Desiccation tolerance is the property of being able to survive and recover from extreme dehydration. Although there are many desiccation-tolerant plant species, efforts to identify the genetic basis of desiccation tolerance have been limited by a lack of closely-related desiccation sensitive species. VanBuren et al. compared two species of Lindernia, one of which is desiccation […]
Closely related species that have different numbers of chromosomes (e.g., 2n versus 4n) are reproductively isolated, and this can arise as a consequence of an unbalancing in the expression levels of maternally- and paternally-imprinted genes. Wang et al. have identified a fascinating mechanism that explains why the seeds of different-ploidy hybrids frequently abort. The authors […]
FLS2 is a well-known cell-surface receptor that triggers plant immune response. Zou et al. asked whether its expression level is age-dependent, and found that FLS2 is expressed at very low levels in newly-emerged seedlings. They identified two closely related transcription factors TOE1 and TOE2 that negatively regulate FLS2 expression and FLS2-mediated immunity in very young […]
Jasmonates promote defense reponses but at the expense of growth. JAZ proteins repress jasmonate responses. Guo et al. examined the consequences of knocking out 10 of the 13 JAZ genes in Arabidopsis, by producing a jaz decuple, or jazD mutant. They compared jazD mutant to previously described jazQ mutants that have five JAZ genes knocked […]
Enhancing root growth can aid plant survival in challenging environments such as salty soils. Dickinson et al. built upon a previous study that identified D15, an inhibitor of lateral root development. They treated roots with D15 and also components of a small-molecule library to search for suppressors of the suppressor: plants with restored root growth. […]
Editorial: The challenge of the post-truth era Why do people persist in thinking that climate change is not happening, or that vaccines cause autism? Scientists need to find better ways to communicate about what we do. In this editorial from Nature Cell Biology, the authors point to the low science achievement levels of US high […]
Irene Garcia, first author of HCN regulates cellular processes through posttranslational modification of proteins by S-cyanylation Current Position: Distinguished Researcher at the Institute of Plant Biochemistry and Photosynthesis (CSIC-Universidad de Sevilla) Seville, Spain. Education: PhD in Biological Sciences (University of Seville, Spain). Non-scientific Interests: Reading, travelling, spreading science and spending time with my three teen […]
(This press release has been translated from the original) In the evolution of plants, the production of vascular organizations is a major event. Vascular plants provide structural support and water transport to stems by producing xylem vessels, thickening secondary cell walls, and programmed cell death at maturity. Stem sap retention is an important trait of […]
How many genes control a phenotype? Dozens? Hundreds? Thousands? The whole genome? And what about the epigenome? Such fascinating questions on biological complexity and the interaction between genes and the environment (or, in the case of infection by a plant pathogen, multiple genomes) have long been at the heart of Daniel Kliebenstein’s research. Studying the […]