Organismal growth requires extensive coordination between cells and tissues with different identities, and this is particularly important for plants with their rigid cell walls and lack of cell motility. A key mechanism for tissue coordination involving brassinosteroids has been identified by Kelly-Bellow…

Precise spatial control of cell division and cell growth is necessary to produce the specific cellular organizations demanded by the complex tissues and organs of morphologically complex organisms One of many factors that guide cell division/growth is cell polarity, of which RHO GTPase-type proteins…

Different photoreceptors (mainly phytochromes and cryptochromes) perceive light, which acts as a signal for controlling plant growth and development. Similarly, light is absorbed by chlorophylls (and carotenoids) for generating energy via photosynthesis. In search of a link between these two light-mediated…

There are about ~17,500 plants species that can participate in nitrogen-fixing root nodule symbioses. The majority of these (~17,300) are in the order Fabales, which includes the legumes. The remainder fall into three orders (Rosales, Fagales, and Cucubitales), leading to the question of whether this…

Some of the most fascinating discoveries in biology are found at the interface between hosts and pathogens, where each organism is endlessly fighting for its survival. Plant pathogens produce a wide array of effector proteins that promote their virulence, but we only understand how some of these effectors…

Review. CRISPR/Cas-mediated plant genome editing: Outstanding challenges a decade after implementation I’ll be honest, I was surprised to see “a decade after implementation” in this title, but indeed, the first publication describing CRISPR/Cas in plants was in 2013. We’ve learned a lot in…

Lifang Geng, first author of "Transcription factor RcNAC091 enhances rose drought tolerance through the abscisic acid-dependent pathway"  Current Position:  Master candidate, College of Landscape Architecture and Forestry, Qingdao Agricultural University Education: 2016.09–2020.06, Bachelor degree…

Bi, Shrestha, Zhang et al. elucidate mechanisms of sugar-dependent growth regulation. Yang Bi, Zhi-Yong Wang Department of Plant Biology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, CA, USA Background: Extensive studies in animals have shown that the O-linked N-acetyl-glucosamine (O-GlcNAc)…