Entries by Mary Williams

Review: Shaping plastid stromules — principles of in vitro membrane tubulation applied in planta ($) (COPB)

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Stromules (or stroma-filled tubules) have been observed for more than 100 years, but uncertainty remains about their formation and function. Stromules are extensions of the plastid membrane that form highly dynamic tubule-like structures that sometimes interact with other plastids or organelles. Hypothetical functions include increasing the surface area of plastids (for increased transport), movement of […]

Convergent evolution of effector protease recognition by Arabidopsis and barley (bioRxiv)

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Pathogenic bacteria Pseudomonas syringae produce an effector protein, AvrPphB. The indirect interaction between this bacterial effector and the Arabidopsis resistance (R) protein RPS5 has been characterized previously; AvrPphB is a cysteine protease that targets another plant protein, PBS1, causing it to activate RPS5. Carter and Helm et al. now show that the bacterial effector similarly […]

Ethylene-gibberellin signaling underlies adaptation of rice to periodic flooding ($) (Science)

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The diverse responses of rice to flooding are really interesting. Many varieties die, some survive by essentially becoming metabolically quiescent to conserve their energy (which involves the Sub1 pathway), and some, called deepwater rice, respond through rapid elongation that elevates their leaves above the floodwaters. Kuroha et al. further characterize the molecular basis for the […]

Reconstituting Arabidopsis CRY2 signaling pathway in mammalian cells reveals regulation of transcription by direct binding of CRY2 to DNA (Cell Rep)

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Cryptochromes (CRYs) are blue-light receptors that were first identified in plants more than 20 years ago, but with modes of action that have remained obscure. Yang, Mo, and Yu, et al. reassembled this blue-light signaling module in mammalian cells in order to better understand CRY function. Previously, they showed that in this system CRY2 absorbs […]

A comprehensive toolkit for inducible, cell type-specific gene expression in Arabidopsis (Plant Physiol)

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Gene knock-outs and overexpression studies are useful indicators of gene function, but can obscure the gene’s distinct cell-type specific functions. Schürholz and Lopez-Salmeron et al. have developed a set of constructs that allow for precise expression of a gene-of-interest in subsets of cells, accompanied by a fluorescent marker. This system involves “driver” and “effector” lines. […]

Opinion. Location matters: Canopy light responses over spatial scales ($) (Trends Plant Sci)

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Light is arguably one of the most important signals recognized by plants. Not surprisingly, plants exhibit a wide range of light responses, ranging from cell-specific to large-scale. Küpers et al. review these responses, with an emphasis on their spatial scales. For example, the production of extrafloral nectar from the leaf and leaf lamina growth inhibition […]

How to grow crops on Mars if we are to live on the red planet

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We can create the right kind of food plants to survive on Mars. Shutterstock/SergeyDV Briardo Llorente, Macquarie University Preparations are already underway for missions that will land humans on Mars in a decade or so. But what would people eat if these missions eventually lead to the permanent colonisation of the red planet? Once (if) […]

Recognizing Plant Physiology first authors: Keshav Dahal

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Keshav Dahal, first author of Growth at elevated CO2 requires acclimation of the respiratory chain to support photosynthesis Current Position: Research Scientist-Plant Stress Physiologist, Fredericton Research and Development Centre Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada / Government of Canada. Education: PhD in Plant Biology (specialization: Plant Stress Physiology) from Western University Canada; MSc in Agriculture Science (specialization: Plant […]

Recognizing Plant Physiology first authors: Vadir López-Salmerón

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Vadir López-Salmerón, co-first author of A Comprehensive Toolkit for Inducible, Cell Type-Specific Gene Expression in Arabidopsis Current Position: Post-Doctoral Researcher, Developmental Physiology, Centre for Organismal Studies Heidelberg. Education: PhD (2013) in Plant Molecular Biology at Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Madrid – Spain. B.Sc. (2007) in Biology at Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, Mexico. […]