The emergence of eukaryotes is associated with endosymbiosis of mitochondria and chloroplast. In the course of evolution, most of the genes from these organelles have either migrated to the nucleus or been lost. But why have a small but significant number of genes remained in these organelle genomes?…

One of the peculiar features of monocots is the presence of sheathing leaf base that encircles the stem, which allow grasses to grow in height, while protecting apical meristem from herbivores by keeping it lower to the ground. Despite its significance, the evolutionary origin has been a controversy…

Wheat yields depend on the morphology of the inflorescence known as the spike, which harbors multiple lateral spikelets. To control and manipulate wheat productivity, it is necessary to understand the molecular and genetic mechanisms behind the development of inflorescence architecture. Wheat spike development…

In addition to the vast array of metabolic and signaling roles, nitric oxide (NO) is prominently involved in low oxygen sensing in seeds and waterlogged plants. In Arabidopsis, the cytosolic nitrate reductase (NR) isoforms NIA1/NIA2 catalyze the reductive pathway of NO generation. NO sensing in plants…

Acidic soils often negatively impact plant growth, yet the application of fertilizers containing urea or ammonia have the effect of acidifying soils. In a recent paper, Ye and colleagues investigated how nitrate uptake through the nitrate transporter NITRATE TRANSPORTER 1.1 (NRT1.1) can mitigate some…

Plants experience changes in gene expression and cellular metabolism to improve their survival to abiotic stresses, such as hypoxia. It has been observed that environmental signals induce phospholipase D (PLD) which generates phosphatidic acid (PA) by cleaving membrane phospholipids. Indeed, submergence…

Happy New Year! Welcome to our latest edition of Plant Science Research Weekly, featuring contributions from several of our new cohort of Plantae Fellows, who will be helping us keep up with exciting developments in plant sciences. Enjoy! The evolutionary advantage of losing genes after endosymbiosis The…

Xu Liu, first author of "Stress response proteins NRP1 and NRP2 are pro-survival factors that inhibit cell death during ER stress" Current Position: Associate research fellow (South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences) Education: PhD at South China Normal University in 2012 Non-scientific…