Review: Integration of reactive oxygen species and hormone signaling during abiotic stress During its life cycle, a plant experiences many types of abiotic stress including drought. While waiting for the next drops of water, a thirsty plant acclimates by initiating a series of tolerance responses. Stress perception is followed by stress-induced signaling which can include […]
At the beginning of 2018, Plant Physiology initiated a program to introduce several promising early-career scientists to the editorial board and engage their expertise in assessing and writing about research published in the journal. Over the past three years, these scientists brought their passion for science to the journal, communicating to our readers each month […]
Gramene (www.gramene.org) is a curated, open-source, integrated data resource for comparative functional genomics in crops and model plant species. It launched 20 years ago and has continually grown and expanded to incorporate new tools and resources. This update by Tello-Ruiz et al. describes its current iteration, #63. Gramene “hosts 93 reference genomes—over 3.9 million genes […]
Many people are familiar with the popular houseplant Cephalocereus senilis, which also known as old man cactus because it is covered with long white hairs that are thought to protect it from frost and UV light. A similar function is described for the wooly fibers that cover the alpine plant Dionysia tapetodes, investigated here by […]
Review: Homoeologous exchanges, segmental allopolyploidy, and polyploid genome evolution Polyploidy or whole-genome duplication (WGD) is an important process in plant evolution and speciation. Additional sets of chromosomes can be derived from intraspecific genome duplication (autopolyploidy) or hybridization of divergent genomes and chromosome doubling (allopolyploidy). In early stages of allopolyploid formation, the interaction and recombination between […]
Creating Crops for the Future: Challenges, Technology, and Sustainable Solutions A special event hosted by Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis and Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Plant Energy Biology Recorded November 11, 11 am Australia East Coast Daylight Time (AEDT UTC+11 ) (November 10, 7pm EST, 4pm PST) One […]
Optogenetics is the process by which light can modify cellular behavior, through the action of light-sensitive proteins or other molecules. In many respects, optogenetics seems more like science fiction than reality; the realization that neural activity in the brain can be altered through pulses of light certainly seems ripe for abuse. However, like any technology, […]
Meristem culture is widely used as a technique for plant propagation because meristems are usually virus-free, even in systemically infected plants. It has long been assumed that viruses are unable to enter the cells of the meristem due to the meristem’s lack of vascular connections to the plant. Here, Wu et al. identify an active […]
Physicists say “for every reaction there is an equal and opposite reaction,” an expression that applies to the interactions between plants and pathogens as well. Here, Xia et al. have uncovered another layer in the “arms race” between soybeans and the oomycete pathogen Phytophthora sojae. PsXEG1 is an oomycete-produced plant cell wall-degrading xyloglucan-specific endoglucanase. Previous […]