Citrus Huanglongbing (HLB) caused by the bacterium Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas) is the most destructive disease of citrus and currently has no cure. Current management practices are also not effective. Huang et al. used comparative analysis of small RNAs and mRNAs between HLB-sensitive and HLB-tolerant hybrids to identify genes mediating HLB tolerance. One of these […]
Pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) domain containing proteins are nuclear encoded with functions in the chloroplast, but regulation of PPR gene expression in the nucleus before import to the chloroplast has not been well studied. Bailey et al. identified and characterized the ubiquitin ligase NOT4A and its regulatory function on PGR3, a PPR protein important for several […]
The maize ear has a complex morphology consisting of a series of meristems that are organized into cell types and domains. Xu et al. used single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to identify spatial regulators of maize ear development. Over 12,500 individual cells and 28,900 genes were analyzed. 12 meta-clusters were predicted, with inflorescence markers from […]
The ability of plants to adapt to diverse environments and environmental conditions has been attributed to phenotypic plasticity mediated by genetic and epigenetic changes. Through grafting experiments, small RNA has been shown to be a mobile molecule that can be transmitted long-distance via the vascular system. While several studies have demonstrated the effect of this […]
KARRIKIN INSENSITIVE 2 (KAI2) and MORE AXILLARY GROWTH 2 (MAX2) form an important hormone receptor complex and mediate several developmental responses in the karrikin signaling pathway. The proteolytic degradation of the suppressor of MAX2 (SMAX1) is a major step in this pathway. Carbonnel et al. investigated the molecular events downstream of SMAX1 and the associated […]
Plant grafting has been used in crop improvement for centuries and more recently to study systemic and long-distance signaling in the plant vascular system. In order to better understand graft compatibility and its mechanism, Notaguchi et al. used Nicotiana to study interfamily graft combinations. Interfamily grafting between Nicotiana and Chrysanthemum morifolium (Cm, family Asteraceae) was […]
The outcome of a plant-bacteria interaction is determined by the bacterial virulence and plant immune systems. Individually, these systems, and to an extent their interactions, have been well studied. However, certain aspects of their interactions remain elusive, particularly how plant immunity affects bacterial functions. Nobori et al. used an integrated approach of transcriptomics and proteomics […]
Aphids are an important insect pest that can cause significant yield loss to crops, particularly through feeding damage and as vector for devasting plant pathogens. How aphids and other sap-feeding insects use their stylet to penetrate the plant vascular tissues is well studied but the factors involved in establishing a long-term interaction between aphids and […]
Strigolactones (SL) are germination cues for parasitic plants, as their seeds will not germinate until they perceive SL exuded from the host plant. In contrast, gibberellins (GA) are the dominant germination hormone in non-parasitic plants; GA-mediated degradation of DELLA repressors permits germination. Similarities between SL and GA signaling logic have been observed, suggesting a probable […]