background: Plants adapt to seasonal and yearly fluctuations in ambient temperature by altering multiple aspects of their development, such as growth and the time to initiate flowering. These modifications in […]
Hai Wang et al. identify a regulator of stomatal movement and photosynthesis. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00736 By Hai Wang, Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences Background: Fixation of atmospheric CO2 through photosynthesis is crucial for the survival of plants, and is also pivotal for meeting the ever-increasing food, feed and fuel demands of humans. […]
Jiang et al. isolated a plastid-localized RNA-chaperone-like protein and investigated its function. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00946. By Jingjing Jiang, Xin Chai, Nikolay Manavski, and Wei Chi Background: RNA folding, which underlies the formation of RNA structure, is important for the functions and regulation of RNAs in all living organisms. RNA chaperone proteins have evolved to assist […]
Guo et al. uncover a unique electron donor protein for syringyl lignin biosynthesis in Arabidopsis thaliana. The Plant Cell (2019). https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00778 By Chang-Jun Liu Background: Plants use sugar from photosynthesis as a carbon and energy source for their growth and development. When sugar breaks down, it releases the stored energy needed to drive a variety […]