Entries by Mary Williams

An early-branching freshwater cyanobacterium at the origin of plastids ($)

February 2, 2017 /0 Comments/in , /by

Plastids are derived from an ancient endosymbiosis of a cyanobacterium, but which cyanobacteria are plastid’s nearest living relatives? Ponce-Toledo et al. generated an extensive phylogeny comprising numerous cyanobacteria and plastid-bearing eukaryotes (glaucophytes, red algae and green algae). Their data show that this nearest relative is the recently described freshwater cyanobacterium Gloeomargarita lithophora, which has a […]

Three Reviews: Phytochrome, shade avoidance and far-red light ($)

February 2, 2017 in , /by

Plant Cell Environ. has a set of reviews on light responses. Ballaré and Pierik (10.1111/pce.12914) review The shade avoidance syndrome: Multiple signals and ecological consequences, Sheerin and Hiltbrunner (10.1111/pce.12915) review the Molecular mechanisms and ecological function of far-red light signalling, and Inoue et al. (10.1111/pce.12908) review the Evolutionary origin of phytochrome responses and signaling in […]

Review: Role of vacuoles in phosphorus storage and remobilization ($)

February 2, 2017 /0 Comments/in , /by

Phosphorus (P) is a non-renewable soil nutrient essential for plant growth. The vacuole serves as a crucial dynamic store of P that helps maintain cytosolic homeostasis. Yang et al. review vacuolar P stores, comparing P storage species and membrane proteins in yeast, algae and plants. In yeast, polyphosphate (PolyP) is a major storage form, whereas […]

Review: Cyanobacterial metabolites as a source of sunscreens and moisturizers

February 2, 2017 /0 Comments/in , /by

The cosmetic industry uses a lot of different chemicals to produce the seven or so skin care products used by the average American every day. Efforts are underway to develop renewable sources for some of these. Derikvand et al. review the chemistry and potential applications behind compounds used by cyanobacteria both as UV-absorbing sunscreens and […]

BotanyOnline: Shared learning-support resources for improving Botanical Literacy

January 31, 2017 /0 Comments/in , , , , , , /by

Guest post by Rosanne Quinelle, an Associate Professor in the School of Life and Environmental Science at the University of Sydney, Australia. Proficiency in any discipline requires exposure to both breadth and depth, where “breadth” is akin to acquiring the vocabulary and “depth” is akin to an understanding of the prevailing patterns, the rules of […]

Loose-Knit Family: Tracing the Evolution of Actin Depolymerizing Factors that Sever or Join the Actin Cytoskeleton

January 31, 2017 /0 Comments/in , , /by

IN BRIEF by Jennifer Lockhart jlockhart@aspb.org The interior of a plant cell is supported by the actin cytoskeleton, a complex network of yarn-like fibers whose form changes as the cell develops, grows, and divides. Actin fibers readily come apart (sever) and join back together, depending on the needs of the cell. This process is carefully […]

Jay Keasling. Engineering Microbes to Solve Global Challenges

January 30, 2017 /0 Comments/in , , /by

Filmed for iBiology 2016 Talk Overview Dr. Jay Keasling discusses the promise of biological systems to create carbon-neutral products for a range of applications, including fuels, chemicals and drugs. Keasling discusses the application of these principles to the development of a microbial platform for the synthesis of the anti-malarial drug, artemisinic acid. This platform has […]

Alistair Fritter. People, plants and planet

January 30, 2017 /0 Comments/in , , /by

Filmed at Gatsby Summer School, 2011 Abstract: Population issues are receiving renewed attention from both scientists and policy-makers and well-founded predictions of likely global population growth have given new urgency to concerns about food security and loss of ecosystem services.  Plant science has a central role to play in making it possible to feed the […]