Entries by Mary Williams

Review: Transcriptional control of photosynthetic capacity – conservation and divergence from Arabidopsis to rice

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About 3000 genes are required for a plant to carry out photosynthesis. Wang et al. review the transcriptional control of these photosynthetic genes, drawing on transcriptomic and evolutionary studies to make comparisons between Arabidopsis and grasses. Photosynthesis of course starts with light, and the authors’ review starts with photoreceptors and their downstream transcription factors, focusing […]

Review: Naphthylphthalamic acid and the mechanism of polar auxin transport ($)

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Teale and Palme give an overview of what the last 60 years of using synthetic chemicals inhibitors of polar auxin transport has really taught us. Key among inhibitors is Naphthylphthalamic acid (NPA) that interferes with polar auxin transport and can mimic PIN gene mutant phenotypes. These inhibitors have proven to be invaluable tools and have […]

Engineering quantitative trait variation for crop improvement by genome editing ($)

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Variation is the engine of evolution, and plant breeders and geneticists have long relied on induced variation to create a population from which to select. Rodríguez-Leal et al. used CRISPR/Cas9 mutagenesis to selectively introduce variability into the promoter regions of three genes involved in tomato fruit size [including locule  number (seed compartments)] and growth habit. […]

Review: Sensing danger – key to activating plant immunity

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The first step in defending yourself is recognizing that you need to defend yourself. Gust et al. review the mechanisms through which plants sense danger, drawing parallels to similar mechanisms in animals. They define three categories of danger signals. Exogenous signals are “non-self” signals, such as the pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPS) or signals produced by […]

Regulation of rice root development by a retrotransposon acting as a microRNA sponge

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Transposable elements (TEs) compose a considerable portion of most plant genomes, and mounting evidence shows various roles of TEs in the regulation of gene expression. Some TE transcripts have been hypothesized to work as “sponges” to help fine-tune the levels of miRNAs through complementary binding. Though the miRNA sponge model is supported by TE overexpression […]

The G-box transcriptional regulatory code in Arabidopsis

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The G-box (CACGTG) is a DNA element widespread in plant genomes and recognized by two large families of transcription factors (TFs), the basic leucine zipper family (bZIP) and the basic-helix-loop-helix (bHLH) family. Members of these TF families contribute to growth, temperature and light signaling, and drought and immune responses. Collectively there are more than 170 […]

Completing the whole puzzle of whole genome duplications in land plants

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A hot topic in plant evolutionary biology is whole genome duplications (WGDs), in which an organism copies its entire genetic dataset. Having double the required DNA is often viewed as detrimental but can be useful in times of rapid environmental change. Recently, the role of WGDs during plant evolution was reviewed, further linking times of […]

Elevated CO2 increases N2 fixation and contributes to various yield responses of soybean

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Climate change is certain to affect our ability to produce food crops and feed a growing global population in the twenty-first century.  Free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE) experiments have shown that elevated CO2 (eCO2) levels, a major driver of climate change, have a consistently positive effect on the yield of the world’s most important crops, such […]

Cation/H+ exchangers affect pollen wall formation, male fertility, and embryo development

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Cells have developed different mechanisms including control of ion and pH homeostasis to adapt to their constantly changing environment. Such adaption is accomplished by different ion transporters at the membranes. AtCHX17, AtCHX18 and AtCHX20 are members of the cation-H+ exchanger (CHX) family, which in Arabidopsis is formed by 28 members. Padmanaban et al. studied their […]