Dixon et al. (2018) investigate the regulation of wheat inflorescence architecture by TEOSINTE BRANCHED1. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.17.00961 Background: Grass inflorescences are composed of many seed-producing flowers (or florets) that are arranged on branches called spikelets. The number and arrangement of spikelets that form on an inflorescence, and the rate of inflorescence development, contribute significantly to […]
Napoli et al. show that mRNA splicing variants have tissue- and developmental stage-specific activity in flower development https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.17.00840. By Roberta Ghelli and Patrizia Brunetti Background: Plants that are self-pollinating contain both male (stamen) and female (pistil) organs. To allow self-pollination, three processes in stamen development must take place at the same time: anthers must open, […]
Üstün et al. show that pathogenic Pseudomonas enhances the autophagic turnover of proteins in Arabidopsis https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.17.00815. By Suayib Üstün and Daniel Hofius Background: Autophagy and the proteasome are the major pathways for protein degradation in eukaryotes. While the proteasome is a very specific degradation system, autophagy has been considered as an unspecific “self-eating” process to […]
Wang et al. investigate the function of OsNRT1.1A in rice. Plant Cell (2018). https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.17.00809. By Wei Wang, Bin Hu and Chengcai Chu Background: To cope with an increasing global population and decreasing availability of arable land, improving crop yield is a major agricultural goal. Nitrogen (N) application is one of the most effective means for […]
Adamowski et al. use CRISPR to investigate the function of plant auxilin proteins https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.17.00785. By Maciek Adamowski Background: Endocytosis is one of the basic pathways of cellular trafficking. By endocytosis, proteins located in the plasma membranes, for instance receptors, can be taken up into the cell. In plants, the best known mechanism of endocytosis is […]
Chen et al identify AGL15 as a direct target of HSI2-dependent transcriptional repression in Arabidopsis seedlings https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.17.00655. By Naichong Chen and Randy Allen Background: The developmental transition from seeds to seedlings is a critical step in the plant life cycle. After germination, carbohydrates, fats, and proteins that accumulate during seed maturation are used to provide […]
Wiedemann et al. show that RecQ6 in Physcomitrella enhances homologous recombination and gene targeting https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.17.00632. Background: All living cells have mechanisms to protect their DNA against breaks during duplication and against damage by UV-light or chemicals. RecQ helicases are genome surveilance protein found in bacteria, fungi, animals and plants. Their function is widely investigated in […]
Zhang et al. show how PSK initiates Ca2+– and auxin-dependent immunity https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.17.00537. By Huan Zhang, Zhangjian Hu and Kai Shi Background: During plant-microbe interactions, some small secreted peptides are secreted into the apoplast between plant cells as damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), which are critical regulators of plant immunity. Typically, DAMPs are molecules that are recognized […]
Majeran et al. investigate how plant cells target proteins to membrane compartments https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.17.00523 By Wojciech Majeran, Thierry Meinnel & Carmela Giglione Background: Living cells are encased in an oily barrier, the plasma membrane, made up of a double layer of lipids and embedded proteins, and similar membranes surround organelles within the cells. Proteins continually move […]