The transparency and simplicity of the Arabidopsis root apex has made it an excellent model through which to understand the processes that lead from undifferentiated meristem cells to mature root tissues. Drapek et al. review the gene regulatory networks (GRNs) that underlie the development of the endodermis in Arabidopsis root tips. They first summarize the […]
Blue light regulates diverse functions including phototropism and chloroplast movements. Christie et al. summarize recent updates in understanding the signalling pathway between light perception by phototropins and downstream responses. They describe the central roles for the 33 members (in Arabidopsis) of the NRL protein family, named for the founding members NON-PHOTOTROPIC HYPOCOTYL (NPH3) and ROOT […]
Calcium signalling is a ubiquitous process in plants and other organisms. Transporters at the plasma and vacuolar (tonoplast) membranes control entry and exit of calcium ion into the cytoplasm, and it is the cytoplasmic calcium level ([Ca2+]cyt) that affects cellular responses, as calcium-binding proteins alter their activities or binding properties in response to changing calcium […]
Review: The evolution of calcium-based signalling in plants Calcium signalling is a ubiquitous process in plants and other organisms. Transporters at the plasma and vacuolar (tonoplast) membranes control entry and exit of calcium ion into the cytoplasm, and it is the cytoplasmic calcium level ([Ca2+]cyt) that affects cellular responses, as calcium-binding proteins alter their activities […]
A new report (free to download) from the National Academies, edited by Gentile et al., provides insights into how undergraduate research experiences (UREs) enhance and support undergraduate education, whether they are faculty-mentored lab or field-based research or research embedded in a course. This report describes many forms of URE with recommendations for how to design […]
The current issue of Genome Biology features a collection of review and research articles on the topic of plant epigenomics, with an overview editorial by Köhler and Springer. This collection “highlights advances in our understanding of the functions of epigenetic modifications, and the application of this knowledge.” Topics include how chromatin marks contribute to stress responses […]
Sesterterpenes are a family of natural products; some (derived from corals and fungi) have been shown to have antitumor, antimicrobial and antiinflamatrory activities. Huang et al. used genome mining to identify sesterterpene biosynthetic genes in the Brassicaceae. The first committed step is carried out in fungi by a bifunctional enzyme, but by two enzymes in […]
Daurichromenic 1 acid (DCA) is a meroterpenoid with anti-HIV properties that is produced in young leaves of Rhododendron dauicum. In this study, Iijimi et al. identified a DCA synthase gene. Starting with their previous observations that this enzyme is a stereoselective meroterpenoid oxidocyclase, similar to cannabinoid synthases of Cannabis sativa, the authors looked in a […]
Most plants that use the more efficient C4 form of photosynthesis also exhibit Kranz anatomy, in which the PEPC and Rubisco carboxylases reside in distinct cells. Key genes that control the development of Kranz anatomy have been hard to find. In this report, Wang et al. analysed the effects of constitutively expressing in rice candidate […]