Although plant cells are surrounded by walls, cytoplasmic strands connect adjacent cells through junctions called plasmodesmata. Liu et al. investigated the contributions of plasmodesmata to signaling between root quiescent center (QC) cells and the cells that surround the QC by expression of an inducible gene for callose production in the QC cells. Callose is a […]
In C3 plants at ambient CO2 levels, Rubisco’s oxygenation reaction occurs about once for every three carboxylation reactions. One of the oxygenation products, 2-phosphoglycolate, is rapidly dephosphorylated to glycolate which is toxic and inhibitory to photosynthesis. Glycolate has to be removed from the chloroplast for its subsequent metabolism. South et al. carried out a reverse […]
The CO2-fixing enzyme ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase (Rubisco) works most efficiently at high concentrations of CO2. Many organisms have evolved CO2-concentrating mechanisms (CCMs), such as the PEP-carboxylation that occurs upstream of Rubisco in C4 plants. Diatoms and other eukaryotic algae use a biophysical mechanism involving transporters of CO2 or HCO3– produced by carbonic anhydrase through the […]
Classic studies revealed an interesting genetic relationship between two loci that control pigmentation in soybeans seeds. Dominant alleles of the I locus suppress pigmentation through the production of small interfering RNAs that target chalcone synthase RNA (an enzyme involved in pigment production). Other I alleles including ii and ik lead to partially pigmented seeds. The effect […]
Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) is a widely-used reporter with which to analyze protein localization and expression levels. De Jonge et al. report that GFP fluorescence is greatly diminished in the presence of the hormone salicylic acid (SA), as is the fluorescence of the reporters RFP and VENUS. The reduction of fluorescence is observed with many […]
Monitoring cells and their activities in real time provides exceptional insights into their mechanisms and strategies of growth. Prunet has used live confocal imaging of Arabidopsis flowers to study the placement of floral organs and the dynamics of floral stem cells. Here, he presents a detailed protocol for live confocal imaging of developing Arabidopsis flowers. […]
Stomatal defense, recognition of pathogens at the stomatal pore accompanied by stomatal closure to prevent their entry, was discovered ten years ago. Melotto et al. review what we’ve learned in the past decade about this key defense strategy. They discuss pathogen recognition, in which microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs) are perceived by pattern recognition receptors (PRRs); […]
Beneficial microbes help plants take up nutrients, confer protection against pathogens, and can even affect flowering time. Busby et al. argue for a coordinated effort between researchers and farmers to study plant microbiomes with the goal of using them to enhance productivity. The authors define and describe five research priorities: 1. Develop model host–microbiome systems […]
“Succulence is a phenomenon that has long eluded a decisive consensus definition,” begins Males in his review of the physiology and evolutionary developmental biology of succulence. Succulence can broadly be defined as the storage of water such that the plant can maintain physiological activity in the absence of an external supply (in other words, drought […]