Polyacetylenic lipids accumulate in various Apiaceae species after pathogen attack, suggesting that they are naturally occurring pesticides and potential targets for crop improvement. These chemicals are also of interest because they exhibit cytotoxic activity against human cancer cell lines and slow tumor growth. Even though polyacetylenic lipids were discovered decades ago, the biosynthetic pathway underlying their […]
Not every leaf of a plant is subjected to the same light intensity or quality in nature. As a consequence, plants have evolved multiple signaling pathways to transduce light‐related signals between different leaves. These systemic acclimation processes optimize the overall light perception of the plant and prevent photoinhibition in leaves that are not yet acclimated to high […]
The in vivo imaging of sugars is useful for understanding how assimilated carbon, in the form of sugars, moves in plants and how this process is differentially regulated. Voothuluru et al. (10.1104/pp.18.00614) developed a gel-based enzyme-coupled colorimetric and fluorometric assay to image glucose (Glc) in vivo and used this assay to show that there is […]
Water deficit is one of the main limiting factors in apple (Malus × domestica) cultivation. Root architecture plays an important role in the drought tolerance of plants. Due to the difficulties associated with the visualization of root systems, however, there is currently a poor understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in the root architecture of […]
Under normal growth conditions, there is a constitutive or basal level of autophagy in plant cells that helps to recycle unnecessary cell contents. Autophagy provides essential building blocks (e.g. amino acids and fatty acids) and energy sources that promote cell homeostasis and survival. Autophagy is mediated by autophagy-related (ATG) genes, which have been identified in […]
The plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) plays an important role in plant drought responses. Previous studies have indicated that ABA inhibits plasma membrane H+-ATPase (PM H+-ATPase) activity, and the resultant decrease in PM H+-ATPase activity promotes stomatal closure under drought stress, thereby reducing water loss. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms are not well understood. Based […]
Light-induced chloroplast movement is one of the most important responses for utilization of photosynthetic light. Chloroplasts move toward weak light-irradiated areas to efficiently absorb light (the accumulation response), whereas they move away from excess light to avoid photodamage (the avoidance response). In Arabidopsis thaliana, the accumulation response is regulated by phototropin1 (phot1) and photoropin2 (phot2), […]
Boron (B) is an essential plant micronutrient that plays a major role in cell wall structure and function by providing cross-linking of the rhamnogalacturonan II (RG-II) pectin component of the cell wall. Under normal pH conditions, B is found principally as boric acid. Although boric acid permeates lipid bilayers, it exhibits limited systemic mobility within […]
In addition to hormones, proteins, and metabolites, many plants use mRNAs as mobile molecules for long-distance communication. It has been demonstrated that many mobile mRNAs are trafficked through phloem, probably by forming an RNA-protein complex to allow the stable translocation of mRNA molecules. Transcriptome profiling of phloem sap and heterografting experiments have identified several thousand […]