Wu and Bisaro study the sequence structure of viroid quasispecies in plant cells. https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koae012  Jian Wu1,2,3 and David M. Bisaro3 1State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agroproducts, Institute of Plant Virology,…

Romer et al. study the origin of the lipid side chain phytol in tocopherol and phylloquinone synthesis in Arabidopsis. https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koad316   By J. Romer, K. Gutbrod and P. Dörmann Background: Isoprenoid lipids in Arabidopsis chloroplasts include chlorophyll, carotenoids,…

Tian et al. identify the zinc finger protein DHHC09 as a regulator of rice salt tolerance. https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koae001   By Ye Tian, Xuan-Ming Liu, and Jian-Zhong Lin Background: Soil salinity results in oxidative stress and heavy losses to crop production. S-acylation of proteins…

Behind the Plant Physiology manuscripts are researchers, professors, professionals and students dedicated to advancing the field of plant science. You’ve seen our First Authors on Twitter and Facebook— now, read more about why they chose to pursue plant sciences and click on the links below the pictures…

Photosynthesis is the process by which plants assimilate carbon by using light energy. However, with the solar energy conversion efficiency of many crop plants less than 1%, it is inefficient. Therefore, there is interest in manipulating photosynthesis for increased efficiency. Here, Croce et al. identifying…

Plants rely on an array of mineral nutrients for their growth, development, and reproductive processes. The molecular mechanisms governing the uptake, translocation, storage, and utilization of these essential minerals are orchestrated by specific nutrient transporters and their associated regulatory…

Plant immunity is beautifully sophisticated with a ever-growing cast of characters. This review by Liu et al. focuses on the contributions of proteolysis (protein degradation), which both activates and suppresses immune responses. The authors structure the review around four key functions of proteolysis:…

Plants adapt to salt stress by maintaining ion balance using ion transporters. While much is known about cation transporters, the role of anion transporters is less clear. Rajappa et al. focus on the chloride channel gene AtCLCf in Arabidopsis thaliana, controlled by the transcription factor WRKY9 under…