Luo et al. investigate how nitrate transporters direct root nodule formation in a legume. By Zhenpeng Luo & Fang Xie CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China. Background: Nitrogen (N) is an essential nutrient and signaling molecule for plant growth and […]
Li et al. identify the signaling pathway regulated by the chloroplast-localized protein EXECUTER1 in response to singlet oxygen. Background: In response to developmental and environmental cues such as changing light intensity, plastids/chloroplasts produce and emit signals such as singlet oxygen, 1O2. These signals broadly affect the expression of nuclear genes, thereby altering chloroplast function to […]
Toma-Fukai and Sawada et al. provide insight into the activation mechanism of the DYW1-like deaminase. By Sachiko Toma-Fukai1,2 Mizuki Takenaka3 and Toshiyuki Shimizu1 1 Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan. 2 Present address: Graduate School of Science and Technology, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, 8916-5 […]
Chen et al. identify a nucleoside kinase that is highly conserved in plants and green algae. By Xiaoguang Chen and Claus-Peter Witte. Department of Molecular Nutrition and Biochemistry of Plants, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Herrenhäuser Str. 2, 30419 Hannover, Germany. Background: Nucleotides are the building blocks for DNA and RNA and are energy carriers (ATP) as […]
Wang et al. investigate the function of SPR1 in ABA-induced stomatal closure By Pan Wang and Sijia Qi State Key Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry; Department of Plant Sciences, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China Background: Drought is a major environmental problem worldwide. Stomata play important roles in plant adaptation […]
Wang et al. explore how plants maintain apical etiolation. By Jiajun Wang (Southwest University, China), Haodong Chen (Tsinghua University, China), Xing Wang Deng (Peking University, China), Ning Wei (Southwest University, China) Background: Seeds germinate underneath the soil; to help the shoot tissues emerge from the soil, in plants such as Arabidopsis the shoot forms an […]
Reiter et al. investigate the molecular basis for coupling factor CF1 recruitment in Arabidopsis thaliana. The Plant Cell (2022). By Thilo Rühle Background: Thylakoid ATP synthases are impressive molecular engines that harness the light-driven proton gradient to generate ATP during photosynthesis. Their molecular mode of operation and atomic structure have been elucidated, but their assembly […]
Ning et al. identify a transcription factor responsible for modulating nitrogen and carbon metabolism in response to nitrogen availability. Background: Starch and protein are the main components of maize (Zea mays) endosperm. Nitrogen (N) fluctuation affects starch and protein levels in the endosperm. Earlier work in maize indicated that several transcription factors (TFs), such as […]
Nan et al. examine the localization of key factors in maize stomatal development. Qiong Nan and Michelle Facette Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA Background: Stomata are small pores on the plant surface that open and close to allow gas exchange––allowing plants to “breathe”. Plant species have different numbers, shapes, and […]