Review: DNA sequencing at 40: past, present and future ($) Shendure et al. provide a superb review of how DNA sequencing technology has changed over the years and how these changes open up new applications. They start with the Maxam and Gilbert chemical cleavage and the Sanger “chain-termination” methods developed in the 1970s, and describe […]
Yesterday I attended a “Careers in Industry” discussion where it was noted that people working in industry often benefit from more structured mentoring programs than are the norm in academia. The lack of formal mentoring programs and mentor training has long been noted as a weakness in the academic training system. One of the panelists recommended that everyone learn […]
Are you interested in science writing? Do you want to help people understand complex scientific issues? Apply for the ASPB/AAAS Mass Media Science & Engineering Fellows Program and learn how to increase public understanding of science and technology. Fellows in the 10-week 2018 summer program will work as reporters, researchers, and production assistants in […]
Peroxisomes are endoplasmic reticulum-derived membrane-enclosed organelles in which many oxidative enzymatic reactions are compartmentalized. These reactions and their products contribute to energy production, detoxification, and signaling. Kao et al. review our understanding of the plant peroxisome, including the role of peroxisome enzymes (and how these nuclear-encoded proteins are targeted to the peroxisome), as well as […]
Another excellent entry in PLOS Computational Biology’s “Ten Simple Rules” series. Read “Ten simple rules for writing a response to reviewers” here. Short version: Rule 1: Provide an overview, then quote the full set of reviews Rule 2: Be polite and respectful of all reviewers Rule 3: Accept the blame Rule 4: Make the response […]
Because of their important roles in attracting pollinators, the secondary or specialized metabolites of flowers (color, fragrance) get a lot of attention. Borghi and Fernie argue that flower function is equally dependent on primary (central) metabolites, which not only provide the precursors for secondary metabolite production but also serve as food for pollinators and support […]
The liverwort Marchantia polymorpha is a fascinating plant for many reasons, including the fact that it is one of the earliest terrestrial species that split off from the rest of the land plants. Therefore, comparisons between Marchantia and green algae or Marchantia and the rest of the land plants tell us a lot about the […]
Plasmodesmata (PD) are complex, regulated channels between plant cells that facilitate the movement of signals, metabolites and pathogens, but their small size makes them difficult to study. Previously, Kraner et al. identified an Arabidopsis mutant that produced fewer, simpler plasmodesmata. In their new work, they used this mutant as a tool for a comparative proteomic […]
Pectin is a polymer that holds cell walls together and stiffens the walls, but what happens when those cell walls need to move, for example when cells (including guard cells) expand? Rui et al. started with a guard-cell specific transcriptome to identify genes encoding cell-wall modifying enzymes. They identified POLYGALACTURONASE INVOLVED IN EXPANSION3 (PGX3), a […]