Root hairs are long tubular extensions of root epidermal cells that greatly increase the root surface area and thereby assist in water and nutrient absorption. Root hairs are found in nearly all vascular plants, including angiosperms, gymnosperms, and lycophytes, and they exhibit similar cellular features, suggesting a common evolutionary origin. However, different plant species are […]
The waxy cuticle, a key barrier to desiccation and pathogen entry, is a dynamic structure, the composition, area, permeability and thickness of which can change in response to environmental conditions. For example, water deficit in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) triggers an increase in the accumulation of both cutin monomers and waxes, resulting in a thicker, less […]
Methionine is a nutritionally essential sulfur-containing amino acid found at low levels in plants and in their seeds. It often limits the nutritional value of crop plants as a source of dietary protein for humans and animals. In plants, methionine plays key roles in protein synthesis and mRNA translation, and regulates indirectly a variety of […]
Growth inhibition is one of the most consistent plant responses to Ultraviolet-B (UV-B) exposure; this radiation, both as part of the solar spectrum in the field and from UV-B lamps in controlled environments. In this work, Fina et al. (10.1104/pp.17.00365) demonstrate that the UV-B levels present in solar radiation inhibit maize (Zea mays) leaf growth […]
Vitamin B6 is synthesized de novo in plants, fungi, archeae, and most eubacteria, but not in animals, including humans, which have to obtain it from dietary sources. Vitamin B6 is an essential cofactor for a range of biochemical reactions and a potent antioxidant. In plants, it plays important roles in plant growth and development, and […]
Plant photosynthesis generally increases with irradiance until light saturation occurs. The directional quality of light, however, can affect its penetration and absorption within a leaf. For example, increasing the angle of incidence (from perpendicular) at which light intersects the leaf surface decreases penetration depth and, ultimately, absorption. Although studies at the individual leaf level are […]
Lignin, a ubiquitous phenylpropanoid polymer found in the cell walls of vascular plants, is derived primarily from oxidative couplings of monolignols (p-hydroxycinnamyl alcohols). By filling up spaces between cell wall polysaccharides (cellulose and hemicelluloses), lignin confers increased mechanical strength, imperviousness, and resistance to pathogens. Lignin biosynthesis bioengineering has long been a major research, particularly because […]
Tetrahydrofolate (THF) and its derivatives, collectively termed folates, are a group of essential B-complex vitamins that have long been recognized as necessary nutrients to support normal cell differentiation and growth. Folates function as co-enzymes in one-carbon transfer reactions and play a central role in synthesis of nucleotides and amino acids. Dysfunction of cellular folate metabolism […]
Strigolactones Root parasitic weeds, such as broomrape (Orobanche spp.) and witchers weed (Striga spp.), are harmful plants in sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and Asia that maintain seed dormancy in the absence of host plant. Both parasitic plant species require germination stimulants released from the host plant. SLs are the major group of germination stimulants […]