Previous studies have shown that some genes use multiple promoters, but the extent to which this occurs has not been fully resolved. Ushijima et al. showed widespread phytochrome-mediated differential promoter use in response to light. They identified more than 2000 genes with light-dependent alternative promoter selection, most affecting the length of the N-terminus of the […]
Time-lapse imaging reveals the slow movements of plants, such as phototropism and gravitropism. Harmer and Brooks review the molecular bases for these growth-mediated movements. While auxin has long been known to be involved in photo- and gravitropisms, new results show that ABA is involved in the movement of plants towards water (hydrotropism). The authors also […]
Plant genomes are largely remnants of transposons of varying ages, some of which are presumed to be no longer capable of transposition. Sanchez et al. examined the family of Onsen retrotransposons to determine which members retain activity. They prompted transposition through heat treatment in a mutant line deficient in siRNA production (siRNAs suppress transposon activation). […]
Potatoes originated in the Andes of southern Peru, and are now the third most important crop for direct human consumption. Hardigan et al. sequenced 67 potato relatives, including South American landraces, North American cultivars and wild-diploid species to learn about the genetics of modern potato’s domestication. They identified genes associated with key domestication events including […]
Plants are noted for their phenotypic plasticity, but there are also examples of phenotypic canalization, which Alseekh et al. define as “the property of those phenotypic traits showing no environmental effect when individuals of a specific genotype are exposed to a set of different environments.” In this work, they explored the genetic underpinnings of canalization […]
Genetic screens have revealed many key components of light signaling. In this new work, Sinclair et al. provide new insights into the repression of photomorphogenesis by cell-wall derived signals. They started with a mutant, de-etiolated by zinc (dez) that shows open cotyledons and a short hypocotyl (characteristic of photomorphogenesis) in the presence of excess zinc. […]
Review: Growth-mediated plant movements: hidden in plain sight ($) Time-lapse imaging reveals the slow movements of plants, such as phototropism and gravitropism. Harmer and Brooks review the molecular bases for these growth-mediated movements. While auxin has long been known to be involved in photo- and gravitropisms, new results show that ABA is involved in the […]
By Takaki Yamauchi, Timothy D Colmer, Ole Pedersen, Mikio Nakazono Introduction Root acquisition of water and nutrients is essential for plant growth and crop productivity (Lynch, 2015). An improved understanding of root system development and functioning, to identify root traits contributing to crop yields in various scenarios, is a research frontier that might enable a […]
By Gregory D. Reynolds, Chao Wang, Jianwei Pan, Sebastian Bednarek Introduction The plasma membrane (PM) serves as the interface between the cell and its environment. Accordingly, cells have the capacity to modulate their complement of PM-associated receptors, transporters, channels, lipids, and other membrane components in order to modulate numerous physiological functions including synthesis of the […]