Entries by Mary Williams

Highlights of plant science 2017. Sept-Oct

The last week of the year is the time to look back and reflect. We like to take this opportunity to recognize the good work done by the plant science community. During this week we’ve been reminding you of some of the big stories and successes that came from our community. These stories were highly […]

Highlights of plant science 2017. Jul-Aug

The last week of the year is the time to look back and reflect. We like to take this opportunity to recognize the good work done by the plant science community. Over the next few days we’ll remind you of some of the big stories and successes that came from our community. These stories were […]

Highlights of plant science 2017. May-Jun

The last week of the year is the time to look back and reflect. We like to take this opportunity to recognize the good work done by the plant science community. Over the next few days we’ll remind you of some of the big stories and successes that came from our community. These stories were […]

Highlights of plant science 2017. Mar-Apr

The last week of the year is the time to look back and reflect. We like to take this opportunity to recognize the good work done by the plant science community. Over the next few days we’ll remind you of some of the big stories and successes that came from our community. These stories were […]

Highlights of plant science 2017. Jan-Feb

The last week of the year is the time to look back and reflect. We like to take this opportunity to recognize the good work done by the plant science community. Over the next six days we’ll remind you of some of the big stories and successes that came from our community. These stories were […]

LTR_retriever: a highly accurate and sensitive program for identification of long terminal-repeat retrotransposons

Transposable elements are a major part of plant genomes. Long-terminal repeat retrotransposons (LTR (LTR-RTs) alone make up 78% of the maize genome (retrotransposons use a “copy and paste” transposition method meaning that a single source element can generate numerous clones of itself, leading to tremendous amplification).  In the absence of selection, LTR-RTs are particularly subject […]

The plastid lipocalin LCNP is required for sustained photoprotective energy dissipation

Plants have several mechanisms to protect themselves from damage from excess light, including a set of reactions collectively described as non-photochemical quenching or NPQ. One of these is a sustained and slowly reversible form of NPQ, which the authors have named qH. How this sustained NPQ functions is not known. Starting with a previously identified […]

Reassessing the evolution of strigolactone synthesis and signaling

Much of our understanding of strigolactones (SLs) as developmental hormones and rhizosphere signals comes from studies of angiosperms. Understanding the ancestral role for strigolactones is complicated by the fact that some of the SL-related genes are closely related to those responsive to karrikins (smoke-derived factors), and as yet unidentified endogenous karrikin-like (KL) factors.  Walker and […]

DROUGHT HYPERSENSITIVE negatively regulates cuticular wax biosynthesis by promoting the degradation of transcription factor ROC4 in rice

Wax covering the outer surface of the shoot (epicuticular wax) is crucial in the ability of the plant to conserve water. Wang et al. identified a drought hypersensitive plant that overexpresses an E3 ubiquitin ligase which they named DROUGHT HYPERSENSITIVE. In these overexpression plants, there was a significant reduction in wax deposition. The authors speculated […]