Entries by Mary Williams

Autocrine regulation of stomatal differentiation potential by EPF1 and ERECTA-LIKE1 ligand-receptor signaling

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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 […]

The rice paradox: Multiple origins but single domestication in Asian rice

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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. […]

Review: Quantitative resistance: More than just perception of a pathogen

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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 […]

Review: Receptor kinases in plant pathogen interactions: More than pattern recognition

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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 […]

Temperature induced remodeling of the photosynthetic machinery tunes photosynthesis in a thermophyllic red alga

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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 […]

IRREGULAR POLLEN EXINE1 Is a novel factor in anther cuticle and pollen exine formation

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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 […]

Dual role of the histone variant H2A.Z in regulation of stress-response genes

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Histones are protein complexes around which genomic DNA is wrapped; post-translational modifications to histone proteins and alterations of histone protein composition affect transcription. H2A.Z is a widely conserved variant form of histone H2A that has been implicated in various forms of transcriptional regulation. Sura et al. examine the role of H2A.Z in the Arabidopsis stress […]