Entries by Mary Williams

New Teaching Tool, “Three-Way Interactions between Plants, Microbes, and Arthropods (PMA): Impacts, Mechanisms, and Prospects for Sustainable Plant Protection”

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We’re excited to announce the publication of The Plant Cell’s latest Teaching Tool, “Three-Way Interactions between Plants, Microbes, and Arthropods (PMA): Impacts, Mechanisms, and Prospects for Sustainable Plant Protection,” by Maria J. Pozo, Benedicte R. Albrectsen, Eduardo R. Bejarano, Eduardo de la Peña, Salva Herrero, Ainhoa Martinez-Medina, Victoria Pastor, Sabine Ravnsko, Mary Williams, and Argen […]

Review: Guard cell metabolism and stomatal function (Annu. Rev. Plant Biol.)

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Stomatal conductance, gs, is one of the most important and highly regulated plant processes. Lawson and Matthews review how guard cell metabolism, stomatal anatomy and patterning, and signals from the mesophyll affect gs which in turn affects plant productivity and water use efficiency. This is an excellent review in its breadth; it covers all processes […]

Plant Science Research Weekly: June 12th

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Review: Guard cell metabolism and stomatal function Stomatal conductance, gs, is one of the most important and highly regulated plant processes. Lawson and Matthews review how guard cell metabolism, stomatal anatomy and patterning, and signals from the mesophyll affect gs which in turn affects plant productivity and water use efficiency. This is an excellent review […]

Review: Functions of anionic lipids in plants (Annu. Rev. Plant Biol.)

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Moving materials within and out of cells requires that membranes carry identification labels, but when the membrane itself moves, that ID label must be updated. These requirements are met ingeniously by the anionic lipids, which are both a modifiable information system and simultaneously modify the physicochemical properties of the membranes in which they are embedded. […]

A gene knock-out that leads to seedless parthenocarpic fruits in Solanaceae plants ($) (PNAS)

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Parthenocarpy, or the ability to make fruit without fertilization, is desirable for many reasons including the opportunity to make seedless fruits and a greater resiliency in crop production in the face of climate change. Matsuo et al. identified a new gene involved in parthenocarpy, starting with a spontaneous parthenocarpic mutation arising in eggplant. The gene […]

Plant Science Research Weekly: June 5th

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Review: Functions of anionic lipids in plants Moving materials within and out of cells requires that membranes carry identification labels, but when the membrane itself moves, that ID label must be updated. These requirements are met ingeniously by the anionic lipids, which are both a modifiable information system and simultaneously modify the physicochemical properties of […]

Horizontal gene transfer of Fhb7 from fungus underlies Fusarium head blight resistance in wheat (Science)

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Mycotoxins are fungal toxins with harmful health effects on humans and other animals. Fusarium head blight is a fungal disease of wheat inflorescences that can contaminate the grain and harm its consumers. Previously, Fhb7 was identified in the wheat relative Thinopyrum elongatum as a quantitative trait locus that confers resistance to Fusarium species. Here, Wang […]

Plant Science Research Weekly: May 29th

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Review: The bHLH network underlying plant shade-avoidance Shade avoidance is a complex phenomenon in which plants avoid shade by altering their developmental program in various ways including early flowering, hypocotyl elongation, and more. Many photoreceptors and transcription factors (TFs) are involved in regulating shade avoidance, including the bHLH (basic helix loop helix) TF family that […]