This week’s edition is guest edited by Arif Ashraf, a PhD student at Iwate University, Japan and Graduate Student Ambassador of ASPB (NOTE: Apply by January 15th to be an ASPB ambassador). His research interest is understanding the hormonal interplay in primary root development of Arabidopsis thaliana. He blogs about plant science (http://www.aribidopsis.com/). Arif is […]
Twenty years ago, a genetic screen of Lotus japonicas identified NIN (NODULE INCEPTION), a transcription factor required for both early (infection thread) and late (nodule primordium development) stages of nodule formation. In daphne (a weak allele of NIN), infection threads form but not nodule primordia, suggesting that the NIN gene is only partially effective and that […]
You probably saw this article being discussed in your favorite news channel (in the UK, coverage spanned from the Daily Mail to the Guardian). In an Opinion article, Naves et al. discuss the genetics, biochemistry, ecology and health-benefits of capsaicinoids (the “heat” in chili pepper), and consider the feasibility of increasing their production through engineering […]
Liyun Jiang, first author of The APETALA2-like transcription factor SUPERNUMRARY BRACT controls rice seed shattering and seed size Current Position: Ph.D candidate, Department of Plant Genetics and Breeding, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China Education: 2012–B.S., Agronomy, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, China Non-scientific interest: Discovering traditional Chinese food, gardening, and watching documentaries Brief bio: After getting […]
(Translated from the original) Regina Devrient Press and Public Relations Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research Sucrose is the primary transport form of sugar in plants. It therefore plays an essential role as an energy source, but also as a signal generator under stress. Scientists at the Leibniz Institute of Plant […]
Rice is an important food crop in China, but the damage of rice blast fungus is an important factor affecting the high and stable yield of rice. Liu Jun’s research group of the Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences found in the previous study that when rice blast fungus infects rice, it can secrete […]
Zihao Li, first author of Uncoupled Expression of Nuclear and Plastid Photosynthesis-associated Genes Contributes to Cell Death in a Lesion Mimic Mutant Current Position: Ph.D. candidate, CAS center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai center for Plant Stress Biology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Education: 2014- Ph.D candidate. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, […]
By Amna Mhamdi and Charlotte M.M. Gommers The nuclear genome encodes the majority of chloroplast-localized proteins and, in return, chloroplasts exert some control over nuclear gene expression via so-called retrograde signals. These signals derive from developing chloroplasts (referred to as biogenic signals) or from mature chloroplasts in response to environmental constraints such as excessive light, […]
Mateusz Bajczyk, first author of Novel nuclear functions of Arabidopsis ARGONAUTE1: beyond RNA interference Current Position: Ph.D. student, Department of Gene Expression, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, Poland Education: M.S. in Biotechnology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan (Poland) Non-scientific Interests: Mountain hiking, brewing, beer tasting Brief bio: During my […]