Entries by Suresh Damodaran

Flexibility of intrinsically disordered degrons in AUX/IAA proteins reinforces auxin receptor assemblies ($) (BioRxiv)

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Auxin is involved in multiple plant development and stress response which necessitates complexity in auxin signaling. Auxin at a particular threshold in the cells brings together the TIR1/AFB1-5 (TRANSPORT INHIBITOR RESPONSE1/ AUXIN SIGNALING F-BOX 1-5) members and members of the 29 Aux/IAA members bound to the activator ARF (AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR) transcriptional factors. This complex […]

Minimal auxin sensing levels in vegetative moss stem cells revealed by a ratiometric reporter ($) (New Phytologist)

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Auxin plays multiple developmental roles from embryogenesis to seed development. To understand the mechanism of auxin response in plants, researchers utilize the early-diverging land plant models, Physcomitrella patens and Marchantia polymorpha. In this paper, Thelander et al., have identified a specific reporter of auxin levels for P.patens, PpR2D2 (Ratiometric version of DII-nVENUS to mDII-nTdTOMATO signal). This reporter developed for P. patens similar to […]

Design principles of a minimal auxin response system ($) (BioRxiv)

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Auxin signaling components are evolutionarily conserved across the land plants and the duplication events in these regulators enabled complexity in development. Auxin regulated developmental programming occurs through the ARF (AUXIN RESPONSE FACTORS) transcriptional factors. Marchantia polymorpha serves as an ideal system to understand ARF activity owing to its simpler genome complexity. In their previous work, Weijer’s Lab […]

Plant Science Research Weekly: October 18

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Guest Editor : Suresh Damodaran I am a postdoctoral research associate in Dr. Lucia Strader’s lab at WUSTL. My primary area of interest is understanding the role of plant hormones in development. I completed my graduate degree in Dr. Sen Subramanian’s lab at SDSTATE.  Twitter: @SureshDamod   Design principles of a minimal auxin response system […]

An inducible genome editing system for plants (bioRxiv)

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Multiple approaches like T-DNA insertion and small RNA- and CRISPR-Cas9 mediated gene silencing/knockdown are used to alter the expression of specific genes. This allows researchers to understand gene function during plant development or under any physiological condition. The most challenging task in these approaches is achieving tissue-specific knockdown of gene expression. In this paper, Wang […]

NODULE INCEPTION recruits the lateral root developmental program for symbiotic nodule organogenesis in Medicago truncatula ($) (Curr Biol)

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Lateral roots are secondary root organs arising through the dedifferentiation of inner cell layers in the primary root. Nodules arise through symbiosis with rhizobia bacteria in a certain clade of land plants and they also arise through dedifferentiation. Both lateral roots and nodules are part of the plant root system architecture and aid in nutrient […]

Control of adventitious rooting by TIR1/AFB2-Aux/IAA-dependent auxin signaling ($) (Mol Plant)

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Adventitious roots typically develop from non-root tissue like shoots either naturally in some species or upon induction by stress in most species. The key roles of auxin signaling in lateral root development are well known but the role of these regulators in adventitious roots with their high phenotypic plasticity is still unknown. In this paper, […]

Evolution of the KANADI gene family and leaf development in lycophytes and ferns ($) (Plants)

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Plants constantly grow post embryonically through shoot and root apical meristems. Multiple transcriptional factors and other regulators fine-tune such growth. Leaf growth from the apical meristem is well studied in the model plant Arabidopsis where two main transcription factors, namely HD-ZIP III (Class III Homeodomain Leucine Zipper protein) and KANADI (GARP Family proteins), play key […]

Phosphorylation-mediated dynamics of nitrate transceptor NRT1.1 regulate lateral root growth (Plant Physiol)

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Nitrate is an important plant nutrient and multiple transporters have been identified in different plant species. NRT1.1 (NITRATE TRANSPORTER 1.1) belonging to the MFS (Major Facilitator Superfamily) has been shown to transport nitrate and auxin (IAA, Indole 3-acetic acid). This dual affinity transporter can switch from low- to high-nitrate affinity through differential phosphorylation of a […]