Entries by Magdalena Julkowska

Abscisic acid-independent stomatal CO2 signal transduction pathway and convergence of CO2 and ABA signaling downstream of OST1 kinase (PNAS – $)

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The global increase in CO2 concentrations results in the reduced opening of the stomata. Although reduction in the stomatal opening in response to drought relies on abscisic acid (ABA), less is known about the mechanism controlling stomatal aperture in response to elevated CO2. Hsu et al. examined stomatal CO2 responses in Arabidopsis using mutant lines […]

The genetic architecture of colonization resistance in Brachypodium distachyon to non-adapted stripe rust (Puccinia striiformis) isolates (PLOS Gen.)

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The host range of a pathogen depends on its ability to overcome various plant defense barriers and successfully complete its life cycle. Although host “jumps” are considered rare, the pathogens are able to infect plants other than their usual host with varying degree of success. Yellow stripe rust (P. striiformis) is usually feasting on wheat […]

The number of meiotic double-strand breaks influences crossover distribution in Arabidopsis (The Plant Cell)

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The new genetic variation is generated by recombination of the chromosome during meiotic cell divisions. The programmed double-strand breaks are initiated by DNA Topoisomerase VI-a Subunit (SPO11). As the repair of the double-strand breaks is tightly controlled, the number of breaks usually exceeds the number of crossover events. However, the mechanisms controlling recombination dynamics are […]

Modularity of genes involved in local adaptation to climate despite physical linkage (Genome Biol.)

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Studying local adaptation is a tricky as the environmental parameters that we measure might affect the organism’s fitness. When local adaptation is driven by complex and non-covarying stresses, it is predicted that loci with similar pleiotropic effect are favored. Lotterhos et al. developed a framework for characterizing genetic architecture of adaptation by using joint inference […]

What We’re Reading: October 12

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Guest editor: Magdalena Julkowska  Magdalena is a PostDoc at King Abdullah University for Science and Technology (KAUST, Saudi Arabia) working with Prof. Mark Tester. Her main interests are (1) salt-induced changes in root-to-shoot ratio in Arabidopsis, (2) study the expression patterns in plants with enhanced sodium accumulation in their roots and (3) development of tools for data analysis based […]

ABA-mediated regulation of stomatal density is OST1-independent (Plant Direct)

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Stomata are not only important for CO2 uptake, but are also important in limiting water loss when the water availability is running low. Stress hormone ABA activates protein kinase OPEN STOMATA 1 (OST1) leading to opening of ion channels, water efflux and stomatal closure. Increased levels of ABA decrease the stomata density in ABA over-accumulating […]

Insights into the evolution of multicellularity from the sea lettuce genome (Current Biol. – $)

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The transition from unicellular to multicellular life forms occurred across multiple kingdoms, and in plants is correlated with the expansion of gene families involved in extracellular matrix formation and cell cycle regulation. Green seaweeds acquired their plant-like body independently of other lineages and display wide form diversity. Sea lettuce, Ulva mutabilis, exhibits two morphological forms […]

Magazine Feature: Can botanic gardens save all plants? (Current Biol. – $)

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In the past botanic gardens served many purposes ranging from providing tranquil environment, spreading crops to places far away from their natural environment and providing emerging botanists with live samples. Currently, botanic gardens provide entertainment and education for millions of visitors. Can they also contribute to plant conservation? The location of botanic gardens is not […]

Domestication of wild tomato is accelerated by genome editing (Nature Biotech. – $)

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Wild tomato, Solanum pimpinellifolium, exhibits remarkable tolerance to salt stress and bacterial spot disease. Domestication of S.pimpinellifolium requires adjustment of day-length sensitivity, plant compactness, fruit size and the fruit could benefit from increased vitamin C content. Li et al. used multiplexed CRISPR-Cas9 strategy to edit genes previously described to affect desired phenotypes: SELF-PRUNING (SP), SP5G, […]