Zhai et al. show that Trehalose 6-phosphate positively regulates fatty acid synthesis by stabilizing WRINKLED1. Plant Cell. https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00521 Background: In plants, oil synthesis is under the control of an “on switch” or transcription factor called WRINKLED1, that binds to DNA in the regulatory regions attached to approximately 20 genes that code for enzymes involved in […]
Li et al. take a new approach to identify a transcription factor that regulates γ-zein gene expression during maize endosperm development together with other transcription factors. By Chaobin Li and Rentao Song, China Agricultural University Background: Zeins are the most abundant storage proteins in maize seed, and as such, they affect its nutritional quality and […]
Martinez et al. show that a model based on three-dimensional cell shape successfully predicts the division planes of plant and animal cells, confirming a century-old hypothesis. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00401 Background: Plant cell division has long been thought to mimic weightless soap films by placing new cell walls in a location that minimizes their surface areas. […]
Zhan et al. report on genome-wide analysis of genes regulated by the maize transcription factor Opaque-2. Plant Cell. https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00392 By Junpeng Zhan and Ramin Yadegari, University of Arizona Background: In flowering plants, development of seeds is initiated by double fertilization. During double fertilization, one of two sperm cells fuses with the egg cell (a female […]
Robinson et al. investigate scaling relationships between ploidy and size in Arabidopsis. The Plant Cell (2018). https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00344 By Dana O. Robinson and Adrienne H.K. Roeder Background: The term “ploidy” refers to the number of copies of the genome contained in a cell. Many eukaryotic cells (including plant and animal cells) are diploid (ploidy = 2), […]
Zhang et al. investigate how Blue light enhances cell wall thickening https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00315. Background: Plant vascular tissues provide plants with mechanical strength and long-distance transportation, and the thickened secondary cell walls of certain types of vascular cells help plants grow upright. Formation of the secondary cell wall is regulated by environmental and developmental signals. However, little […]
Garcia Cabanillas et al. show the existence of a tug-of-war for successful plant virus infection. The Plant Cell (2018). https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00281 By Daniel Garcia Cabanillas, Jun Jiang and Jean-François Laliberté Background: Plants are susceptible to viruses, which cause severe physiological, morphological and growth defects in the infected host. Viruses remodel the intracellular architecture of the cells […]
Sinclair et al. show that a low Zn status of shoots triggers in roots the transcription of genes important in root-to-shoot translocation of Zn. The Plant Cell (2018). https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00207 By Scott A. Sinclair and Ute Krämer Department of Molecular Genetics and Physiology of Plants, Ruhr University Bochum Background: When Zn availability in the soil is […]
Mishev, Lu, et al. discover a new chemical inhibitor of a protein family involved in the regulation of endomembrane transport. Mishev, Lu, et al. Plant Cell (2018) https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00145 By Kiril Mishev and Qing Lu Background: The structural and functional compartmentalization in eukaryotic cells allows the orchestration of highly coordinated cellular processes that rely on […]