The Rhynie chert (near the village of Rhynie, Scotland; chert is a type of sedimentary rock) is an important site for plant biologists as it holds some of earliest and best preserved land-plant fossils. Hetherington and Dolan examined more than 600 thin sections prepared from this site, specifically looking for fossil evidence of early roots. […]
When it comes to evading pests and pathogens, stealth comes in handy. Anything that advertises “food here” is an invitation. Therefore, the work of Hu et al. shouldn’t be surprising, but it is a great story. Phytosiderophores such as benzoxazinoid are secreted by roots to chelate iron and facilitate its uptake. Hu et al. found […]
Most of the proteins that function inside of mitochondria or chloroplasts are encoded in the nucleus, translated in the cytosol, and imported through one or two membrane-localized translocons. (In mitochondria the outer- and inner-membrane translocons are called TOM and TIM, and in chloroplasts they are TOC and TIC). Mitochondrial studies indicate that proteins are translocated […]
Wheat is a tough nut to crack, as it is hexaploid, comprising three diploid genomes (the A, B and D genomes). The International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium has released a fully-annotated wheat reference genome, and Ramírez-González et al. present a thorough analysis of its transcriptome. Although in many cases the corresponding genes from each of […]
Kopittke et al. review the use of synchrotron-based X-ray fluorescence microscopy as a tool to quantify and localize diverse elements in plants. The authors describe how this method can be used to study nutrients in plants and human foods, as well as metal hyperaccumulating plants, and toxic metal(oid) accumulation. Future applications might include the use […]
Review: X-ray fluorescence microscopy imaging Kopittke et al. review the use of synchrotron-based X-ray fluorescence microscopy as a tool to quantify and localize diverse elements in plants. The authors describe how this method can be used to study nutrients in plants and human foods, as well as metal hyperaccumulating plants, and toxic metal(oid) accumulation. Future […]
Aidi Zhang, first author of Transcriptome analysis identifies a zinc finger protein regulating starch degradation in kiwifruit Current Position: PhD student in the Institute of Fruit Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China. Education: B.S. (2013) College of Horticulture Science and Engineering, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, China. Non-scientific Interests: Table tennis, dancing, swimming and reading. Brief bio: […]
We’re excited to annouce the publication of The Plant Cell‘s latest Teaching Tool, “Small and mighty: Peptide hormones in plant biology,” by Sonali Roy, Peter Lundquist, Michael Udvardi, and Wolf-Rüdiger Scheible, available without subscription at Plantae.org. A phytohormone (plant hormone) is defined as a naturally occurring plant compound that acts as a signal molecule even at […]
Anjil Kumar Srivastava, first author of SUMO Suppresses the Activity of the Jasmonic Acid Receptor CORONATINE INSENSITIVE 1 Current Position: Postdoctoral Research Associate in Department of Biosciences, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom Education: Ph.D. in Botany from Purvanchal University, Jaunpur, India Non-scientific Interests: Cricket, tennis, reading newspapers and travelling Brief bio: I received my doctoral […]