Entries by Plant Cell

Plastid Nucleoside Kinase 1 (PNK1) phosphorylates inosine to inosine monophosphate, involving in the feedback control of purine de novo synthesis in Arabidopsis

March 31, 2023 in /by

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 […]

Microtubule control during stomatal movement

March 30, 2023 in /by

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 […]

How do brassinosteroids promote etiolation of apical organs in Arabidopsis?

March 28, 2023 in /by

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 […]

Recruiting the ATP-generating nanomotor in chloroplasts

March 27, 2023 in /by

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 […]

Balancing starch and protein in the maize endosperm

March 23, 2023 in /by

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 […]

At the right time and in the right place: WPRs functions in maize stomatal development

March 22, 2023 in /by

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 […]

A Phytophthora effector targets nuclear transcriptional complexes in plant immunity

March 20, 2023 in /by

Qiu et al. reveal the role of a nuclear Phytophthora effector in suppressing plant immunity via interfering the formation of nuclear transcriptional complex, Plant Cell (2022). By Xufang Qiu, Liang Kong and Yuanchao Wang Background: To prevent infection, plants have evolved two layers of immunity, pattern-triggered immunity (PTI) and effector-triggered immunity (ETI). Activation of PTI […]

The pentatricopeptide repeat PPR-E proteins mediate RNA C-to-U editing by recruiting a cytidine deaminase

March 17, 2023 in /by

Wang et al. reveal how the PPR-E proteins function in RNA editing in maize mitochondria. Yong Wang and Bao-Cai Tan Key Laboratory of Plant Development and Environmental Adaptation Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China  Background: Mitochondria produce energy for all cell activities and contain genomes harboring about 60 […]

News about NUE: How the vacuolar nitrate exchanger CLCa stabilizes water and nitrate status

March 15, 2023 in /by

Hodin et al. explore the function of the vacuolar nitrate transporter CLCA and provide insight on potentially improving nitrogen use efficiency. Background: Nitrogen is quantitatively the most important inorganic nutrient for plants. Roots mainly take nitrogen up in the form of nitrate (NO3–). Once inside the cells, NO3– can be assimilated into amino acids or […]