Entries by Plant Cell

Plant cells secrete diverse RNA species, including small RNAs, long noncoding RNAs and circular RNAs

June 27, 2022 in /by

Karimi et al. showed that Arabidopsis plants secrete numerous RNAs, which are associated with proteins and are located outside extracellular vesicles. Plant Cell. (2022) https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koac043 By: Hana Zand Karimi and Roger W. Innes, Indiana University Background: To prevent infection by disease-causing microbes, plants secrete diverse antimicrobial compounds into their extracellular spaces.  Included among these compounds […]

Broad spectrum resistance to fungal pathogens in sorghum is conferred by an immune receptor gene

June 22, 2022 in /by

Lee, Fu et al. discover an unusual immune receptor locus that confers broad-spectrum, strong resistance to fungal pathogens in sorghum. Background: Sorghum, the fifth most widely grown cereal crop globally, provides food security for millions of people. The fungal disease sorghum anthracnose is the most devastating disease of this crop, with yield losses ranging from […]

Nonessential genes are nevertheless good for something: Cold acclimation and photosynthesis

June 14, 2022 in /by

By Yang Gao and Reimo Zoschke, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Potsdam-Golm, Germany Gao and colleagues dissect how transcription and translation of tobacco chloroplast genes respond to cold exposure and reveal a critical role for the nonessential gene petL. Background: Plants have to cope with ever-changing environmental conditions. Climate change causes sudden cold […]

An N-terminally truncated NLR is functional

June 8, 2022 in /by

Wu et al. uncover the unexpected role of the truncated NLR NRG1C in negatively regulating plant immunity by antagonizing its full-length NRG1 neighbors. Background: Plants utilize sophisticated innate immune systems to fight against pathogens. Their genomes encode abundant immune receptors to detect the presence of pathogens and initiate defense responses. Nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat immune receptors […]

Perturbed Glycolysis Triggers Plant Immunity

June 6, 2022 in /by

Yang et al. find complex interactions between primary metabolism and plant immunity. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koab283 By Jian Hua, Leiyun Yang, Zhixue Wang, Plant Biology Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA Background: Plant NLR proteins are intracellular immune receptors that recognize pathogens and initiate defense responses against invaders. The expression […]

WHITE-CORE RATE 1 regulates grain chalkiness in rice

June 2, 2022 in /by

Wu et al. uncover a mechanism underlying chalkiness, an important grain quality trait in rice. Background: With improved living standards, the demand for better grain quality has become a challenge in rice production areas. Rice chalkiness, i.e., endosperm containing opaque regions, seriously reduces the appearance quality of grain, making it unpopular for consumers and marketers. […]

A role for MdMPK4s in apple peel coloration

May 31, 2022 in /by

Wang et al. investigate the role of MdMPK4 in fruit peel degreening during light/dark transitions By Shuai Wang, Zhenhai Han and Ting Wu Background: One of the most important visual indicators of fruit ripening in apple is the color change caused by anthocyanin accumulation and chlorophyll degradation. We previously showed that the apple ethylene response […]

ABA triggers maize grain filling by inducing phosphorylation of the hub coordinators

May 26, 2022 in /by

Yang et al. explore the mechanism of grain filling in maize. https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koac044 Tao Yang and Yongrui Wu, National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China. Background: Early seed development and grain filling in maize […]