There are many forms of hunger, one of which is micronutrient deficiency. Cassava is a staple food, but low in iron and zinc, in many regions where deficiencies of these micronutrients are common; therefore efforts have been made to biofortify cassava. Traditional breeding methods are of limited value as there is little genetic diversity in cassava […]
Lignin, polymerized from aromatic monolignols, provides strength to cell walls but its resistance to enzymatic degradation thwarts efforts to isolate cellulosic carbohydrates from cell walls for biofuels and other applications. It has been shown that lignin’s properties can be altered by the incorporation of other monomers. Here, Oyarce et al. have introduced genes for the […]
Genomics and transcriptomics have brought huge advances in understanding of plant science, but proteomics is both more challenging and in some ways more relevant to understand what is happening inside of a cell. Proteins function largely through their interactions with other proteins, so it is important to be able to confidently predict protein-protein interactions. Dong […]
Imaging proteins through fluorescent tagging is tremendously powerful but also tricky. In this very useful paper, Stottard and Rolland survey the properties of 10 fluorescent tags to determine their effectiveness in the low pH environment of the plant cell wall and apoplast. The authors also test the propensity for the fluorescent proteins to aggregate, and […]
Pathogens and pests are bad, but just how bad? And how do different regions of the world compare in terms of crop losses to pathogens and pests? Savary et al. surveyed crop experts from across the globe to address these questions, focusing on five major food crops (wheat, rice, maize, potato and soybean). They identify […]
Opinion: To learn inclusion skills, make it personal This is a great essay by David Asai, Senior Director for science education at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. David describes his journey from feeling annoyed at having to attend a multicultural forum to embracing their merit. He describes exercises that promote empathy and encourage respectful listening. […]
Joo Young Lim, first author of ROS1-dependent DNA demethylation is required for ABA-inducible NIC3 expression in Arabidopsis Current Position: PhD student, Department of Plant Science, Seoul National University, Korea. Education: BS and MS in Horticultural Science and Biotechnology at Seoul National University Non-scientific Interests: Going to art exhibitions and spending quality time with my family […]
Tian-Jing Wang, co-first author of GOLDEN 2-LIKE Transcription Factors Regulate WRKY40 Expression in Response to Abscisic Acid Current Position: Ph.D. candidate, Key Laboratory of Molecular Epigenetics of the Ministry of Education (MOE), Northeast Normal University, China. Education: B.S. Biological Science, Sep. 2012-Jul. 2016. Liaoning Normal University, China Non-scientific Interests: Travelling, reading and photography Brief bio: […]
Yutong Liu, co-first author of GOLDEN 2-LIKE Transcription Factors Regulate WRKY40 Expression in Response to Abscisic Acid Current Position: Ph.D. in molecular biology and epigenetics, Key Laboratory of Molecular Epigenetics of the Ministry of Education (MOE), Northeast Normal University, China. Education: Sep. 2015-Now Ph.D. Northeast Normal University; M.S. in Biotechnology, Sep. 2013-Jan. 2015, The University […]