The three-dimensional arrangement of DNA within the nucleus clearly affects gene expression, but its contribution remains relatively unexplored as compared to other factors. Sotelo-Silveira et al. review new chromosome conformation capture (3C) and derived techniques for assessing genomes in 3D, as well as the corresponding biological consequences of the 3D layout. Because understanding nuclear architecture […]
A key question in plant stress physiology is how the plant perceives stress in order to mitigate its effects. Heat (and other) stress can lead to an accumulation of unfolded or misfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum, which initiates the Unfolded Protein Response (UPR), leading to a change in gene expression patterns. Srivastava et al. […]
Review: Beyond fossil fuel–driven nitrogen transformations ($) Obtaining the high yields needed to feed the human population depends on the application of nitrogen-containing fertilizers to non-leguminous crops, yet the production of these compounds consumes 1 – 2% of global energy output. Plant scientists are familiar with the conversion of N2 to NH3 from by nitrogenase […]
Hybrid incompatibility (HI) is effectively the opposite of hybrid vigor, and indicates a deleterious effect arising from the combination of two genomes. Because of reduced fitness of the hybrids, HI can be considered as contributing towards speciation. In Arabidopsis thaliana, HI has been recognized in crosses between some accessions including between Landsberg (Ler) and Kashmir-2 […]
The ability to participate in nitrogen-fixing root nodule symbiosis shows an interesting phylogenetic pattern, with some families showing a large number of nodulating species interspersed with non-nodulating ones, and some families showing only a few nodulating species. A current model suggests that in some families, there is a pre-disposition towards nodulation, which lowers the bar […]
Small secreted peptides including CLEs have been identified as contributing to plant development. CLE26 and CLE45 have been shown to regulate protophloem differentiation in the root tip. Anne et al. used a combination of genetic screening and transcriptomics to identify factors downstream of these peptides. The two approaches converged on a gene encoding a previously […]
The interaction between phytochromes and phytochrome-interacting factors (PIFs) is key to light signaling. Both sequestration and degradation of PIFs occurs, and Park et al. have explored the relative contributions of these two PIF fates to the light response. They studied two mutants, one with a point mutation in the N-end (phyBG111D), and one with a […]
Iowa State University AMES, Iowa – Plant scientists at Iowa State University have completed a new study that describes the genetic pathways at work when corn plants respond to stress brought on by heat, a step that could lead to crops better capable of withstanding stress. The findings, published as a “large-scale biology” paper in […]
By Heven Sze and Salil Chanroj. Plants remodel their cells through the dynamic endomembrane system. Intracellular pH is important for membrane trafficking, but the determinants of pH homeostasis are poorly defined in plants. Electrogenic proton (H+) pumps depend on counter-ion fluxes to establish transmembrane pH gradients at the plasma membrane and endomembranes. Vacuolar-type H+-ATPase-mediated acidification […]