Yamada and Goshisma identify a nuclear transporter that controls the position of the nucleus during cell growth in plants https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00038. Background: Transportation of cellular components to appropriate locations for their activity is a critical aspect of cell function. Microtubule cytoskeleton and microtubule-based motor proteins drive this transportation process. In animal cells, the motor proteins kinesin […]
Mine et al. use RNA-seq to study RPS2-mediated bacterial resistance https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.17.00970 By Akira Mine, Carolin Seyfferth and Kenichi Tsuda Background: To fight against pathogens, plants can detect enemies and transduce the signal to reprogram gene expression in the cell as a defense mechanism. Plant resistance genes, typically encoding immune receptor proteins for pathogen surveillance, have […]
Park et al. demonstrate that phytochrome B preferentially inhibits its interacting transcription factors via one of two mechanisms depending on light conditions. The Plant Cell (2018). https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.17.00913. By Eunae Park Background: Phytochrome B (phyB) is a plant photoreceptor that detects light and activates plant light responses. phyB does so partly by inhibiting interacting partner proteins […]
Carter et al. explore aspects of chromatin remodeling related to gene expression in Arabidopsis. https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.17.00867 By Benjamin Carter and Joe Ogas Background: Plant tissues are composed of cells that all contain the same genomic information and yet have very different properties. This occurs because cells selectively turn genes on or off during growth and in […]
Yao et al. found that OsPM1 can move the plant hormone abscisic acid into rice cells. https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.17.00770. By Lingya Yao and Xiaochun Ge Background: Abscisic acid (ABA) is an important plant hormone that regulates plant seed dormancy and stress responses, especially drought responses. ABA is a weak acid that exists in two forms, the anionic […]
Background: Maize is one of the world’s leading crops that is used for food, feed, and fuel. Maize is vulnerable to adverse environmental conditions that lead to production losses. Such conditions can upset delicate cellular processes in maize cells such as protein folding in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The accumulation of misfolded proteins in the […]
Yang et al. investigate the evolution of flowering time in the young species Capsella rubella. https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00124 Background: Flowering time is an important adaptive life-history trait in plants. Capsella rubella, a close relative of Arabidopsis thaliana and—in evolutionary time—a young species, has reduced standing genetic variation due to an extreme bottleneck event (something that greatly reduced […]
Clavel et al. investigate recognition and binding of AGO1 by viral P0 protein https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00111. By Marion Clavel Background: In plants, small RNAs (sRNAs) are widely used to regulate gene expression of both host genes and foreign nucleic acid, like viruses. sRNAs function in this way by associating with an effector protein called ARGONAUTE (AGO). sRNAs […]
Roberts et al. investigate cell wall synthesis in Physcomitrella patens. The Plant Cell (2018). https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00082. By Alison Roberts and Eric Roberts Background: The health-promoting soluble fiber in whole grains is rich in mixed-linkage glucan (MLG), so called because it consists of glucose joined through both 1,4- and 1,3-linkages. MLG is soluble because these linkages are […]