Cadmium (Cd) negatively impacts plant yield by causing growth inhibition, chlorosis, or even the death of entire plants. Cd interferes with the uptake and translocation of other ions, damages protein and DNA/RNA functions, and increases the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). An increasing number of reports indicate that hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a plant gasotransmitter, […]
The calcium sensor Calcineurin B-like protein (CBL) participates in calcium signal transduction by interacting with CBL-interacting protein kinase (CIPK). CBL-CIPK pathways have been reported to participate in a range of biological processes. In Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), there are 10 CBLs and 26 CIPKs that can constitute multiple interaction modules with different affinities. The diversities of […]
Lipid flippases hydrolyze ATP to flip lipids across a membrane bilayer toward cytosolic facing leaflets, whether that be from the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane (PM) or luminal leaflet of internal membranes. Flippases are proposed to be involved in multiple processes, such as flipping specific lipids to generate an asymmetric distribution between the leaflets […]
Potassium (K+) serves important roles in plants for the control of cellular pH, regulation of membrane electric potentials and cell turgor, and as a cofactor in essential metabolic processes including protein synthesis. Plasma membrane voltage-gated K+ channels are crucial for K+ uptake, release, and distribution at the cellular and whole plant levels. In Arabidopsis, this […]
Calcium (Ca) deficiency symptoms often occur in crops because Ca is mainly translocated by the transpiration stream, and conditions that affect transpiration can cause Ca deficiency. Because Ca is translocated via the transpiration stream, it tends to accumulate more in older, expanded leaves and less in rapidly growing tissues such as new, small leaves, where […]
Aquaporins belonging to the plasma membrane intrinsic protein (PIP) subfamily are key players in determining membrane water permeability. Since the overall root hydraulic conductivity (Lpr) depends on the integration of conductivity from three pathways (symplastic, apoplastic and transcellular), it is difficult to model the effects of aquaporin expression on water uptake by roots. Many mathematical […]
Fruit aromas attract seed-dispersal agents in nature and are critical determinants of human fruit choice. In the process of constructing a peach (Prunus persica) core germplasm collection, Peng et al. (10.1104/pp.19.00964) analyzed the characteristics of peach cultivars in the National Fruit Germplasm Repository (Nanjing, China) and found that, since the 1980s, some varieties have lost […]
Chloroplasts divide by binary fission, a process that is driven by a ring-like multiprotein complex spanning the inner and outer envelope membranes (OEMs) at the site of division. DYNAMIN-RELATED PROTEIN 5B (DRP5B/ ARC5), a cytosolic component of the chloroplast division machinery, is thought to function in the fission of chloroplast envelopes: this finding is consistent […]
In C4 species, the expression of photosynthesis genes is partitioned such that leaf mesophyll and bundle sheath cells accumulate different components of the photosynthetic pathway. The expression of nucleus-encoded photosynthesis genes is modulated both by photoreceptor activity and by a network of light-responsive transcription factors. Different wavelengths of light also influence post-transcriptional regulation of gene […]