Essay: The coming golden age of lichen biology Lichens are remarkable, complex symbiotic organisms. They have evolved multiple times independently, but all lichen include at least one fungal partner (the mycobiont) which they usually resemble morphologically, and at least one cyanobacterial or algal photosynthetic partner (the photobiont). This partnership provides environmental durability plus the power […]
Plant Cell Webinar: RNA Biology (Part 2) Celebrating the June 2023 Focus Issue on RNA Biology Recorded Wednesday, June 28, 2023 About This Webinar If DNA is the playbook of life, then RNA, in all its forms, is the company of actors that brings life into being. RNA is likely the original organic molecule that […]
Plant Cell Webinar: RNA Biology (1) Celebrating the June 2023 Focus Issue on RNA Biology Recorded Wednesday, June 14, 2023 About This Webinar If DNA is the playbook of life, then RNA, in all its forms, is the company of actors that brings life into being. RNA is likely the original organic molecule that gave […]
Biomolecular condensates are non-membrane-bound compartments containing proteins and RNAs with key functions in stress responses. In plants, they occur as several types with different properties and components, including stress granules and processing bodies. Protein domains such as prion-like domains and intrinsically-disordered regions provide stickiness and facilitate protein aggregation. Although much of what is known about […]
Callose is a polysaccharide with amorphous, gel-like properties that often serves as a transient matrix in plant cell walls. Callose deposition at plasmodesmata can regulate the movement of molecules between cells, transient callose deposition in phloem sieve elements occurs in response to stress, callose is deposited at the site at which some pathogens penetrate the […]
Research and discovery rely on teamwork and collaboration, yet many academic structures don’t support or reward such models. Additionally, the significant challenges addressed by plant scientists go beyond the expertise of one PI or lab, further highlighting the need for research teams that span disciplinary boundaries. In this recent white paper, the Interdisciplinary Plant Science […]
Review: Stress-related biomolecular condensates in plants Biomolecular condensates are non-membrane-bound compartments containing proteins and RNAs with key functions in stress responses. In plants, they occur as several types with different properties and components, including stress granules and processing bodies. Protein domains such as prion-like domains and intrinsically-disordered regions provide stickiness and facilitate protein aggregation. Although […]
Much of what is written about the impacts of climate change on food production is focused on the abiotic stresses that plants will experience, but biotic stresses will be equally impactful, as discussed in this fine review by Singh et al. The challenges in predicting climate impacts on plant disease severity are complicated in part […]
It’s pretty obvious that plants are not simply balls of cells. Their shapes and patterns are determined in large part through processes that cause cells to grow and divide asymmetrically, through the establishment of cell polarity. When I set out to read this review I was a bit nervous, expecting to be overwhelmed by differential […]