Entries by Yee-Shan Ku

Resolving phytohormone response zones by fluorescent reporters

Phytohormones such salicylic acid (SA), ethylene (ET), and jasmonic acid (JA) are known to regulate plant immunity, but their spatial dynamics has remained unclear. Using a set of fluorescent reporters in Arabidopsis, Calabria et al. resolved the hormonal responses upon Fusarium oxysporum infection at single-cell level. The authors selected 75 immunity-related genes and used their […]

A broad-spectrum antimicrobial peptide identified from Burkholderia bacterium

Microbial pesticides are widely applied to improve crop production, but the active molecules are largely unexplored. In a recent study, Mohamed et al., identified an antimicrobial peptide (AMP) from crop-associated microbes and showed its inhibitory effects on various phytopathogens. The authors first isolated bacterial strains from healthy crops and tested their antifungal activities. A Burkholderia […]

 Apoplastic pH acts as a chemical switch in plants by modulating H2O2 redox potential

Environmental stimuli, such as drought and salinity, alter cellular conditions including apoplastic pH (pHApo) in plants. These stimuli often lead to an elevation in pHApo which is closely associated with cell functions and plant growth. However, the mechanism behind is largely unexplored. A recent study suggests that pHApo acts as a chemical switch, regulating signalling […]

Double attack! Herbivore insects feed on plants and silence their genes

In the natural environment, plants are constantly attacked by animals. Plant immunity is regulated by a network of genes and hormones including salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA). A recent study suggests that herbivore insects threaten plants with concerns more than the bite. Han et al., found that the phloem-feeding whitefly (Bemisa tabaci) transfers […]