Entries by Mary Williams

Crystal structure and pH dependency of peptidase & ligase activity in Arabidopsis legumain (Plant Cell)

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Legumains are proteins identified first from legumes that have subsequently been identified in other organisms. They are also described as asparaginyl endopeptidases (AEPs) and vacuolar cysteine proteases or vacuolar processing enzymes. Enzymatically, legumains can express peptidase and peptide ligase activities, and have been demonstrated to contribute to the formation of cyclic peptides. Because of the […]

Complete enzyme set for chlorophyll biosynthesis in Escherichia coli (Sci. Adv.)

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Although the reactions and enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of chlorophyll are well known, the entire pathway has never before been reconstituted in a non-photosynthetic organism. Chen et al. have done this. The cells (E. coli) expressing the full pathway accumulate chlorophyll and look green! However, they are not photosynthetic, as chlorophyll is just one […]

High yield and early maturation in rice overexpressing nitrate transporter (Plant Cell)

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The application of nitrogen-containing fertilizers is crucial for good yields of crops like rice but also is energy intensive and polluting, so many approaches are being explored to develop plants that are more efficient in their uptake and use of nitrogen. Previous studies identified a crucial role of AtNRT1.1 (AtNPF6.3) as a nitrate sensor and […]

High contiguity Arabidopsis thaliana genome assembly with a single nanopore flow cell (Nature Comms)

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Every now and then a technology arrives on the scene that suddenly makes everything easier. When I was a student, PCR was developed. More recently, CRISPR/Cas9 applications were developed, and now the hot tool is nanopore flow cell sequencing. The crucial advancement in this method is that rather than sequencing thousands of short sequences and […]

What We’re Reading: March 9th

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Review. Plant evolution: landmarks on the path to terrestrial life “Simply put, land plants evolved once; the biological significance of this singularity is writ large across the surface of the globe.” When I consider the incredible diversity found in life’s rich tapestry, I’m continually amazed that of all the different algae, only one lineage.is ancestral […]

Systemin receptor SYR1 enhances resistance against herbivorous insects (Nature Plants)

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Systemin is the first polypeptide hormone identified in plants, in 1991. Systemin is a small polypeptide hormone that conveys information about insect herbivory systemically (to other tissues). A previous report suggested that the tomato homologue of the brassinosteroid receptor BRI1 serves as a systemin receptor, but this finding has been hard to replicate. Now, starting […]

Plant Physiology Launches Assistant Features Editors

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By Michael R. Blatt and Mary Williams NEW (July 31, 2019): Information about applying to the 2020 Plant Physiology Assistant Features Editor program can be found here. Applications due by September 30, 2019. See below for more information on the AFE program.   Published March 2018. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.18.00113 This month we are delighted to introduce our […]

Recognizing featured Plant Cell first authors: Wei Wang

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Wei Wang, featured first author of Expression of the Nitrate Transporter Gene OsNRT1.1A/OsNPF6.3 Confers High Yield and Early Maturation in Rice Current Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Education: Ph.D in Genetics at the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Non-scientific Interests: Reading and […]