Stomatal opening is stimulated by light, including blue and red light. Blue light-induced stomatal opening is fairly well understood: it is mediated by blue-light photoreceptor phototropins (phot1 and phot2). Blue light activates the plasma membrane (PM) H+-ATPase via phosphorylation of its penultimate C-terminal residue. In addition, blue light induces starch degradation, resulting in the accumulation […]
Senescence in plants is a prelude to cell or organ death. The metabolites and macromolecules released during senescence are salvaged by the plant for use elsewhere. Generally, senescence occurs prior to programmed cell death (PCD), since the characteristic leaf yellowing can be reversed while PCD is a terminal, irreversible program. Programmed cell death in plants […]
The study of phloem transport and its vital roles in long distance communication and carbon allocation have been hampered by a lack of suitable tools that allow high-throughput, real-time studies. Since the 1970s, several studies have used 11C or 14C isotopes to measure rates of phloem transport in large plants. This was usually achieved by […]
Recent evidence indicates that H2S acts as an important messenger that affects plant responses to abiotic stresses, including high salinity, drought, heat shock, heavy metals, and oxidative stress. H2S signaling has also been shown to modulate important physiological processes, such as photosynthesis, immunity, cell senescence, root growth, and stomatal closure. Although many studies have described […]
Plastids differentiate into subtypes. For example, the transition of proplastids to chloroplasts defines the photosynthetic tissues within a plant, whereas amyloplasts are formed in nonphotosynthetic tissues. Recently, evidence has accumulated for a novel class of plastids that is specialized for stress sensing and acclimation. These “sensory plastids”, some of which occur in the epidermis, are […]
Leaf morphology, both between species and within the same organism, is diverse: leaves can be simple or compound; they can have margins that are smooth or serrated, and they can be flat or have various curvatures. In Arabidopsis, leaf development starts with extensive cell proliferation throughout the leaf primordium. After a few days, cells at the […]
During the course of evolution, the invasion of lands by plants exposed plant tissues to air, which dramatically lowered the resistance for CO2 diffusion to chloroplasts by ~10,000-fold. The evolutionary development of the leaf intercellular airspace was a key innovation that allowed land plants to profit from the lowered resistance to CO2 diffusion afforded by […]
Depending on the species, daylength profoundly affects the timing of key developmental transitions in plants, including, floral initiation, tuberization, and bud set and growth cessation in trees. To explore additional effects of daylength on plant function, Cagnola et al. (10.1104/pp.18.00443) investigated the transcriptome of Arabidopsis plants grown under short days (SD) and transferred to long days […]
Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is a perennial C4 grass native to North America primarily valued as a next-generation feedstock for biofuel production. Its high net energy yield and wide habitat range make switchgrass an attractive crop for cultivation on marginal lands with minimal agronomic inputs, thus promising environmentally sustainable bioenergy production. However, increasing drought stress and accompanying […]