Plant immunity is beautifully sophisticated with a ever-growing cast of characters. This review by Liu et al. focuses on the contributions of proteolysis (protein degradation), which both activates and suppresses immune responses. The authors structure the review around four key functions of proteolysis: direct degradation of pathogen proteins, activation of host immune proteins, regulation of […]
Plants have a remarkable ability to reprogram and regenerate as needed following wounding. This trait is invaluable not only to gardeners but also to regenerate plants following genome editing. Here, Wang, Zhai, Wu, and Deng have identified key steps in tissue regeneration. Through characterization of a tomato mutant with deficiencies in wound-induced regeneration, they identified […]
Most readers recognize the photograph of the amazing nitrogen-fixing maize, with its red, slimy aerial roots that nurture nitrogen-fixing bacteria. But I suspect few of us have thought about how this landrace came to the attention of the mainstream media, who owns the rights to it, and how it would be exploited and by whom. […]
Review: Strategies to improve photosynthesis Photosynthesis is the process by which plants assimilate carbon by using light energy. However, with the solar energy conversion efficiency of many crop plants less than 1%, it is inefficient. Therefore, there is interest in manipulating photosynthesis for increased efficiency. Here, Croce et al. identifying nine strategies that have, or […]
Because much of the genetic diversity of our crops plants was lost during domestication, many breeding efforts endeavor to cross in resilience genes from wild relatives. An alternative approach is to rapidly domesticate those wild relatives themselves, for example by editing genes that affect flowering time, seed shattering, or fruit or seed size. In this […]
New technologies, like personal computers or smart phones, often have limited adoption due to their high cost or requirement for advanced technological skills. Greater affordability and ease of use leads to greater adoption. Here, Yu, Sussman et al. describe the development of an affordable, portable plant phenotyping platform and pipeline that is easy to build […]
Review. Revisiting plant electric signaling: Challenging an old phenomenon with new discoveries In the electrifying world of plant signaling, a paradigm shift is underway as researchers dig into the intricate mechanisms of action potentials (APs) and slow wave potentials (SWPs). Departing from conventional neurophysiological dogma in the animal kingdom, this review by Barbosa-Caro and Wudick […]
A review of the past 50 years of plant immunity by Jones, Staskawicz, and Dangl? Yes please! I particularly enjoy historical perspectives of a discipline, as they frame conceptual breakthroughs with the benefit of hindsight. As the article lays out, understanding the plant immune system benefitted greatly from the early advances in plant molecular biology […]
Widely and abundantly eaten tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) are delicious and nutritious, but the genetic diversity of cultivated tomatoes is quite narrow. In this review, Wang et al. give an overview of efforts to increase diversity, through introduction of genes from wild relatives and other approaches. Since the first tomato sequence was completed in 2012, countless […]