The “Law of the Minimum” put forth by Justus von Liebig states that the most limiting nutrient governs plant growth. Although there is evidence in some conditions that increasing atmospheric CO2 levels can enhance plant growth, this only holds true under conditions in which CO2 is limiting growth. Ellsworth et al. found no productivity gains […]
Moss are non-vascular plants and do not produce the phenolic polymer lignin, but they do have some enzymes associated with the lignin pathway, raising the question of the evolutionary origins of lignin. In angiosperms, the cytochrome P450 enzyme encoded by CYP98 catalyzes the first irreversible step in monolignol (a lignin subunit) formation. Renault et al. […]
The patterning of stomata in epidermal tissues involves both positive and negative cues, as revealed by the phenotypes of mutants including too many mouths and speechless, but the precise interactions between identified gene products are still not fully resolved. Qi et al. explore the interactions between SPEECHLESS (SPCH) and MUTE, transcription factors, EPIDERMAL PATTERNING FACTOR2 […]
Rice is the world’s most important food crop and its domestication was a key event in human history. Centuries of propagation across large geographical areas have resulted in five domesticated subpopulations: aus, indica, temperate japonica, tropical japonica, and aromatic rice. Choi et al. analyzed de novo assembled genomes from domesticated rice and its wild progenitors. […]
One parameter that defines a plant’s architecture is the angle at which its branches and lateral roots lie with respect to gravity, known as the gravitropic set point angle (GSA). Like all aspects of plant architecture, GSA is a highly plastic trait that is sensitive to light and nutrient availability. Roychoudhry et al. show that […]
Some forms of pathogen resistance function like an on/off switch: if a plant has an appropriate receptor it recognizes a pathogen and shows resistance. Corwin and Kliebenstein review the other kind of resistance, quantitative resistance, in which many genes make small contributions to the plant’s resistance. These quantitative resistance loci are lesser known and more […]
Zhou et al. review the contributions of Receptor-Like Kinases (RLKs) and Receptor-Like Proteins (RLPs) as Pattern Recognition Receptors (PRRs) that contribute to the recognition of pathogens, as well as the contributions of receptor-like cytoplasmic kinases (RLCKs). The authors summarize recent studies that show how complex formation by PRRs affects their activities, and how PRR complexes […]
The red alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae is notable for several reasons: it is an early-branching red alga, it has one of the smallest genomes and simplest cellular structures of photosynthetic eukaryotes, and its photosynthetic machinery is intermediate between cyanobacteria and green algae. Furthermore, it thrives at high temperatures. Nikolova et al. examined how acclimation to lower […]
Chen et al. identified a novel male-sterile Zea mays mutant, named ipe1. Mutant pollen grains show defective development of the tapetum and pollen exine (outer surface), causing microspore abortion. In addition, ipe1 anthers are smooth instead of reticulate, suggesting defects in anther cuticle formation. IPE1 expression is specific to the tapetum and developmentally restricted to […]