Rice (Oryza sativa) paddies frequently become submerged during the rainy season in some parts of South and Southeast Asia, such as Bangladesh, India, Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia. Submergence stress is harmful to plants. In addition to causing O2– and CO2-deficient conditions by restricting environmental gas exchange, submergence reduces the light available for photosynthesis, perturbs cellular energy […]
Abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, low temperature, and flooding usually lead to sugar accumulation. It has been reported that the accumulation of Glc, Suc, and Fru under high salinity plays an important role in carbon storage, osmotic regulation, and homeostasis, as well as scavenging of free radicals. However, the molecular mechanism by which Glc […]
Soil water availability is a major constraint for crop growth throughout the world. Hydrotropism, the bending of roots in response to moisture gradients, enables plants to take better advantage of available soil water. In contrast to gravitropism and phototropism which have been studied extensively, there are few studies on the mechanisms underlying hydrotropism, particularly at […]
One effect of mycorrhizal fungi is to stimulate the plant immune system, leading to induced systemic resistance (ISR). Thus, mycorrhizal fungi influence the interactions between plants and aboveground herbivores. The molecular mechanisms underlying these types of beneficial microbe-plant interactions have mostly been studied in herbaceous plants. In contrast, little is known concerning whether mycorrhizae mitigate […]
Heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide-binding (G) proteins are composed of Ga, Gb, and Gg subunits and function as molecular switches in signal transduction. In Arabidopsis, there is one canonical Ga (GPA1), three extra-large Ga (XLG1, XLG2, and XLG3), one Gb (AGB1), and three Gg (AGG1 to 3) subunits. Despite the limited types of G protein subunits in […]
Photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms rely on two organelles, chloroplasts and mitochondria, for the synthesis of the molecules NAD(P)H and ATP that fuel their metabolism. These two organelles are commonly thought of as two separate entities but the results of Larosa et al. (10.1104/pp.17.01249) suggest the extent of communication between these two organelles may be underappreciated. The […]
The herbicide glyphosate is widely used in agriculture, especially on glyphosate-resistant (GR) transgenic crops. The widespread adoption of GR crops across the globe and an overreliance on glyphosate as a single means of weed control has spawned many GR weed species. Glyphosate inhibits the 5-enopyruvlyshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) enzyme of the shikimate pathway, resulting in a […]
The root-colonizing endophytic fungus Piriformospora indica, which was originally isolated from the rhizosphere of two woody shrubs in the Indian Thar Desert, colonizes the roots of a broad host range, including the model plant Arabidopsis. P. indica does not cause pathogenic symptoms, but promotes root and shoot biomass production, induces early flowering and enhances the […]
Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is an important gaseous signaling molecule in plants that participates in stress responses, development, and stomatal closure. In plants, H2S is enzymatically produced by cysteine desulfhydrase in the catalyzed conversion of cysteine to pyruvate, H2S, and NH3+. In Arabidopsis thaliana, the cytosolic protein DES1 was recently characterized as a novel L-cysteine desulfhydrase. DES1 […]