Entries by Mary Williams

A SAC phosphoinositide phosphatase controls rice development via hydrolyzing PI4P and PI(4,5)P2 (Plant Physiol)

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As their name suggests, phosphoinositide (PI) phosphatases remove phosphates from phosphoinositides (try saying that fast!). Because the phosphorylation status of a membrane-bound PI determines which proteins it interacts with, PI phosphatases and kinases contribute to membrane functions and dynamics. Here, Guo et al. explore the function of a SAC family PI phosphatase, which they identified […]

Plasma membrane domain patterning and self-reinforcing polarity in Arabidopsis (Devel. Cell)

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Phosphoinositides (PIs) are specialized membrane lipids that contribute to membrane nanodomains, which affect protein localizations and vesicle trafficking. Previous studies have implicated PIs in the polar localization of auxin-transporter PIN proteins, and, in roots, the PIN-regulators PAX and BRX. Here, Marhava et al. show that BRX and PAX recruit phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate 5-kinases [PIP5Ks; kinases that convert […]

Over‐accumulation of abscisic acid in transgenic tomato plants increases the risk of hydraulic failure (Plant Cell Environ.)

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ABA enhances stomatal closure and so decreases transpiration. Several studies have shown that increasing ABA levels can increase water-use efficiency, so this strategy has been investigated with the goal of obtaining “more crop per drop”. Lamarque et al. investigated physiological and hydraulic effects of a tomato variety (sp12) overproducing ABA, starting with the hypothesis that […]

Plant Science Research Weekly: January 3rd

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Review: The nanoscale organization of the plasma membrane and its importance in signaling – a proteolipid perspective Ample evidence shows that rather than being homogenous, plasma membrane lipids and proteins form distinct nanodomains. Jallais and Ott review plant plasma membrane nanodomains, and their important contributions to receptor-mediated signaling. The authors discuss methods for the study […]

ASPB at PAG! (Jan 12-14, 2020)

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Are you planning to be in San Diego in January for the Plant and Animal Genome (PAG) meeting? The American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) is exhibiting there and we would love to meet you. Come by and see us at booth 634. Learn more about our journals, The Plant Cell, Plant Physiology, and Plant […]

Review: Surface sensor systems in plant immunity (Plant Physiol)

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The first line of defense is detection. Plants have numerous cell-surface receptor proteins (Pattern Recognition Receptors, PRRs) that recognize potentially harmful pathogens as well as endogenous molecules that suggest damage, known as Damage Associated Molecular Patterns or DAMPS and phytocytokines (not to be confused with cytokinins!). If you’re not working in this area, it can […]

Control of nitrogen fixation in bacteria that associate with cereals (Nature Microbiol)

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Legumes benefit from mutualistic symbioses with Rhizobia bacteria, which are induced to fix nitrogen when inside of the nodules produced by the plant. Cereals also associate with Rhizobia, but without nodules they don’t fix nitrogen. Ryu et al. set out to engineer inducible nitrogenase activity in free-living Rhizobia and other bacteria that associate with cereals. […]