Research

Review. Message in a Bubble: Shuttling small RNAs and proteins between cells and interacting organisms using extracellular vesicles Small RNAs have big effects and can serve to shut down or silence gene expression. Recently, studies have found that small RNAs can contribute to plant defense beyond…

  Michal Pyc, co-first author of "LDIP Cooperates with SEIPIN and LDAP to Facilitate Lipid Droplet Biogenesis in Arabidopsis" Current Position: Research Scientist at Willow Biosciences (Burnaby, Canada) Education: B.Sc., M.Sc. in Biology at Queen’s University (Canada); Ph.D. in Molecular…

Satinder Gidda, co-first author of "LDIP Cooperates with SEIPIN and LDAP to Facilitate Lipid Droplet Biogenesis in Arabidopsis" Education: M.Biotechnology at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) (New Delhi, India); Ph.D in Biology at Concordia University (Montreal, Canada) Non-scientific…

Harel Bacher, first author of "Wild emmer introgression alters root-to-shoot growth dynamics in durum wheat in response to water stress" Current Position: Ph.D. candidate at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel. Education: B.Sc., M.Sc. and currently a Ph.D. at the Robert H. Smith Faculty…

Guoqiang Huang, first author of "AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR 6 and 7 control the flag leaf angle in rice by regulating secondary cell wall biosynthesis of lamina joints" Current position: Postdoc at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Education: B.S. in Shandong Agricultural University; Ph.D in Biology, Shanghai…

Boominathan Mohanasundaram, first author of "The unique bryophyte-specific repeat-containing protein SHORT-LEAF regulates gametophore development in moss" Current Position: Postdoctoral Associate at Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, MO, USA Education: PhD in Biology at Indian Institute of…

Wang et al. report how chromatin architecture reorganization shapes transcriptome patterns during polyploidization and domestication of soybean. The Plant Cell (2021). https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koab081 By Longfei Wang and Qingxin Song Background: Soybean and common bean are important sources…

Justus Niemeyer, first author of "Real-time Monitoring of Subcellular H2O2 Distribution in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii" Current Position: PhD student in Prof. Michael Schroda’s lab in the Department of Molecular Biotechnology & Systems Biology, TU Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, Germany Education: Bachelor…

Dietmar Gerald Mehlhorn, first author of "Looking for a Safe Haven: Tail-anchored Proteins and their Membrane Insertion Pathways" Current Position: PhD student in Prof. Dr. Christopher Grefen’s lab for Molecular & Cellular Botany at the Ruhr-University Bochum. Education: BSc in Biosciences…

José Antonio Pedroza-García first author of "Maize ATR Safeguards Genome Stability During Kernel Development to Prevent Early Endosperm Endocycle Onset and Cell Death" Current Position: Postdoctoral researcher at Biotechnology Institute (IBT), UNAM, Mexico Education: PhD in Plant Molecular Biology,…

Yuting Liu, first author of "DWARF53 interacts with transcription factors UB2/UB3/TSH4 to regulate maize tillering and tassel branching" Current Position: Associate professor, South China Agricultural University, China Education: B.S. in Bioinformatics at Shanxi Agricultural University; M.S. and…

Li Qu, first author of "Plant casein kinases phosphorylate and destabilize a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor to promote cell division" Current Position: Postdoc, School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China. Education: Bachelor, School of Plant Protection, Shandong…

Deng and colleagues show how the microtubule-associated protein WDL4 contributes to apical hook opening to protect seedligns from damage by soil particles  By Jia Deng, Xiangfeng Wang, Ziqiang Liu, and Tonglin Mao, China Agricultural University Background: When seedlings emerge through the soil…

Daoheng Hu, co-first author of "Multiplex CRISPR-Cas9 editing of DNA methyltransferases in rice uncovers a class of non-CG methylation specific for GC-rich regions" Current Position: Research Assistant at the school of life sciences of Yunnan University, China Education: PhD & Master in Genetics…

Yiming Yu, co-first author of "Multiplex CRISPR-Cas9 editing of DNA methyltransferases in rice uncovers a class of non-CG methylation specific for GC-rich regions" Current Position: Ph.D. candidate, School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China Education: B.S.…

Siamsa M. Doyle, first author of "A network of stress-related genes regulates hypocotyl elongation downstream of selective auxin perception" Current Position: Researcher Education: PhD in plant science, University College Dublin, Ireland Non-scientific Interests: Singing, dancing lindy hop and…

Xiaoqian Chu, co-first author of HBI Transcription Factor-Mediated ROS Homeostasis Regulates Nitrate Signal Transduction Current Position: Job hunting Education: PhD in Botany at Shandong University Non-scientific Interests: Reading, Music, Museums Brief bio: I started my PhD study and accepted…

Jia-Gang Wang, co-first author of HBI Transcription Factor-Mediated ROS Homeostasis Regulates Nitrate Signal Transduction Current Position: Shanxi Agricultural University, Professor Education:   2011.09-2016.06, Shandong Agricultural University, Master and Ph.D. in Cell Biology 2007.09-2011.06…

Li et al. investigate how Arabidopsis seed size is controlled by maternal tissues. By Ying Ju Li, Yang Yu and Ying Hua Su, State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Agricultural University, Shandong, China  Background: Seed size is determined by the coordinated development…

Zhiwu Dan, first author of "The metabolomic landscape of rice heterosis highlights pathway biomarkers for predicting complex phenotypes" Current Position: Postdoctoral, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China Education: PhD in Genetics, Wuhan University Non-scientific Interests: gardening, fishing,…

Lihong Hao, co-first author of "VPS18-regulated vesicle trafficking controls the secretion of pectin and its modifying enzyme during pollen tube growth in Arabidopsis" Current Position: Associate Professor at Shanxi University. Education: Ph.D. in Plant Molecular Biology at Peking University, B.S.…

Jiao Shi, co-first author of "VPS18-regulated vesicle trafficking controls the secretion of pectin and its modifying enzyme during pollen tube growth in Arabidopsis" Current Position: Project Manager Education: Ph.D. in Peking University, P. R. China Non-scientific Interests: Reading, hiking Brief…

Saiying Hou, co-first author of "VPS18-regulated vesicle trafficking controls the secretion of pectin and its modifying enzyme during pollen tube growth in Arabidopsis" Current Position: Ph.D. Candidate, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China Education: B.S. in College of Biological…

Qingkai Feng, first author of "Jasmonate Regulates the FAMA/Mediator complex subunit 8-THIOGLUCOSIDE GLUCOHYDROLASE 1 Cascade and Myrosinase Activity" Current Position: PhD candidate in Dr. Xiaohui Li’s lab at College of Food and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ningbo University Education: B.S. in Ningbotech…

He et al. demonstrate that Mediator complex subunits have functions beyond their known roles in transcription. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koab079 By Huaming He, Patrick Willems, Frank Van Breusegem, and Amna Mhamdi Background: Plants often face challenging environments to which they…

Humans have derived inspiration from innumerable corners of the natural world. Plants of diverse forms have inspired many “biomimetics,” or technical products derived from biological models. Speck and Speck review how plant-based biomimetics have developed over time and elaborate on their current…

In many plants, epidermal pavement cells lock together through interdigitating lobes, much like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.  These cells start out as regular squarish cells with straight walls, which then bow out and curve. Here, Belteton et al. investigate how lobes form in cotyledon pavement cells.…

Plants demonstrate a gorgeous diversity in cell types to adapt to their unique environments. Certain cell types, such as the epidermal, cortex, and vascular cells within plant roots, or the classically-defined root developmental zones (meristematic, elongation, and maturation), are homologous in angiosperms.…

Precise cell cycle control is essential for the differentiation of specialized cell types. Stomata, essential pores for gas exchange located in the epidermis, are generated via proliferative asymmetric cell division (ACD) of a transient stem cell called a meristemoid, which will give rise to a guard…

I firmly believe that the experience of doing science (observing, framing questions, designing and carrying out experiments, and interpreting findings) is the best way to cultivate future scientists, as well as a science-literate public (which we so clearly need). This preprint by Elgin et al. (it’s…

As scientists, we often measure what we can measure as a proxy for what we want to measure. Critical to this strategy is a good understanding of how well the first represents the second. Currently, advancement in science largely rests upon factors that are easy to measure: number of publications and…

Review: Functional morphology of plants - a key to biomimetic applications Humans have derived inspiration from innumerable corners of the natural world. Plants of diverse forms have inspired many “biomimetics,” or technical products derived from biological models. Speck and Speck review how plant-based…

Prakitchai Chotewutmontri, first author of "Ribosome profiling elucidates differential gene expression in bundle sheath and mesophyll cells in maize" Current Position: Research Associate, Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon. Education: Ph.D. Life Sciences (Genome Science and Technology),…

Xing et al. find that Arabidopsis plants ward off pathogen infection by limiting iron availability. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koab075 By Yingying Xing, Deepak D. Bhandari, and Jun Liu Background: Iron is an essential nutrient for most lifeforms. Organisms get their iron from their…

Emilie Widemann, first author of "Multiple indole glucosinolates and myrosinases defend Arabidopsis against Tetranychus urticae herbivory" Current Position: Postdoctoral associate in the laboratory of Dr. Vojislava Grbić at the University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada Education: M.S.…

Tomoyuki Furuya, first author of "Gene co-expression network analysis identifies BEH3 as a stabilizer of secondary vascular development in Arabidopsis" Current Position: Postdoctoral researcher, Graduate School of Science, Kobe University, Japan Education: PhD, Graduate School of Agricultural Science,…

Mascher et al. use long-read sequencing to explore the complex genome of barley. Plant Cell. https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koab077 Martin Mascher, Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research Gatersleben, Germany Mona Schreiber, University of Marburg, Germany Background: The…

Mohammed Aiyaz, co-first author of "Regulation of touch-stimulated de novo root regeneration from Arabidopsis leaves" Current Position: Postdoctoral Research Associate, School of Biology, IISER Thiruvananthapuram Education: PhD in Biotechnology, University of Mysore Brief Bio:  Hailing from…

Mabel Maria Mathew, co-first author of "Regulation of touch-stimulated de novo root regeneration from Arabidopsis leaves" Current Position: PhD student, School of Biology, IISER Thiruvananthapuram Education: M.Sc, St. Joseph's College, Bengaluru Non-scientific Interests: Travelling, Illustration Brief…

Anju Pallipurath Shanmukhan, co-first author of "Regulation of touch-stimulated de novo root regeneration from Arabidopsis leaves" Current Position: PhD student, School of Biology, IISER Thiruvananthapuram Education: Integrated BS-MS in Biological Sciences, IISER Thiruvananthapuram Non-scientific…

Linkan Dash, first author of "slim shady is a novel allele of PHYTOCHROME B present in the T-DNA line SALK_015201" Current Position: PhD student of Dr. Dior Kelley, Department of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology, Iowa State University Education: Masters and Bachelors in Biology (National…

Xuyen Ha Le, first author of "The mitochondrial pyruvate carrier (MPC) complex mediates one of three pyruvate-supplying pathways that sustain Arabidopsis respiratory metabolism" Current Position: PhD student in Millar Lab, ARC Centre for Plant Energy Biology Education: Bachelor of Biotechnology…

Marco Mellon, first author of “Inactivation of mitochondrial Complex I stimulates chloroplast ATPase in Physcomitrium patens” Current Position: Post-doctoral scientist Education: I have earned my bachelor’s and master’s degree in Molecular Biology at the University of Padova (Italy). Then,…

Vajiheh Safavi-Rizi, author of "Towards genetically encoded sensors for nitric oxide bioimaging in planta" Current Position: Postdoctoral fellow at Department of Plant Physiology, Institute of Botany and Landscape Ecology, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany Education: Ph.D. at Department…

Peng Xu, first author of "Blue light-dependent interactions of CRY1 with GID1 and DELLA proteins regulate gibberellin signaling and photomorphogenesis in Arabidopsis" Current Position:  Fudan University,PhD Education: Fudan University, PhD; Northwest A & F University, bachelor and master Non-scientific…

Gaochao Cai, first author of "Soil textures rather than root hairs dominate water uptake and soil-plant hydraulics under drought" Current Position: Postdoctoral scientist, Chair of Soil Physics, University of Bayreuth, Germany Education: PhD in Soil hydrology, Forschungszentrum Jülich / University…

Mohit Kumar Swarnkar, first author of "Prickle morphogenesis in rose is coupled with secondary metabolite accumulation and governed by canonical MBW transcriptional complex" Current Position: Ph.D. Candidate (GNDU, Amritsar) and Senior Technical Officer, Division of Biotechnology, CSIR-Institute of…

FEATURED FIGURE CAPTION:  Live imaging of Phytophthora infestans (magenta) growing on Nicotiana benthamiana cells (cyan). Cells that are colonized by the pathogen show increased numbers of vesicles (bright cyan dots) compared to cells that haven’t been colonized yet. Petre, Contreras, et al. investigate…

Fernando Baile, first author of EAR domain-containing transcription factors trigger PRC2-mediated chromatin marking in Arabidopsis Current Position: PhD student in Plant Biochemistry and Photosynthesis Institute (IBVF) in Seville, University of Seville, Spain. Education: BS in Biochemistry, MS…

Karel Müller, first author of DIOXYGENASE FOR AUXIN OXIDATION 1 catalyzes the oxidation of IAA Amino Acid Conjugates Current Position Scientist, Laboratory of Hormonal Regulations in Plants, Institute of Experimental Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences Education Diploma in genetics and…

Thank you to all who submitted applications for this program. The deadline has now passed and we will be evaluating the applications and announcing those selected later this year.     This past January, Plant Physiology welcomed 16 new Assistant Features Editors to the editorial…

Winkelmüller, Entila, Anver et al. uncover the considerable variation in gene expression patterns in closely related Brassicaceae species during pattern triggered immunity. Plant Cell  By Thomas M. Winkelmüller, Frederickson D. Entila, Shajahan Anver, and Kenichi Tsuda  Background: Plants…

Haber et al. developed an automated microplate system to continuously monitor levels of reactive oxygen species in planta. Plant Cell. https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koab068. By Zechariah Haber and Shilo Rosenwasser, The Robert H. Smith Institute of Plant Sciences and Genetics in Agriculture, The…

Zhicheng Wu, co-first author of "The circadian-controlled PIF8-BBX28 module regulates petal senescence in rose flowers by governing mitochondrial ROS homeostasis at night" Current Position: Ph.D candidate Education: Ph.D candidate at China Agricultural University Non-scientific Interests: Playing…

Yi Zhang, co-first author of "The circadian-controlled PIF8-BBX28 module regulates petal senescence in rose flowers by governing mitochondrial ROS homeostasis at night" Current Position: Postdoctoral research in the joint project, FAFU-UCR Joint Centre, Haixia Institute of Science and Technology.…

Neha Rai, first author of "Perception of solar UV radiation by plants: photoreceptors and mechanisms" Current Position: Post Doc in Prof. Roman Ulm’s lab at the Department of Botany and Plant Biology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland Education: Ph.D. in Plant Biology, University of…

According to FAO, only a hundred out of several thousands edible plants contribute to the global food system. Specifically, twelve species dominate food production worldwide; more than a half of our daily calorie intake comes from four seed crops (maize, soybean, rice and wheat). Although the agricultural…

Pathogens often appropriate iron from their hosts, as acquisition of iron is vital to sustain life for most organisms. As demonstrated in this paper by Xing et al., an effector protein, AvrRps4, from a common bacterial plant pathogen, Pseudomonas syringae, directly interacts with BRUTUS (BTS), an iron…

Desert plants must produce seeds that can withstand incredibly high temperatures. Nevertheless, different species of cacti –one of the most emblematic plant groups of these ecosystems– exhibit variable responses to extreme temperatures. In this fascinating paper, Visscher and colleagues conduct a…

Considering that atmospheric nitrogen (N) and N deposition have increased due to human activities, understanding the effects of this element in plant communities has become increasingly important. Still, the role of germination traits in these changes at the community level is poorly understood. Here,…

Calcium (Ca2+) signaling regulates a host of stress and developmental responses in plants. Apart from increases in cytosolic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]Cyt.), organellar signals play a key role in shaping the cytosolic signaling events. In an attempt to understand the Ca2+ dynamics in the endoplasmic…

In spite of the considerable excitement that accompanies the first genomic sequence of a species, that sequence usually represents a single individual or inbred accession – the real excitement comes from comparisons between individuals or accessions. These pan-genomic analyses provide insights into…

Plasmodesmata, the tubular connections that form continua between neighboring cells in plants, play vital roles in long-distance transport of ions, RNA, proteins, and small molecules. While it is known that plasmodesmata are permeable to phytohormones, including auxin, the physiological significance…

The Plant Cell has published a Focus Issue on the Biology of Plant Genomes. This Focus Issue includes reviews and research articles that highlight some of the most important recent advances in plant genomics and foreshadow future discoveries. Although Arabidopsis is represented in this article collection…

Focus Issue: Focus on the Biology of Plant Genomes The Plant Cell has published a Focus Issue on the Biology of Plant Genomes. This Focus Issue includes reviews and research articles that highlight some of the most important recent advances in plant genomics and foreshadow future discoveries. Although…

Minjie Qian, first author of "Downsizing in plants - UV light induces pronounced morphological changes in the absence of stress" Current Position:  Lecturer, Hainan University, China Education: PhD in Pomology at Zhejiang University, China; joint training PhD in biochemistry at Örebro University,…

Laura Gonçalves Costa Martins, co-first author of "A plant-specific syntaxin-6 protein contributes to the intracytoplasmic route for the begomovirus CabLCV" Current Position: Postdoctoral Researcher in the Biotechnological Institute Applied to Agriculture/ Bioagro, Universidade Federal de Viçosa,…

Bianca Castro Gouveia-Mageste, co-first author of "A plant-specific syntaxin-6 protein contributes to the intracytoplasmic route for the begomovirus CabLCV" Current position: Assistant Researcher in the Universidade Federal de Viçosa Education: Ph.D. and M.S. in Genetics and Breeding, B.S. in…

Wang et al. identify autumn senescence-associated genes and transcription factors in Populus and demonstrate a regulatory role for alternative splicing. The Plant Cell. (2021) https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koab046 By Hou-Ling Wang, Yi Zhang, Hongwei Guo and Zhonghai Li, Beijing Forestry University…

Lise Noack first author of "A nanodomain-anchored scaffolding complex is required for the function and localization of phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase alpha in plants" Current Position: Postdoc in Prof. Staffan Persson’s lab at department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen Education:…

Yuanpeng Xu first author of "Phytophthora sojae apoplastic effector AEP1 mediates sugar uptake by mutarotation of extracellular aldose and is recognized as a MAMP" Current Position: PhD candidate. Wang Yuanchao’s group in Nanjing Agricultural University. Education: 2011-2015, Nanjing Agricultural…

Ji-Yun Kim, first author of "Cellular export of sugars and amino acids: Role in feeding other cells and organisms" Current Position:  Group leader at the Institute of Molecular Physiology, Heinrich Heine University (HHU), Düsseldorf Education: BS/MS/Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at Seoul National…

Said Hafidh, co-first author of "LARP6C orchestrates post-transcriptional reprogramming of gene expression during hydration to promote pollen tube guidance" Current Position: Senior Research Fellow in Pollen Biology Lab of prof. David Honys at the Institute of Experimental Botany, Prague. Education:…

Elodie Billey, co-first author of "LARP6C orchestrates post-transcriptional reprogramming of gene expression during hydration to promote pollen tube guidance" Current Position: Researcher in Microalgae Engineering, TOTAL Refining & Chemicals, France.  Education: Ph.D. Plant Biology from University…

By Carmen Martín-Pizarro and David Posé, Instituto de Hortofruticultura Subtropical y Mediterránea (IHSM), Universidad de Málaga-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Background: Strawberry (Fragaria ´ ananassa) is one of the most important fruit crops worldwide, with a unique flavor…

Rui Wang, first author of "Loss of THIN EXINE2 disrupts multiple processes in the mechanism of pollen exine formation" Current Position: Postdoctoral researcher, Department of Molecular Genetics and Center for Applied Plant Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA Education: Ph.D.…

Stacy A. Anderson, first author of "A homolog of Guided Entry of Tail-anchored proteins3 functions in membrane-specific protein targeting in chloroplasts of Arabidopsis" Current Position: Scientist - Roche Sequencing Solutions Education: BS (Western Washington University), PhD (University of Wisconsin…

Min-Yao Jhu, first author of "LATERAL ORGAN BOUNDARIES DOMAIN 25 functions as a key regulator of haustorium development in dodders" Current Position: Ph.D. Candidate in Plant Biology, Sinha Lab, University of California Davis, CA, USA Education:  M.S. in Plant Biology, National Taiwan University…

Gross et al. describe how plastidic β-barrel proteins are inserted into the outer envelopes of plastids. The Plant Cell (2021) https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koab052 By Nicole Spies, Lucia Gross, and Enrico Schleiff Background: Due to their endosymbiotic origin, chloroplasts possess both an outer…

Valle Ojeda, first author of "A chloroplast redox relay adapts plastid metabolism to light and affects cytosolic protein quality control" Current Position: Postdoctoral Researcher at The California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3), University of California Berkeley, CA (USA) Education:…

Xiaojie Tian, first author of "WRKY53 Integrates Classic Brassinosteroid Signaling and the Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Pathway to Regulate Rice Architecture and Seed Size" Current Position: Research associate, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Harbin,…

Sandra Esther Zimmermann first author of "The phosphorylated pathway of serine biosynthesis links plant growth with nitrogen metabolism"   Current Position: Project manager at Cystic Fibrosis Center Cologne, Pediatric Pulmonology and Allergology, University Hospital Cologne, Germany. Education:…

Arkadiusz Zupok, first author of "A photosynthesis operon in the chloroplast genome drives speciation in evening primroses" Current Position: Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the group of Molecular Enzymology at the University of Potsdam, Germany Education: PhD in Molecular Biology at the Max-Planck-Institute…

Yunji Shin, first author of Proper protein folding in the endoplasmic reticulum is required for attachment of a glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor in plants  Current Position: Post-Doctoral Researcher in Molecular Breeding Division, Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, National Institute of Agricultural…

Malinova et al. provide genetic and biochemical evidence for ribosomal frameshifting in chloroplasts. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koab050 By Irina Malinova and Stephan Greiner Background: Translational recoding or ribosomal frameshifting - a process when ribosomes either omit nucleotide(s)…

Samuel Nonis, first author of Structural and biochemical analyses of concanavalin A circular permutation by jack bean asparaginyl endopeptidase Current Position: PhD thesis under examination and looking for my first post-doc position Education: PhD student in Biochemistry/Structural Biology, Honours…

Shuxiao (Susan) Zhang, first author of Root vacuolar sequestration and suberization are prominent responses of Pistacia spp. rootstocks during salinity stress Current Position: PhD student in the Plant Biology Graduate Program at University of California Davis Education: BS in plant biology,…

Perhaps, when our lives have been turned upside down by a human pathogenic virus, it’s easy to overlook the fact that plants too suffer from viral infections; but of course, they do. (And of course, famously, viruses were first discovered in plants). Although it is difficult to cure a plant of a virus…

In this review, Huss and Gierlinger describe the different anatomical features that shape sclerenchyma function in hard seed encapsulations. Hard encapsulations are classified as static (non-deforming at the macroscopic level) or responsive (deforming in response to environmental changes), depending…

Primary plant cell walls are made up of three types of polysaccharides: cellulose, hemicellulose, and pectin, the orientations and interactions of which provide the cell wall with its properties. Here, Zhang et al. examined the outer wall of onion epidermal cells through atomic-force microscopy, stress-strain…

Plants are constantly susceptible to mechanical stress and they have evolved intracellular signaling mechanisms to adapt to mechanical stimulation. Whilst it is known that ion channels activate signaling pathways in response to mechanical stress, only few of these mechanosensitive channels have been…

Plants form symbiotic associations with a variety of microbial partners, among which arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are prominent. AMF are known to enrich plants with a host of vital nutrients including the essential macronutrient phosphorus. While the finer details of plant-AMF association are known…

In multicellular organisms, stem cells produce various cell types through asymmetric cell division (ACD), which is achieved is through polarization of cell-fate determinant proteins in the ACD progenitor cells. In Arabidopsis stomatal development, an ACD progenitor cell, the meristemoid mother cell (MMC),…

Increase in ambient temperature often causes remarkable changes in the shape and organization of plant body, including elongation of hypocotyl and petioles, early flowering, and reduction in stomatal index, collectively known as thermomorphogenesis. Virtually all the molecular pathways that are known…

While most plants have a single fruit and seed form, several species produce two or more distinct fruit and seed types, although the mechanisms behind this phenomenon remain unknown. Here, Arshad and colleagues assess the differences in the internal morphology and transcriptomic profile throughout development…

Review. Under siege: virus control in plant meristems and progeny Perhaps, when our lives have been turned upside down by a human pathogenic virus, it’s easy to overlook the fact that plants too suffer from viral infections; but of course, they do. (And of course, famously, viruses were first discovered…

Changtian Pan, first author of PIF4 negatively modulates cold tolerance in tomato anthers via temperature-dependent regulation of tapetal cell death Current Position: Post-Doctoral Associate, Department of Plant Science & Landscape Architecture, University of Maryland-College Park Education:…

Jiying Li, co-first author of DeepLearnMOR: a deep-learning framework for fluorescence image-based classification of organelle morphology Current Position: Software Engineer, Microsoft Education: M.S. in Computer Science (UC Davis), Ph.D. in Genetics (Michigan State University) Non-scientific…

Jinghao Peng, co-first author of DeepLearnMOR: a deep-learning framework for fluorescence image-based classification of organelle morphology Current Position: MS Student, School of Computer Science, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an, China. Education: B.S. degree, Northeast Normal…

Kurzbauer and colleagues combine genetic, genomic and cytological analyses to reveal the role of ATM during Arabidopsis meiosis.  By Marie-Therese Kurzbauer and Peter Schlögelhofer, Department of Chromosome Biology, Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, Vienna BioCenter Background: ATM is…

Jesús Pascual, co-first author of ACONITASE 3 is part of the ANAC017 transcription factor-dependent mitochondrial dysfunction response Current Position: Academy of Finland Postdoctoral Researcher, Molecular Plant Biology Unit, University of Turku, Finland. Education: PhD in Biology (University…

Moona Rahikainen, co-first author of ACONITASE 3 is part of the ANAC017 transcription factor-dependent mitochondrial dysfunction response Current Position: Post-doctoral researcher in the laboratory of Asst. Prof. Saijaliisa Kangasjärvi at the University of Helsinki, Finland Education: PhD and…

Busche and colleagues undertook a genetic screen to identify new components of the TOR signaling pathway in Arabidopsis thaliana and revealed a link between sensing of nutrient levels and protein translation. By Michael Busche, University of California-Berkeley, and Jacob O. Brunkard, University…

Yingjun Yu, co-first author of BBX19 fine-tunes the circadian rhythm by interacting with PSEUDO-RESPONSE REGULATOR proteins to facilitate their repressive effect on morning-phased clock genes Current position: PhD candidate in Prof. Lei Wang’s lab at Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences Education:…

Li Yuan, co-first author of BBX19 fine-tunes the circadian rhythm by interacting with PSEUDO-RESPONSE REGULATOR proteins to facilitate their repressive effect on morning-phased clock genes Current Position: Postdoc at Henan University, China Education: Ph.D. in Cell Biology, Hebei Normal University Non-scientific…

Yang Hu, First Author of GridFree: A Python Package of Image Analysis for Interactive Grain Counting and Measuring Current Position: Postdoctoral research associate, Washington State University, USA Education: MS in Mechanical Engineering and Ph.D. in Computer Science (Washington State University,…

Rachael Ann DeTar, first author of Loss of inner-envelope K+/H+ exchangers impairs plastid rRNA maturation and gene expression Current Position: Ph.D. student Education: I graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from Colorado State University (CSU, Fort Collins,…

Zahir Ali, first author of CRISPR/Cas systems versus plant viruses: engineering plant immunity and beyond  Current Position: Research Scientist, Laboratory for Genome Engineering & Synthetic Biology, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia  Education: Ph.D.…

Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) are produced as metabolic byproducts and are vital participants in development and stress responses. However, ROS can be damaging, and are subcellularly localized to mitigate toxicity. Perception of pathogen attack leads to apoplastic ROS production through Respiratory Burst…

Calcium ions (Ca2+) occupy a primary position in plant cell signaling processes by virtue of their role as the so-called second messengers. Ca2+ signaling underlies plant response to various abiotic, biotic and developmental cues. Whilst this Ca2+ signaling was thought to predominantly occur in the cytoplasm,…

The circadian cycle affects almost all eukaryotic cells. In the case of plants, circadian rhythms affect many processes including the supply of carbon during the night for respiration and growth, and many other agricultural traits. The use of this knowledge for adapting agronomic practices or to alter…

In this fascinating review, Köhler and colleagues show us that the seed endosperm is not only a nutritive tissue that supports embryo growth, it also nourishes the course of plant evolution. When closely related species or species with different ploidy levels hybridize, endosperm development deviates…

The gaseous environment is thought to play a fundamental role in seed longevity in storage conditions, given the role of oxygen and other volatile compounds in seed viability loss. However, formal tests of its influence are still scarce compared to other storage parameters such as temperature and humidity.…

Review: Recent discoveries show novel sensors and regulation of reactive oxygen species Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) are produced as metabolic byproducts and are vital participants in development and stress responses. However, ROS can be damaging, and are subcellularly localized to mitigate toxicity.…

This letter by Kevin Cox, Kiona Elliott, and Taylor Harris is the 4th in our series on diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM disciplines. Read the editorial call for letters here: Sowing the seeds of equity and diversity in academia and STEM disciplines. Cox KL Jr, Elliott KR, Harris TM (2021) Creating…

This letter by Sterling Field and Alex Rajewski is the 3rd in our series on diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM disciplines. Read the editorial call for letters here: Sowing the seeds of equity and diversity in academia and STEM disciplines. Field S, Rajewski A (2021). Challenges facing LGBTQ+…

This letter by Sona Pandey is the 2nd in our series on diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM disciplines. Read the editorial call for letters here: Sowing the seeds of equity and diversity in academia and STEM disciplines. Pandy, S. (2020). Ready, primed, go: Ending the racism pandemic in science.…

This letter by Beronda Montgomery is the 1st in our series on diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM disciplines. Read the editorial call for letters here: Sowing the seeds of equity and diversity in academia and STEM disciplines. Montgomery, BL (2020). Planting equity: Using what we know to cultivate…

Zachary Beamer, first author of Aquaporin Family Lactic Acid Channel NIP2;1 Promotes Plant Survival Under Low Oxygen Stress in Arabidopsis Current Position: Graduate Teaching Assistant, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Education: BSc in Biological Sciences and Chemistry (University of Tennessee,…

Luca Morelli, first author of Light signals generated by vegetation shade facilitate acclimation to low light in shade-avoider plants Current Position: pre-doctoral fellow with prof. Manuel Rodriguez-Concepcion at IBMCP research centre in Valencia Education: Master’s degree in Plant and Microbe…

Cheng et al. explore how ethylene promotes the asymmetric growth of petal bases to promote flower opening in rose. The Plant Cell (2021) https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koab031  By Chengchen Xia, Junping Gao, and Nan Ma  Background: Flowers are unique structures in angiosperms that are used for…

Noemí Ruiz-Lopez, co-first author of Synaptotagmins at the endoplasmic reticulum–plasma membrane contact sites maintain diacylglycerol homeostasis during abiotic stress  Current Position: Associate Professor at the University of Málaga. Education: PhD in Molecular and Cell Biology, B.S. in Biology…

Jessica Pérez Sancho, co-first author of Synaptotagmins at the endoplasmic reticulum–plasma membrane contact sites maintain diacylglycerol homeostasis during abiotic stress Current Position:  Postdoctoral researcher in the Laboratory of Membrane Biogenesis (UMR 5200-CSIC-U.Bordeaux), France. Education: …

Shi et al. (2021). Plant Cell. Gene expression in diploid aneuploids and polyploids. Plant Cell. https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koab030 By Xiaowen Shi and James A. Birchler Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211 Background: A change in the number of chromosomes…

Rameez Arshad, first author of Revealing the architecture of the photosynthetic apparatus in the diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana  Current Position: PhD candidate, University of Groningen, The Netherlands and Palacky University Olomouc, Czechia Education: M.Sc. in Molecular Biology and Genetics Non-scientific…

Simon Strobbe, first author of Metabolic engineering provides insight into the regulation of thiamin biosynthesis in plants Current Position: Postdoctoral researcher  at Laboratory of Functional Plant Biology, Department of Biology, Ghent University Education: PhD in Biology Ghent University; MSc.…

Yang et al. use haploid induction, genomic and transcriptomic sequencing to explore gene expression changes across the genome when the chromosome arm was varied in haploid maize. By Hua Yang, James Birchler, University of Missouri-Columbia Background: The phenotypic consequences of the addition…

Nikolai Adamski, first author of Ectopic Expression of Triticum polonicum VRT-A2 Underlies Elongated Glumes and Grains in Hexaploid Wheat in a Dosage-Dependent Manner  Current Position:  Postdoctoral scientist, Department of Crop Genetics, John Innes Centre, UK Education: Diploma in Biology,…

Aoyue Bi, first author of Stress memory gene FaHSP17.8-CII controls thermotolerance via remodeling PSII and ROS signaling in tall fescue   Current Position: PH. D. student in University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology Education: 2010-2014…

Meiyue Wang, Zijuan Li, Yu’e Zhang, Yuyun Zhang, et al. explore the differences in gene regulation in wheat subgenomes. Plant Cell. https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koab028  by Meiyue Wang, Yijing Zhang CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology…

Jonas Blomme, first author of A molecular toolkit for the green seaweed Ulva mutabilis Current Position: Postdoc in the Phycology Group (Olivier De Clerck; UGent) and Plant Genome Editing Group (Thomas Jacobs; VIB-UGent) Education: B. Sc and M. Sc. in Biology at UGent; PhD in the Systems Biology…

Francesca Resentini, first author of The signatures of organellar calcium and co-first author of Simultaneous imaging of ER and cytosolic Ca2+ dynamics reveals long-distance ER Ca2+ waves in plants Current Position: Postdoctoral researcher, Department of Biosciences, University of Milan (Italy) Education:…

Emrich-Mills and Yates et al. develop a method for the large-scale cloning of Chlamydomonas genes without sequence length or complexity limits. The Plant Cell (2021) https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koab024  By Tom Z. Emrich-Mills, Gary Yates, and Luke C.M. Mackinder  Background: Chlamydomonas…

Ana Clara Fanton, first author of Hydraulic consequences of enzymatic breakdown of grapevine pit membranes Current Position: Ph.D. Candidate of Yale School of the Environment Education: Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Engineering from University of Sao Paulo, Brazil Non-scientific Interests:…

Dr. Liza Esther Alexander, first author of High spatial resolution imaging of the dynamics of cuticular lipid deposition during Arabidopsis flower development   Current Position: Associate Scientist I, Kemin Industries Inc, Des Moines, Iowa Education: Ph.D. in Molecular, Cellular, and…

Catriona Walker, first author of Integrated dominance mechanisms regulate reproductive architecture in Arabidopsis thaliana and Brassica napus Current Position: PhD student, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK Education: MRes Plant Science (University of Glasgow), BSc Biology (University of Stirling) Non-scientific…

Seed priming is a family of presowing techniques that control water uptake in seeds, so they are dehydrated once metabolic activities have restarted but before the end of germination. Primed seeds have shown increased and more synchronized germination, especially under stressful conditions, making these…

Phylogenetic trees demonstrate the evolutionary relationship between organisms, but sometimes these relationships are described by inappropriate terminology. In this Viewpoint, McDaniel observes that based on a phylogeny as drawn here, bryophytes (represented by the genus Physcomitrella, aka Physcomitrium)…

The Rhynie chert holds some of the oldest and best-preserved fossils of vascular plants (Rhynie is a village in north-east Scotland, and chert is a type of sedimentary rock). Analysis of thin section of fossils from here have provided the earliest cellular details of “rhizoid-based rooting systems,…

Understanding cellular responses to the phytohormone auxin has always been a challenge and decades of work has constantly renewed our knowledge of the same. Here, Narasimhan and colleagues attempted to revisit and resolve the basis of differential action of naturally occurring auxin indole-3-acetic acid…

Photosystem II is a multisubunit enzyme complex in the thylakoid membranes of plant, algae, and cyanobacteria. Here, Zebret et al. used cryo-electron microscopy to produce high-resolution structural information of the intermediate complexes involved in the biogenesis and assembly of photosystem II from…

In Arabidopsis, flowering is promoted by the activation of the florigen FT in response to long days and by the accumulation of the phytohormone GA under short days (SD). Despite the extensive knowledge of regulatory networks involving FT, the molecular mechanism controlled by GA is still unresolved.…

It’s spring where I live and the air and my eyes are filled with pollen. The lucky few pollen grains that land on the stigmatic surface of a flower might germinate and deliver the sperm to the ovule, but there are many checkpoints even after their safe landing. Here, Liu et al. uncover one of the earliest…

Parasitic plants can completely wipe out a farmer’s harvest. The seeds can lie dormant in soil until they perceive signals from potential host plants, which stimulate germination. Therefore, germination stimulants applied to fields before the crops are planted can cause the parasitic seeds to germinate…

Review: Ageing beautifully: can the benefits of seed priming be separated from a reduced lifespan trade-off? Seed priming is a family of presowing techniques that control water uptake in seeds, so they are dehydrated once metabolic activities have restarted but before the end of germination. Primed…

Bingli Ding, co-first author of Phloem unloading via the apoplastic pathway is essential for shoot distribution of root-synthesized cytokinins Current Position: Research associate Education: Master, College of Chemistry and Life Sciences, Zhejiang Normal University Non-scientific Interests: Reading,…

Jiangzhe Zhao, co-first author of Phloem unloading via the apoplastic pathway is essential for shoot distribution of root-synthesized cytokinins Current position: Assistant Professor, College of Life Science and Chemistry, Zhejiang Normal University Education: BSc in Biological Science and PhD…

Debamalya Chatterjee first author of Maize unstable factor for orange1 is essential for endosperm development and carbohydrate accumulation  Current Position: Ph.D. Candidate at the Dept of Plant Science, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA. Education:  MS in Plant Breeding…

Raju Bheemanahalli, first author of Classical Phenotyping and Deep Learning Concur on Genetic Control of Stomatal Density and Area in Sorghum   Current Position: Assistant Research Professor, Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, Mississippi State University Education: Ph.D. in Crop Physiology,…

Olga Blifernez-Klassen and colleagues identify a minimal NAB1 promoter that confers responsiveness to low CO2 supply and the transcription factor LCRF that mediates NAB1 upregulation.  By Olga Blifernez-Klassen and Lutz Wobbe, Algae Biotechnology and Bioenergy, Bielefeld University, Faculty of Biology,…

Sabrina Chin, first author of Spatial and Temporal Localization of SPIRRIG and WAVE/SCAR Reveal Roles for These Proteins in Actin-Mediated Root Hair Development Current Position: Research Associate, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA Education: Ph.D., The Australian National University, Canberra,…

Mei Zheng, co-first author of Histone acetyltransferase TaHAG1 acts as a crucial regulator to strengthen salt tolerance of hexaploid wheat Current Position: Postdoctoral researcher, Beijing Vegetable Research Center (BVRC), Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences (BAAFS), Beijing, 100097,…

Andrea Berardi, first author of Complex evolution of novel red floral color in Petunia Current Position:  Harvard University Herbaria Research Fellow Education: PhD in Biology at University of Virginia, B.A. in Biology at Colgate University Non-scientific Interests:  yoga, baking, botanizing Brief…

Anna Moseler, first author of The function of glutaredoxin GRXS15 is required for lipoyl-dependent dehydrogenases in mitochondria Current Position: Postdoctoral researcher at Lorraine University/INRAE, Nancy, France Education: BSc in Biology, MSc in Plant Science, University of Bonn/Germany, PhD…

Wenbin Zhang, the first author of Arabidopsis NF-YCs play dual roles in repressing brassinosteroid biosynthesis and signaling during light-regulated hypocotyl elongation Current Position: Job hunting Education: PhD student in South China Botanical Garden，Chinese Academy of Sciences Non-scientific…

Choi et al. uncover the association between telomere length and flowering time variation in Arabidopsis, rice, and maize. The Plant Cell (2021) https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koab022   Background: Telomeres are DNA-protein complexes found at the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes that protect the…

Titouan Bonnot, first author of Time of day prioritizes the pool of translating mRNAs in response to heat stress Current Position: Post-doctoral research associate in the laboratory of Dr. Dawn Nagel at the University of California, Riverside (UCR), Department of Botany and Plant Sciences Education:…

Pierre Buscaill, first author of Defeated by the nines: nine extracellular strategies to avoid MAMP recognition in plants  Current Position: Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Plant Chemetics Lab of Prof. Renier A.L. van der Hoorn at the University of Oxford. Education: PhD Biology (National…

Jiani Yang, first author of The SvFUL2 transcription factor is required for inflorescence determinacy and timely flowering in Setaria viridis  Current Position:  Postdoctoral Associate at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center Education:  B.S. in Agronomy from Shandong Agricultural University,…

Solène Moulin, first author of Fatty acid photodecarboxylase is an ancient photoenzyme that forms hydrocarbons in the thylakoids of algae Current Position: On the way for a postdoc at Stanford University in Ellen Yeh’s Lab Education: PhD in Plant Biology, Aix-Marseille University Non-scientific…

Lv et al. investigate the molecular basis for the specific regulation of FT by CONSTANS. The Plant Cell (2021) https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koab016  By Xinchen Lv and Jiamu Du  Background: During the floral transition, plants perceive various environmental and endogenous signals to trigger…

Despina Samakovli, co-first author of HEAT SHOCK PROTEIN 90 proteins and YODA regulate main body axis formation during early embryogenesis Current Position: Postdoctoral Researcher in the group of Jozef Samaj in the Cell Biology Department of Palacký University Olomouc, the Czech Republic Education:…

Tereza Tichá, co-first author of HEAT SHOCK PROTEIN 90 proteins and YODA regulate main body axis formation during early embryogenesis Current Position: Postdoctoral scientist in the group of Prof. Thorsten Hamann, Institute for Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Norwegian University of Science…

Tereza Vavrdová, co-first author of HEAT SHOCK PROTEIN 90 proteins and YODA regulate main body axis formation during early embryogenesis Current Position: Postdoctoral Researcher in the group of Moritz Nowack, VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium Education: PhD…

Martínez-Cruz et al. identify fungal effectors with chitinase activity, which suppress chitin-triggered immunity. by Jesús Martínez-Cruza,b, Diego Romeroa,b, Jesús Hierrezueloa,b, Michael Thonc, Antonio de Vicentea,b and Alejandro Pérez-Garcíaa,b aDepartamento de Microbiología, Facultad…

Yeling Zhou (周叶玲), first author of In vivo FRET-FLIM reveals ER-specific increases in the ABA level upon environmental stresses Current Position: Senior Researcher in Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China Education: PhD in Phytopathology, Utrecht University,…

We don’t need to remind you of the tremendous positive impact that CRISPR-based technologies have had on the life sciences through enabling any gene to be edited precisely. Here, Gaillochet et al. provide an up-to-date review of a lesser-known application of CRISPR, its use in large-scale screening…

Has crop photosynthesis research been successful for increasing yields? This very crucial question is analyzed in a new review by Araus et al. The authors report that there has been no increase that can be described as a "quantum leap," but they discuss the merits of increasing leaf photosynthesis and…

Auxin is an omnipresent, tryptophan-derived phytohormone that plays roles in innumerable physiological processes, so it is imperative to understand its distribution. Currently the best tools to do so employ the use of indirect sensors, such as the synthetic auxin-responsive promoter DR5. While invaluable,…

Magnesium (Mg) and calcium (Ca) are essential nutrients for plants and also the animals that eat them. Human deficiencies of these elements are not uncommon. Here, Alcock et al. used Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy to measure the elemental composition of a mutagenized population of Brassica…

PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTOR4 (PIF4) is a key protein that mediates thermomorphogenic responses in plants. Under warm temperatures, PIF4 levels are high in the daytime even in the presence of active phyB, which is known to induce degradation of PIFs. Thus, in warm temperatures there must be a mechanism…

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a non-protein amino acid produced by animals and plants, but is its function conserved across kingdoms? In mammals, GABA acts as chemical messenger in the central nervous system by inhibiting neurotransmission. In plants, GABA accumulates in response to stress but its…

Autophagy is an intracellular evolutionarily conserved catabolic process that degrades cytoplasmic constituents and organelles in lytic vacuoles (micro- and macro-autophagy) or in the cytosol (mega-autophagy). Autophagy can be induced by biotic or abiotic stresses, sugar, carbon and nutrient starvation…

One of the biggest challenges when using fossils in plant evolution studies is establishing the phylogenetic relationships between fossils and modern plants. This task is particularly complicated with fossils from flowers or fruits, given the little information available for most groups' reproductive…

Seed size is a plant trait with agricultural and ecological relevance. However, the mechanisms that determine the final size of seeds are still subject to debate. Here, Creff and colleagues use computational models and mutant experiments to dissect the role of endosperm turgor in Arabidopsis seed size.…

Symbiosis between legumes and nitrogen-fixing bacteria such as Mesorhizobium loti requires an exchange of signals. Plants recognize both specific nod factors (lipochitooligosaccharides) as well as cell-surface exopolysaccharides through distinct pathways. The M. loti exoU mutant fails to properly form…

Review: CRISPR screens in plants: Approaches, guidelines, and future prospects We don’t need to remind you of the tremendous positive impact that CRISPR-based technologies have had on the life sciences through enabling any gene to be edited precisely. Here, Gaillochet et al. provide an up-to-date…

Joanna Friesner, first author of Broadening the impact of plant science through innovative, integrative and inclusive outreach Current Position: Executive Director, North American Arabidopsis Steering Committee (NAASC) Education: PhD in Genetics, University of California, Davis Non-scientific…

Kirk Amundson, first author of Rare instances of haploid inducer DNA in potato dihaploids and ploidy-dependent genome instability Current Position: Ph.D. Candidate, University of California Davis, Davis CA USA Education: B.S. in Biochemistry, University of Minnesota Non-scientific interests:…

Lu-Shen Li, first author of Calmodulin-Binding Protein 60b is a central transcriptional activator of immunity Current Position: PhD candidate in Prof. Yan Zhang’s lab at Shandong Agricultural University, Shandong, China Education: BS in College of Life Sciences, Shandong Agricultural University,…

Carmen Martín-Pizarro, first author of The NAC transcription factor FaRIF controls fruit ripening in strawberry Current position: Postdoc at the Institute for Mediterranean and Subtropical Horticulture (IHSM – UMA – CSIC) Education: BSc in Biological Science and PhD in Molecular Biology (University…

Paula Henarejos-Escudero, first author of A dopamine-based biosynthetic pathway produces decarboxylated betalains in Chenopodium quinoa Current Position: PhD Student in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Murcia Education: Biotechnology degree, Master degree in Molecular Biology and…

Winkler et al. describe a tool to visualize and quantify protein-protein interactions inside Nicotiana benthamiana cells. The Plant Cell (2021) https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koab004  Background: Interactions between proteins (protein-protein interactions, PPIs) are an essential aspect of how life…

Thomas D Alcock, first author of Magnesium and calcium over-accumulate in the leaves of a schengen3 mutant of Brassica rapa Current Position: Postdoctoral Researcher, Crop Physiology, School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Germany Education: PhD in plant nutrition at University…

By Rory J. Craig, Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh  Craig and colleagues report the sequencing and gene annotations of close and more distant relative of the unicellular alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, an emerging model organism for plant biology.  Background: The single-cell…

Antoni Sanchez-Ortiz first author of Water stress assessment on grapevines by using classification and regression trees Current Position: Professor and Winemaker Education: Degree in Chemistry, Degree in Enology, MS in Human Nutrition and Metabolism Non-scientific Interests: Bonsai and Forest…

Shajahan Anver, co-first author of Gene expression evolution in pattern-triggered immunity within Arabidopsis thaliana and across Brassicaceae species Current Position: Research Associate, Department of Genetics Evolution and Environment & UCL Institute of Healthy Ageing, University College London Education: …

Lennart Verbraeken, first author of Drought affects the growth rate and duration of maize organs but not the inter-organ coordination of growth Current Position: Predoctoral fellow at the VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology. Education: M.Sc. in Bioscience Engineering: Agricultural sciences…

By Patrice Salomé, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA  Salomé and Merchant analyze hundreds of RNA-seq samples in the single-cell green alga and discover vast co-expression potential and surprising residual synchronized expression across samples derived from cultures…

Matthew Wilson, first author of Ploidy influences wheat mesophyll cell geometry, packing and leaf function Current Position: Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield Education: BSc (Biology) from the University of Durham, UK; MSc (Crop Improvement)…

Hanna Nishida, co-first author of Different DNA-binding specificities between NLP and NIN transcription factors underlie nitrate-induced control of root nodulation Current Position: Postdoctoral researcher, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization…

Shohei Nosaki, co-first author of Different DNA-binding specificities between NLP and NIN transcription factors underlie nitrate-induced control of root nodulation Current Position: Assistant professor, Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Japan Education:…

Matanel Hipsch, first author of Sensing stress responses in potato with whole-plant redox imaging Current Position:  M.Sc. student in the Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, under the supervision of Dr. Shilo Rosenwasser. Education:…

Tobias Schenk, first author of “Light-induced degradation of SPA2 via its N-terminal kinase domain is required for photomorphogenesis” Current Position: Postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Zoology, University of Cologne, Germany Education: PhD in plant science at the Institute for…

Hardik P. Gala, first author of A single cell view of the transcriptome during lateral root initiation in Arabidopsis thaliana Current Position:  Postdoctoral fellow with Prof. Jennifer Nemhauser  @ University of Washington, Department of Biology­ Education: PhD in Cell biology with Prof. Jyotsna…

Pierre-Mathieu Pélissier, first author of Lateral root formation and nutrients: nitrogen in the spotlight Current Position: PhD fellow - Biochemistry and Biotechnologies, VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology, Gent, Belgium. Education: MSc - Agronomy engineer specialized in plant breeding…

Fanli Meng, first author of Genomic editing of intronic enhancers unveils their roles in regulation of tissue-specific gene expression in Arabidopsis thaliana Current Position:  Professor, College of Agriculture, Northeast Agricultural University (NEAU), China Education: Ph.D., Genetics at Shenyang…

Shuangrong Liu, first author of FHY3 interacts with phytochrome B and regulates seed dormancy and germination Current position: Ph.D. candidate, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Key Laboratory of Photobiology, Beijing, China (2015-now) Education: Bachelor of Shandong Agricultural…

Ma, Salomé and colleagues use single cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) on the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii as a proof-of-concept for the application of this method to unicellular algae.  By Patrice A. Salomé, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, UCLA* Background: The sequenced…

Niklas Klusch, first author of A ferredoxin bridge connects the two arms of plant mitochondrial complex I  Current Position: PhD student, Max Planck Institute of Biophysics Education: BSc in Biology, MSc in Cell Biology and Physiology, Goethe University Frankfurt/Germany Non-scientific Interests:…

By ES Forsythe, AM Williams, DB Sloan, Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado Forsythe and colleagues measured the rate of variation across thousands of nucleus-encoded and plastid-encoded proteins to then look for evidence of coevolution, suggestive of similar functions…

We marvel at the ability of starfish to regenerate an arm, or a lizard a new tail, but even more impressive than these feats is the ability of a plant root system to create lateral roots when and where they are needed. This root system plasticity has been long studied, with a wealth of insights into…

One of the most fascinating challenges in developmental biology is to understand how a few stem cells hidden in a microscopic region of the shoot apex give origin to all aerial parts of the plant. Technological advances such as single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) are enabling the comprehensive analysis…

Mitochondria function as cellular powerhouses to generate energy via oxidative phosphorylation and facilitate the synthesis of essential macromolecules. To protect against proteotoxic stress, damaged mitochondria are selectively removed by autophagy via a process known as mitophagy. In mammalian cells,…

The sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci, are devastating crop pests that lower yields and transmit viruses. They feed off more than 600 species, most of which produce toxic phenolic glycosides. Xia et al. investigated how the whiteflies manage to avoid the effects of the toxin. They found convincing…

Algae powered by red algal-derived plastids (e.g., diatoms, dinoflagellates, and coccolithophores) are among the most evolutionary and ecologically successful eukaryotes on Earth, but their origins and relationships remain poorly understood. Here, Strassert et al. test the rhodoplex hypothesis that designates…

Update: Lateral root formation and nutrients: nitrogen in the spotlight We marvel at the ability of starfish to regenerate an arm, or a lizard a new tail, but even more impressive than these feats is the ability of a plant root system to create lateral roots when and where they are needed. This root…

Guichen Li, first author of Mitochondrial Heat Shock Cognate Protein 70 Contributes to Auxin-mediated Embryo Development Current Position: Ph.D. candidate, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University Education: 2012/09-2016/07: Bachelor in College of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University; Since 2016/09:…

Cui Wu, first author of Gender Discrimination of Populus tomentosa Barks by HPLC Fingerprint Combined with Multivariate Statistics Current Position: Doctor candidate, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences Education: B.S. (2015), Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine; M Med (2018),…

Henryk Straube, first author of Enhanced nucleotide analysis enables the quantification of deoxynucleotides in plants revealing connections between nucleoside and deoxynucleoside metabolism Current Position: PhD student, Department of Molecular Nutrition and Biochemistry of Plants, Institute of…

Sarah Mielke, co-first author of Functional characterization of proton antiport regulation in the thylakoid membrane Current Position: Scientist, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Germany Education: B.Sc. in Life Sciences and M.Sc. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the…

Michał Uflewski, co-first author of Functional characterization of proton antiport regulation in the thylakoid membrane Education: B.Sc. in Biotechnology and M.Sc. in Biotechnology and Molecular Biology at the Wrocław University Current position: PhD student, Max Planck Institute of Molecular…

Ma et al. provide numerous insights into how whole-genome duplication contributed to the origin and diversification of the grass family. By Peng-Fei Ma, Yun-Long Liu and De-Zhu Li (Kunming Institute of Botany, CAS) Background: Whole genome duplication (WGD), which may result from an organism…

Lori Tausta, first author of The fluoride transporter FLUORIDE EXPORTER (FEX) is the major mechanism of tolerance to fluoride toxicity in plants Current position:  Associate Research Scientist, Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University Education: B.A. Biochemistry Mount…

Prigozhin and Krasileva identify highly variable NLR subfamilies responsible for the generation of new immune receptor specificities. The Plant Cell (2021)   By Daniil M. Prigozhin1 and Ksenia V. Krasileva2 1Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory 2University of California Berkeley  Background:…

Roots and shoots exist in different environments and have different functions, but each depends on the actions of the other. In recent years, many factors have been identified that move from root to shoot or vice versa to integrate their actions; these include hormones, small RNAs, peptides, and transcription…

The effects of light on plant growth are incredibly complex and depend on where it is perceived, light quantity, light quality (wavelength), and when within the circadian cycle it is perceived. Romanowski et al. examined the effect of late-day far-red light perception in Arabidopsis leaves. This treatment…

An efficient C4 photosynthetic pathway relies on the coordination between the biochemical carbon concentration mechanism that secures high rates of C4 acid flow into the bundle sheath (BS) and anatomical modifications that minimize CO2 leakage out of the BS cells. Suberin deposition in BS cell walls…

Genetic studies have provided us with countless examples of regulatory switches that transduce a signal into a response. Mutant analysis is usually sufficient to identify these controlling elements, but often in an all-or-nothing way. Here, Ghusinga et al. have taken a theoretical kinetic approach to…

Review: Microbiota-root-shoot-environment axis and stress tolerance in plants ($) Roots and shoots exist in different environments and have different functions, but each depends on the actions of the other. In recent years, many factors have been identified that move from root to shoot or vice versa…

Hannah Schneider, first author of Nodal root diameter and node number in maize (Zea mays L.) interact to influence plant growth under nitrogen stress Current Position: Postdoctoral Scholar, Penn State University Education: Ph.D. from Penn State University Non-scientific Interests: Hiking,…

Boxin Liu, first author of Manipulating ZmEXPA4 Expression Ameliorated Drought-induced Disruption of Anthesis and Silking Interval in Maize Current Position: job candidate Education: PhD in Prof. Feng Qin’s Lab at Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences Non-scientific Interests: Music,…

Shrikaar Kambhampati, first author of Temporal changes in metabolism late in seed development affect biomass composition Current Position: Research Scientist in Dr. Doug Allen’s lab, USDA-ARS/Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St. Louis, MO, USA Education: Ph.D., University of Western Ontario,…

Zemin Wang, first author of GRAS-domain transcription factor PAT1 regulates jasmonic acid biosynthesis in grape cold stress response Current Position: Associate professor, College of Life Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University Education: Doctor of Philosophy, the Chinese Academy…

Sipka and coworkers show that the closed state of photosystem II holds a formerly unrecognized structural and functional plasticity and upon illumination assumes a light-adapted charge-separated state. [Plant Cell https://academic.oup.com/plcell/advance-article/doi/10.1093/plcell/koab008/6119330] By…

Shivani Bhatia, first author of A cellular expression map of epidermal and subepidermal cell layer‐enriched transcription factor genes integrated with the regulatory network in Arabidopsis shoot apical meristem Current Position:  Looking for a suitable position Education:  Ph.D. in Plant Molecular…

Yang Yu, co-first author of The Arabidopsis MATERNAL EFFECT EMBRYO ARREST45 Protein Modulates Maternal Auxin Biosynthesis and Controls Seed Size by Inducing AINTEGUMENTA Current Position: PhD candidate in Prof. Xian Sheng Zhang’s lab at Shandong Agricultural University, Shangdong, China Education:…

Bezrutczyk et al. use single cell RNA-seq to show that SWEET13 proteins in maize bundle sheath cells are specialized in nutrient transport to the phloem. Plant Cell. https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koaa055. By Margaret Bezrutczyk and Wolf B. Frommer, Institute for Molecular Physiology, Heinrich-Heine-University…

Ying Ju Li, co-first author of The Arabidopsis MATERNAL EFFECT EMBRYO ARREST45 Protein Modulates Maternal Auxin Biosynthesis and Controls Seed Size by Inducing AINTEGUMENTA Current Position: In the job Education: BE in college of life sciences, Shangdong Agricultural University, Shangdong, China;…

Yang Li, co- first author of AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR 18–HISTONE DEACETYLASE 6 module regulates floral organ identity in rose (Rosa hybrida) Current Position: Postdoc in Key Laboratory of Plant Resources and Beijing Botanical Garden, Institute of Botany, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China. Education:…

Jiwei Chen, co- first author of AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR 18–HISTONE DEACETYLASE 6 module regulates floral organ identity in rose (Rosa hybrida) Current Position: Postdoc in Shenzhen University Education: Ph.D. in College of Horticulture, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China; Bachelor in…

Richard Breia, first author of Plant SWEETs: from sugar transport to plant-pathogen interaction and more unexpected physiological roles Current Position: Junior Researcher at CBMA, University of Minho Education: Bachelor in Applied Biology, Master in Plant Molecular Physiology and PhD in Biology Non-scientific…

Wei et al. explore how aluminum toxicity and inorganic phosphate limitation inhibit plant growth. Pengliang Weia,b and Lieven De Veyldera,b aDepartment of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Ghent, B-9052, Belgium bCenter for Plant Systems Biology, VIB, Ghent, B-9052, Belgium Background:…

Xiaoxue Wang, co-first author of Susceptibility factor RTP1 negatively regulates Phytophthora parasitica resistance via modulating UPR regulators bZIP60 and bZIP28 Current Position:  Master student, College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China. Supervisor: Associate Professor…

Xingshao Liu, co-first author of Susceptibility factor RTP1 negatively regulates Phytophthora parasitica resistance via modulating UPR regulators bZIP60 and bZIP28 Education: 2017-2020, Master of Agronomy in Crop science, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China 2013-2017, Bachelor of Science…

Xiaoyu Qiang, co-first author of Susceptibility factor RTP1 negatively regulates Phytophthora parasitica resistance via modulating UPR regulators bZIP60 and bZIP28 Current Position: Associate professor, College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, China Education: 2010: Dr. rer. nat.…

Samuel Koh Wee Han, first author of Mapping and engineering of auxin-induced plasma membrane dissociation in BRX family proteins Current Position: Ph.D. student, Department of Plant Molecular Biology, University of Lausanne Education: MSc in Life Sciences (Hokkaido University, Japan) and BSc in…

Alexis Porcher, first author of Ascorbate-glutathione pathways mediated by cytokinin regulate H2O2 levels in light-controlled rose bud burst Current Position: Postdoctoral researcher at the CEM lab, Institut Pascal, Clermont Ferrand, France. Education: Phd in plant physiology at the Institut de…

Huaming He first author of The Arabidopsis Mediator complex subunit 8 regulates oxidative stress responses Current Position: Lecturer, Beijing Technology and Business University, China Education: Ph.D., VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology, Belgium; MS, China Agricultural University, China Non-scientific…

Yingying Xing, first author of Bacterial effector targeting of a plant iron sensor facilitates iron acquisition and pathogen colonization Current Position: Ph.D. graduate Education: Ph.D. in Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China; Bachelor in College of Plant…

Zhaoxia Li (李朝霞), first author of  “Daily temperature cycles promote alternative splicing of RNAs encoding SR45a, a splicing regulator in maize” Current Position: Postdoctoral researcher, Plant Sciences Institute, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA Education: BSc in Bioscience from…

Shouyang Liu first author of Importance of the description of light interception in crop growth models Current Position: Professor in PheniX lab of Nanjing Agricultural University, China Education: Ph.D. in plant phenomics at INRAE-CAPTE, France Non-scientific Interests: Read, Travel and Movies Since…

Hosotani et al. explore the molecular mechanisms that modulate stomatal opening under different light conditions. by Sakurako Hosotani and Atsushi Takemiya (Yamaguchi University)  Background: Opening of stomatal pores is essential for photosynthetic CO2 fixation and transpiration in terrestrial…

David Eyland, first author of "The impact of slow stomatal kinetics on photosynthesis and water use efficiency under fluctuating light" Current Position: PhD candidate at KU Leuven Education: Master in Bioscience Engineering at KU Leuven Non-scientific Interests: Football & hiking Brief…

Corredor-Moreno et al. identify a branched-chain amino acid aminotransferase that is critical for progression of economically damaging diseases of wheat. Pilar Corredor-Moreno and Diane G.O. Saunders John Innes Centre Background: Wheat yellow and stem rust are major diseases of wheat worldwide.…

The root system has three key functions: support/anchoring, uptake of water, and uptake of nutrients. Many questions remain about how roots integrate all of these functions into the architecture of a single system. Here, Bardhan et al. explore whether modifying the nutrient environment (hence root’s…

Master transcription factors (TFs) can activate specific genetic programs to reprogram cellular fate in the context of open chromatin. A special class of these proteins known as pioneer TFs are defined by their ability to trigger cell fate reprogramming by binding their cognate cis motifs in a nucleosome…

Plants form leaves with highly reproducible sizes and shapes by employing a conserved set of developmental regulators. During early leaf growth, a zone of high cell proliferation is formed towards the proximal end of the lamina.  Proliferating cells progressively exit this zone and enter the distal…

It’s like the plot of every spy movie you’ve ever seen. If you could infiltrate your opponent’s headquarters what would you target to disable your enemy? This is the question addressed in new work by Petre et al. More than ten years ago, a family of small proteins was identified, the RXLR proteins…

Two very exciting papers have come out this week in Nature that address a long-standing question about the relative contributions of two different plant immunity pathways. PTI (pathogen-triggered immunity) recognizes conserved pathogen signatures at the plant cell surface; a model system for PTI is the…

Review: Can smart nutrient applications optimize the plant's hidden half to improve drought resistance? The root system has three key functions: support/anchoring, uptake of water, and uptake of nutrients. Many questions remain about how roots integrate all of these functions into the architecture…

Frederickson D. Entila first author of Gene expression evolution in pattern-triggered immunity within Arabidopsis thaliana and across Brassicaceae species Current Position: PhD student, Max-Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research Education: BSc Biology, Major in Microbiology, University of…

Ying Chen, first author Distinct Cellular Strategies Determine Sensitivity to Mild Drought of Arabidopsis Natural Accessions Current Position: PhD candidate at the VIB-UGent Center for Plant System Biology, Ghent, Belgium Education: M.S. (2013 -  2016), Institute of Botany, the Chinese Academy…

Zhang et al. explore the mechanisms of epigenetic information transfer in plants. The Plant Cell By Pingxian Zhang and Xiaofeng Gu Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China Background: Both genetic and epigenetic information must be…

Reis et al. explore how an interaction between PHO1.2 mRNA and its cis-natural antisense transcript enhances translation. The Plant Cell Rodrigo S. Reis1 and Yves Poirier1 1 Department of Plant Molecular Biology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland Background: A large proportion…

Mauricio Contreras, first author of Host-interactor screens of Phytophthora infestans RXLR proteins reveal vesicle trafficking as a major effector-targeted process Current Position: PhD Student at The Sainsbury Laboratory in Norwich, UK. Education: BSc in Biological Sciences from the University…

Dongjie Jia, first author of Genetic variation in the promoter of an R2R3−MYB transcription factor determines fruit malate content in apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) Current Position: Lecturer, College of Horticulture, Qingdao Agricultural University Education: 2014.09-2018.11, Ph.D., Pomology,…

Yang et al. show that nonspecific phospholipase C4-mediated sphingolipid remodeling regulates root growth in Arabidopsis in response to phosphate deficiency. The Plant Cell. https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koaa054. By: Xuemin Wang, Department of Biology, University of Missouri-St. Louis/Donald Danforth…

Light comes largely from above, and plants have evolved strategies to efficiently capture this light even when competing with other potentially shading plants. However, at a field-level, such competition may (and does) prevent plants from collectively maximizing light use efficiency, hence yield. In…

In maize (Zea mays), loss of function mutations in genes involved in starch biosynthesis characterize sweet corn varieties that have increased sugar content in the kernel. Specifically, lines carrying the shrunken2 (sh2) allele revolutionized the corn industry in Northern America in the last 50 years…

During domestication of maize, one of the favorable traits was meristem size. Understanding the genetic circuit of maize meristem development and engineering for crop productivity are important from an agricultural perspective. In this article, Lie et al. used CRISPR-Cas9 to edit the promoter regions…

Proper organogenesis depends on the precise control of cell proliferation and differentiation. Cytokinin and auxin have emerged as key regulators of both these processes, where cytokinin promotes proliferation and synergistically with auxin fine-tunes the proliferation and differentiation rate. Years…

This is an engrossing paper. The authors start off with a simple mutant screen for abnormal root growth in rice seedlings, through which they identified three “long root” mutant alleles of a rice mutant in a gene encoding a histidine kinase, HK1. Careful analysis showed that the mutant roots fail…

As a way to circumnavigate the plant innate immune system, phytopathogens evolved effector molecules that protect the pathogen from the plant’s defenses. SAP05, an effector from the insect-vectored phytoplasma Candidatus (a bacterial obligate parasite), is responsible for the plant phenotype observed…

Review: Perspectives on improving light distribution and light use efficiency in crop canopies Light comes largely from above, and plants have evolved strategies to efficiently capture this light even when competing with other potentially shading plants. However, at a field-level, such competition…

Simpson et al. describe and use PODIUM, a tool for global annotation of metabolites. Plant Cell (https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koaa046) By Jeffrey Simpson, Brian Dilkes, Clint Chapple Background: Plants synthesize hundreds to thousands of different chemicals. These chemicals help plants adapt…

Ruizhen Li, first author of Inflorescence abscission protein SlIDL6 promotes low light intensity-induced tomato flower abscission Current Position: Master candidate, Key Laboratory of Protected Horticulture of Ministry of Education, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China Education:…

Jelena Cvetkovic, first author of Ectopic maltase alleviates dwarf phenotype and improves plant frost tolerance of maltose transporter mutants Current Position: Senior Scientist Seeking Work Education: PhD in Molecular plant physiology at the Free University Berlin, Germany; MSc in Molecular Biology…

Zhijuan Wang co-first author of AtLURE1/PRK6-Mediated Signaling Promotes Conspecific Micropylar Pollen Tube Guidance Current position: Postdoc, School of Life Sciences, Peking University Education: Ph.D. in School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China; Bachelor in College of Plant…

Meiling Liu, co-first author of AtLURE1/PRK6-Mediated Signaling Promotes Conspecific Micropylar Pollen Tube Guidance Current Position: Postdoctoral researcher at Bioland Laboratory, Guangzhou, China Education: Ph.D. Degree: Peking University Master Degree: China Agricultural University Bachelor…

Kim et al. provide insight into leaf vascular cell types and new resources to build hypotheses and strategies regarding transport of ions, metabolites, and signals. Plant Cell http://bit.ly/2MKOR8M Ji-yun Kim and Wolf Frommer Background: Transport processes are critical for all multicellular…

Feng Xing co-first author of Parental variation in CHG methylation is associated with allelic-specific expression in elite hybrid rice Current Position: Lecturer (Xinyang Normal University) Education:  PhD (2018) in Biochemistry and molecular biology at Huazhong Agricultural University; Bachelor…

Xuan Ma, co-first author of Parental variation in CHG methylation is associated with allelic-specific expression in elite hybrid rice Current Position: PhD student at Rice Epigenetic Research Group at National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China Education:…

Jianghao Wu, first author of Functional redox links between Lumen Thiol Oxidoreductase1 and Serine/Threonine-protein kinase STN7 Current Position: PhD student, Key laboratory of photobiology, Institute of Botany-The Chinese Academy of Science (IB-CAS) (2014-now) Education: Bachelor, School of life…

Zechariah Haber, first author of Resolving diurnal dynamics of the chloroplastic glutathione redox state in Arabidopsis reveals its photosynthetically-derived oxidation Current position: Ph.D. student in Plant Sciences and Food Security at Tel Aviv University, under the supervision of Dr. Nir Sade Education:…

Lina Castano-Duque first author of An Epigenetic Pathway connects Rice Genetic Variation to Anaerobic Germination and Seedling Establishment Current Position: Postdoctoral Research Associate in Computational Biology at USDA-ARS Southern Regional Research Center in New Orleans Education: I…

Muhammad Uzair, co-first author of Narrow Leaf21N, Encoding Ribosomal Protein RPS3A, Controls Leaf Development in Rice Current Position: Freelancer Education: Ph.D. , Crop Genetics & Breeding, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences;  M.Sc., Plant Breeding…

Haixin Long, co-first author of Narrow Leaf21, Encoding Ribosomal Protein RPS3A, Controls Leaf Development in Rice Current Position: R&D Engineer, Coyote Bioscience Co., Ltd. Education: MSc at Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences Non-scientific Interests:…

Muhammad Jamil, first author of Current Progress in Striga Management Current Position: Research Scientist, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia  Education: PhD in Plant Physiology at Wageningen University Netherlands; PhD in Agronomy at University of Agriculture,…

Bauer et al. characterize UGT76B1 as a metabolic suppressor of the Arabidopsis immune response. The Plant Cell (2021). https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koaa044 By Dereje W. Mekonnen1, Jürgen Zeier2, Anton R. Schäffner1 1Institute of Biochemical Plant Pathology, Department of Environmental Sciences,…

One of the great questions in plant science has been, “How do plants recognize friend from foe?” Like most great questions, this one benefits from a historical perspective. In their new review, Delaux and Schornack look at plant evolution through the lens of plant interactions with symbiotic and…

Three key factors affect a plant’s ability to fix carbon: enzymatic activity of Rubisco, stomatal conductance, and the journey from sub-stomatal cavity to Rubisco, also known as mesophyll conductance (gm). This latter is the focus of this new work by Clarke et al. They delightfully compare this journey…

Plants have evolved well-coordinated crosstalk between different signaling pathways to respond and adapt to various environmental stresses. Brassinosteriods (BRs) and Target of Rapamycin Complex (TORC) have multiple roles, through transcription, translation and autophagy, to control the balance between…

Gibberellin (GA) controls multiple developmental processes throughout the plant life cycle, from seed germination to flowering. In Arabidopsis, GA also regulates division of meristematic cells at the tip of the root and cell elongation in the growing zone. Despite its importance, little is known about…

The osmotic state of a cell is affected by internal (metabolite content) and external (water availability) factors. Recent work by Cuevas-Velazquez and colleagues describes the design of a FRET-based biosensor that allows dynamic monitoring of osmotic stress in living cells. They exploited features of…

Seed germination, a critical life stage in a plant's life cycle, can be affected by internal seed morphology. In this exciting research, Vandelook and colleagues investigated the evolution of embryo and nutritive tissue characteristics and their relationship with the germination traits of 84 species…

Review: Plant evolution driven by interactions with symbiotic and pathogenic microbes One of the great questions in plant science has been, “How do plants recognize friend from foe?” Like most great questions, this one benefits from a historical perspective. In their new review, Delaux and Schornack…

Masaru Nakayasu, first author of Tomato roots secrete tomatine to modulate the bacterial assemblage of the rhizosphere Current Position: Specially appointed assistant professor, Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere, Kyoto University, Japan Education: BA, MS, and Ph.D., Kobe University,…

Zhiwei Luo, first author of The molecular and genetic regulation of shoot branching Current Position: Research Associate and Ph.D. candidate Education: Currently enrolled in a doctoral degree at the University of Auckland; Master of Science at the University of Auckland, New Zealand; Bachelor of…

Fratini et al. explore lipid patterns in the plasma membrane of the pollen tube. http://bit.ly/3uwYqsM Ingo Heilmann and Marta Fratini Department of Plant Biochemistry, Institute of Biochemistry and Biotechnology Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany Background:…

Anlong Jiang, first author of The PIF1-miR408-PLANTACYANIN Repression Cascade Regulates Light-Dependent Seed Germination Current Position: Postdoc in Dr. Lei Li's Lab at Peking University Education: Doctorate in Biology, Peking University Non-scientific Interests: reading, movies Brief bio:…

Qiujiao Yang, first author of Receptor-Like Cytoplasmic Kinase CDG1 Negatively Regulates Arabidopsis Pattern-Triggered Immunity and Is Involved in AvrRpm1-Induced RIN4 Phosphorylation Current Position: job candidate Education: PhD (2020) in Botany, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University,…

Zhikai Liang, first author of Genetic and epigenetic variation in transposable element expression responses to abiotic stress in maize Current Position: Postdoctoral Associate, Nathan Springer Lab, Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota Education: PhD Agronomy, James Schnable…

Xiaofang Liu, first author of A multifaceted module of BRI1 ETHYLMETHANE SULFONATE SUPRESSOR1 (BES1)-MYB888 in growth and stress tolerance of apple Current Position: Northwest A&F University doctor Education: College of Horticulture, Northwest A&F University doctor Non-scientific Interests:…

Ding et al. investigate the transcriptional regulation mechanism underlying the degree of pectin methylesterification using the mucilage that surrounds Arabidopsis thaliana seeds. Anming Ding, Tobacco Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) BY:  Yingzhen Kong, College…

Yuyun Zhang, first author of An atlas of wheat epigenetic regulatory elements reveals subgenome-divergence in the regulation of development and stress responses Current Position: PhD candidate, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences Education: BS from Northwest Agricultural &…

Meiyue Wang, first author of An atlas of wheat epigenetic regulatory elements reveals subgenome-divergence in the regulation of development and stress responses Current Position: Ph.D. candidate, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences Education: Bachelor of Agronomy in Nanjing Agricultural…

Name: Hanyang Cai, first author of Spatiotemporal control of miR398 biogenesis via chromatin remodelling and kinase signaling ensures proper ovule development Current Position: Assistant professor, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University (FAFU), China Education: Ph.D.,…

Dhiraj Dokwal, first author of Phosphorus deprivation affects membrane lipid composition and spatial distribution in legume nodules Name: Dhiraj Dokwal Current Position: PhD student in group of Dr. Rebecca Dickstein, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas Education: BSc and MSc in Biochemistry…

Yuval Milrad, first author of Bi-directional electron transfer between H2 and NADPH mitigates the response to light fluctuations in green algae Current Position: Post-Doc position in the 'Yacoby Lab for Renewable Energy Studies' at Tel-Aviv University. Education: PhD in Biotechnology from Tel-Aviv…

Aleksandr Gavrin, first author of Soybean Yellow Stripe-like 7 is a symbiosome membrane peptide transporter important for nitrogen fixation Current Position: Postdoctoral research associate, Sainsbury Laboratory, Cambridge University, UK. Education: PhD in Plant Molecular Biology, Wageningen University,…

Qianqian Guo, Transcription-associated metabolomic adjustments in maize occur during combined drought and cold stress In this paper, we characterize transcriptome and metabolite profiles of maize plants under single and combined drought and cold stresses, and reveal an ABA-dependent maize acclimation…

Seed germination is a crucial step in plants' life cycle and has critical implications in ecological and agronomic contexts. Therefore, there has been an increasing interest in understanding the mechanisms that prevent or trigger this process. Here, Luján-Soto and Dinkova provide a thorough review of…

Plants perceive UV-B radiation using a specialized photoreceptor protein called UVR8. Upon UV-B exposure, activated UVR8 initiates a signaling cascade, inducing a range of morphological and biochemical responses that facilitates UV adaptation. In a mutagenesis screen, Podolec et al. identified a mutant…

Redox switches regulate photosynthetic reactions and are mediated by conserved cysteine pairs, activated by reduction under light and deactivated by oxidation in the dark. Those reactions are mediated by thioredoxins (Trx). Usually, only plastidic and not cytosolic isozymes show these redox switches.…

Jasmonate (JA) coordinates plant development and response to a wide range of biotic and abiotic stresses. JA production is stimulated by wounding, which damages cell walls, and increased in plants carrying mutations in cellulose biosynthetic genes. Nevertheless, the intracellular events connecting mechanical…

Review: Time to wake up: Epigenetic and small-RNA-mediated regulation during seed germination Seed germination is a crucial step in plants' life cycle and has critical implications in ecological and agronomic contexts. Therefore, there has been an increasing interest in understanding the mechanisms…

Chenxia Cheng, first author of Ethylene-regulated asymmetric growth of petal base promotes flower opening in rose (Rosa hybrida) Current Position: Lecturer, College of Horticulture, Qingdao Agricultural University Education: Ph.D. in College of Horticulture, China Agricultural University, Beijing,…

Lucie Kriegshauser, first author of Function of the HYDROXYCINNAMOYL-CoA:SHIKIMATE HYDROXYCINNAMOYL TRANSFERASE is evolutionarily conserved in embryophytes  Current Position: Postdoctoral researcher at the Institut des sciences des plantes (IPS2), INRA, Paris-Saclay, France Education: PhD in plant…

Joel Masanga first author of Physiological and ecological warnings that dodders pose an exigent threat to farmlands in Eastern Africa Current position; PhD Candidate in Prof. Steven Runo’s group, and Lab Manager (Plant Transformation Laboratory) at the Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and…

Baetsen-Young et al. explore the root transcriptomes of soybean and maize plants infected with a fungus. The Plant Cell By Amy Baetsen-Young and Brad Day, Michigan State University  Background: Diverged plant species respond to microbial interactions through different processes, the outcome…

Gary Yates, co-first author of A Recombineering Pipeline to Clone Large and Complex Genes in Chlamydomonas Current Position: Senior Research Associate and head of product development at PharmaSeeds Education: BSc (Hons) in Genetics from the University of Glasgow. PhD from the University…

Tom Emrich-Mills, co-first author of A Recombineering Pipeline to Clone Large and Complex Genes in Chlamydomonas Current position: PhD student, Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Sheffield, UK Education: MSc (Biochemistry) and BSc (Biology) from the University…

Martin Bouda, first author of Xylem network connectivity and embolism spread in grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) Current Position: Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences Education: PhD Yale University, School of the Environment, New Haven, CT; BA University of Pennsylvania,…

Jay Wason, first author of Xylem network connectivity and embolism spread in grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) Current Position: Assistant Professor at the University of Maine School of Forest Resources Education: PhD State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse,…

Xi Gu, first author of Plasma Membrane Phylloquinone Biosynthesis in Nonphotosynthetic Parasitic Plants Current Position: Senior Bioinformatics Scientist at Bayer Crop Science, Saint Louis, Missouri, U.S.A. Education: Ph.D. in Bioinformatics, M.S. in Statistics, The University of Georgia,…

Huajin Sheng, first author of YSL3-mediated copper distribution is required for fertility, seed size and protein accumulation in Brachypodium Current Position: Postdoctoral researcher, Global Institute for Food Security, University of Saskatchewan, Canada Education: Ph.D. in Botany, Triticeae Research…

Shrikaar Kambhampati co-first author of The soybean (Glycine max L.) cytokinin oxidase/dehydrogenase multigene family; Identification of natural variations for altered cytokinin content and seed yield Current Position: Research Scientist in Dr. Doug Allen’s lab, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center,…

Nguyen Ngoc Hai co-first author of The soybean (Glycine max L.) cytokinin oxidase/dehydrogenase multigene family; Identification of natural variations for altered cytokinin content and seed yield Current Position: MSc candidate, Environmental and Life Sciences, Trent University Education: BSc Biotechnology,…

Hua Yang author of Predominantly inverse modulation of gene expression in genomically unbalanced disomic haploid maize Current Position: Postdoc at University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, Missouri, US Education: BS in Plant science and technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya’an, China;…

Pilar Corredor-Moreno, first author of The branched-chain amino acid aminotransferase TaBCAT1 modulates amino acid metabolism and positively regulates wheat rust susceptibility Current Position: Postdoctoral researcher, John Innes Centre, Norwich, UK Education: PhD in Crop Genetics and Plant Pathology…

Yi Ren, author of Evolutionary Gain of Oligosaccharide Hydrolysis and Sugar Transport Enhanced Carbohydrate Partitioning in Sweet Watermelon Fruits Name: Yi Ren Current Position: Associate Research Fellow, Beijing Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences (BAAFS), Beijing, China Education:…

Yuan Xu, author of The metabolic origins of non-photorespiratory CO2 release during photosynthesis: A metabolic flux analysis Current Position: Post-Doctoral Associate, Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, Michigan, US Education: Ph.D. in Plant and Microbial Biology, University…

Tomer Chen, first author of Lipoxygenase functions in 1O2 production during root responses to osmotic stress Name: Tomer Chen Current Position: Post-Doctoral Researcher at the Weizmann Institute of Science Education: PhD in Plant Biotechnology, Weizmann Institute of Science. MSc in Phytopathology…

Yang Liu, first author of An undiscovered facet of hydraulic redistribution driven by evaporation—A study from a Populus tomentosa plantation  Name: Yang Liu Current Position: Master student, the College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, China Education: Bachelor of Forestry science…

Jessica Wedow, first author of Age-dependent increase in α-tocopherol and phytosterols in maize leaves exposed to elevated ozone pollution Current Position: Postdoctoral Associate, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center Education: Ph.D. in Plant Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign;…

Yuke Geng, co-first author of Rice and Arabidopsis homologs of yeast CHROMOSOME TRANSMISSION FIDELITY PROTEIN 4 commonly interact with Polycomb complexes but exert divergent regulatory functions Current Position: Laboratory technician, college of Life and Environmental Sciences, Minzu University…

Pingxian Zhang, co-first author of Rice and Arabidopsis homologs of yeast CHROMOSOME TRANSMISSION FIDELITY PROTEIN 4 commonly interact with Polycomb complexes but exert divergent regulatory functions Current Position: Ph.D. candidate, Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural…

Chunmei Zhu, co-first author of Rice and Arabidopsis homologs of yeast CHROMOSOME TRANSMISSION FIDELITY PROTEIN 4 commonly interact with Polycomb complexes but exert divergent regulatory functions Current Position: Postdoctoral position, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural…

Chao Zhang, first author of Ubiquitylome Analysis Reveals a Central Role for the Ubiquitin-Proteasome System in Plant Innate Immunity Current Position: Ph.D. student in the group of Drs. Libo Shan and Ping He, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, Texas, US Education:…

Harry Horner, author of Nectar biosynthesis is conserved among floral and extrafloral nectaries Current Position: Retired June 2018; University Professor Emeritus, Department of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology & Roy J. Carver High Resolution Microscopy Facility Education: N.I.H. Postodoctoral…

Everyone enjoys hearing about ancient trees that have been alive since various events in human history, but did you ever stop to wonder why some trees live for millennia and others don’t? If so, you’ll want to read this Tansley Review by Piovesan and Biondi. One of their first observations is that…

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is a tall, perennial species native to the prairies of North America. Switchgrass is well-known for its uses as a biofuel and forage crop. However, switchgrass is also a fascinating model to investigate how plants adapt to changing environments, as historical glacial cycles…

ACCELERATED CELL DEATH 6 (ACD6) positively regulates the signaling of the plant defense hormone salicylic acid (SA). It was originally identified by the study of natural variation in defense responses of Arabidopsis thaliana. The naturally hyperactive ACD6-Est-I allele confers broad-spectrum disease…

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…

Symbiotic interactions between legume plants and compatible rhizobia bacteria lead to the formation of nitrogen-fixing nodules in the host plant root. Compatibility between rhizobia and host plants is determined by various factors like plant species-specific flavonoid secretion, extracellular polysaccharides…

Plant cells sense endogenous and exogenous molecules through proteins localized to the cell surface. While numerous ligands that mediate a variety of developmental and stress processes are known, cognate receptors for many ligands remain unidentified. Rhodes and colleagues have now shown the Arabidopsis…

Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are conserved protein kinases in eukaryotes that participate in signaling from cytoplasmic to chromatin events to allow transcription reprogramming. MAPKs play prominent roles at the chromatin level. Rayapuram et al. report a chromatin-associated phosphoproteome…

Review: On tree longevity Everyone enjoys hearing about ancient trees that have been alive since various events in human history, but did you ever stop to wonder why some trees live for millennia and others don’t? If so, you’ll want to read this Tansley Review by Piovesan and Biondi. One of their…

China Lunde, first author of A mixed-linkage (1,3;1,4)-β-D-glucan specific hydrolase mediates dark-triggered degradation of this plant cell wall polysaccharide Current Position: Staff Research Associate IV, UC Berkeley, Department of Plant and Microbial Biology in the laboratories of Drs. Sarah Hake,…

Jesús Montiel González, first author of Distinct signalling routes mediate intercellular and intracellular rhizobial infection in Lotus japonicus Current Position: Postdoc at Aarhus University, Denmark Education: PhD. Biochemical Sciences, Institute of Biotechnology (U.N.A.M., Mexico) Non-scientific…

Yi Zhang, co-first author of An Alternative Splicing Variant of PtRD26 Delays Leaf Senescence by Regulating Multiple NAC Transcription Factors in Populas  Current Position: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Tree Breeding by Molecular Design (BAIC-TBMD), Beijing Forestry…

Hou-Ling Wang, co-first author of An Alternative Splicing Variant of PtRD26 Delays Leaf Senescence by Regulating Multiple NAC Transcription Factors in Populus Current Position: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Tree Breeding by Molecular Design (BAIC-TBMD), Beijing…

Ji-Yun Kim, first author of Distinct identities of leaf phloem cells revealed by single cell transcriptomics Current Position:  Postdoctoral researcher at Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf Education: BS/MS/Ph.D. in Biological Science at Seoul National University Non-scientific Interests: music,…

Mashael D. Alqahtani, first author of The role of PQL genes in response to salinity tolerance in Arabidopsis and barley Current Position: Assistant Professor Education: PhD in Biosciences, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (Saudi Arabia), Msc in Histology, King Abdulaziz University,…

Zhan and Steglich et al. investigate the small RNA-mediated regulation of the photoprotective Orange Carotenoid Protein in cyanobacteria. https://bit.ly/3d3AqY0 By Jiao Zhan1,2, Wolfgang Hess3 and Diana Kirilovsky1 1 Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the…

Jun Zhao, co-first author of Functional relationships of three NFU proteins in the biogenesis of chloroplastic iron‐sulfur clusters Current Position: Associate Professor, Northwest A&F University Education: Ph.D. in Biology at Northwest A&F University Non-Scientific Interests: travelling,…

Manasa B. Satyanarayan, co-first author of Functional relationships of three NFU proteins in the biogenesis of chloroplastic iron‐sulfur clusters Current Position: Scientist, Charles River Laboratories, USA Education: MS in Biological Sciences at Western Michigan University, USA Non-scientific…

Romário de Melo, first author of Magnesium maintains length of circadian period in Arabidopsis Current Position: Execution Manager - Global Medical Affairs Education: BSc. Biology (Genetics), MSc Plant Biotechnology (Virology), PhD Natural Sciences (Biology and Biotechnology) Non-scientific…

Michael Busche, first author of TOR coordinates nucleotide availability with ribosome biogenesis in plants Current Position: Graduate Student at the University of California-Berkeley Education: BS in Biochemistry and Plant Genetics from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana Non-scientific…

Editors: Kenneth D. Birnbaum, Julia Bailey-Serres, Marisa Otegui, and Sue Rhee  Deadline for Submission: May 1, 2021 Publication: December 2021 To submit an article, go to http://pphys.msubmit.net Many questions central to plant biology focus on the state of specialized cells and their…

Andrea Casadesús, first author of Holoparasitic Plant–Host Interactions and their Impact on Mediterranean Ecosystems Current Position: PhD at the University of Barcelona on regulatory hubs of the relationship between vitamin E and oxylipins in different plant systems in Mediterranean-type ecosystems:…

Xiaowen Shi, first author of Genomic imbalance determines positive and negative modulation of gene expression in diploid maize Current Position:  Postdoctoral Fellow in the Division of Biological Sciences at University of Missouri, Columbia Education: Ph.D. in Genetics, Genomics and Development,…

Evan S. Forsythe, first author of Genome-wide signatures of plastid-nuclear coevolution point to repeated perturbations of plastid proteostasis systems across angiosperms Current Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Colorado State University Education: PhD, University of Arizona, School of Plant Sciences Non-scientific…

Recognizing Plant Physiology First Author, Kentaro Sasaki, author of:  A model system for studying plant-microbe interactions under snow Current position: Principal Scientist at the Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), Tsukuba, Japan Education:…

Recognizing Chikako Kuwabara, first author of:  A model system for studying plant-microbe interactions under snow Current position: Postdoctoral fellow at Graduate school of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Japan Education: Ph.D. in Bioscience from Hokkaido University Non-scientific Interests:…

Recognizing Plant Physiology first author Xiaoming Song, first author of Brassica carinata genome characterization clarifies U’s triangle model of evolution and polyploidy in Brassica Current Position: Associate professor, School of Life Sciences, North China University of Science and Technology,…

Keiko Yonekura-Sakakibara, Masaomi Yamamura et al. identify factors that play essential roles in the biosynthesis of seed-coat protective neolignans. Plant Cell. http://bit.ly/3mseqae By Keiko Yonekura-Sakakibara and Kazuki Saito, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science Background: Neolignans…

Daniil M Prigozhin, first author of:  Analysis of intraspecies diversity reveals a subset of highly variable plant immune receptors and predicts their binding sites Current Position: Project Scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Education: BA in Mathematics/Molecular and Cell Biology,…

Jae Young Choi, first author of Natural variation in plant telomere length is associated with flowering time Current Position: Postdoc, Center for Genomics and Systems Biology at New York University (USA) Education: Ph.D., Cornell University (USA) Non-scientific Interests: I think I use to like…

Eva Dvorak Tomastikova, first author of Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 and KRYPTONITE regulate pathogen-induced programmed cell death in Arabidopsis Current Position: Postdoctoral Researcher, Centre of Plant Structural and Functional Genomics, Institute of Experimental Botany, Olomouc, Czech Republic Education:…

Martinez et al. use laser capture microdissection and transcriptomic sequencing to explore how gene expression patterns regulate early morphogenesis of the compound tomato leaf. http://bit.ly/3nehiZu  By Ciera Martinez, University of California, Berkeley Neelima Sinha, University of California,…

Rong Wang, first author of SlERF52 regulates SlTIP1;1 expression to accelerate tomato pedicel abscission Current Position: Ph.D. candidate, Key Laboratory of Protected Horticulture of Ministry of Education, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China Education: Ph.D. (2015-)…

Patrice Salomé, first author of  Single-Cell RNA Sequencing of Batch Chlamydomonas Cultures Reveals Heterogeneity in their Diurnal Cycle Phase and Co-Expression Networks in Chlamydomonas Reveal Significant Rhythmicity in Batch Cultures and Empower Gene Function Discovery Current Position: Science…

Feiyang Ma, first author of Single-Cell RNA Sequencing of Batch Chlamydomonas Cultures Reveals Heterogeneity in their Diurnal Cycle Phase Current Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California, Los Angeles Education: Ph.D. (2020), University of California, Los Angeles; B.S. (2016), Nankai…

Elizabeth Chatt, first author of Nectar biosynthesis is conserved among floral and extrafloral nectaries Current Position: Postdoctoral Scientist, Research & Development, Corteva Agriscience Education: Ph.D. in Plant Biology (Iowa State University); B.S. in Biotechnology (University of…

Yinglin Ji, first author of The Mechanism for Brassinosteroids Suppressing Climacteric Fruit Ripening Current Position: Ph. D. candidate, College of Horticulture, Shenyang Agriculture University, Shenyang, China Education: B.S. (2016）from Shenyang Agriculture University, Shenyang, China Non-scientific…

Aging of plants is marked by the growth and differentiation of individual organs, as well as transitions of the whole plant through developmental phases: juvenile, vegetative adult, and reproductive phase. In their recent review, Rankenberg et al. discuss how abiotic stress responses vary in plants with…

Telomeres (from Greek words meaning "end part") are highly repetitive DNA sequences at chromosome ends that guard against degeneration during cell division. Though all eukaryotes possess telomeres, extensive interspecific variation exists for telomere lengths (300bp in yeast to 150kb in tobacco). Telomere…

Parasitic plants form haustoria, which are specialized multicellular structures that penetrate into their host’s vasculature and act as conduits for nutrients.  The molecular and genetic contributors to haustorium development and function are well described. Here, Masumoto et al. have provided new…

If you remember your biochemistry, lipids that are saturated (without double bonds) pack more tightly and therefore have a higher melting temperature than those that are unsaturated, therefore bend and pack less tightly (think of margarine versus oil). Plants can modify their membranes in a temperature-responsive…

All plant species are associated with a diverse yet distinct assemblage of microorganisms known as the microbiome. Traditionally, the environment is considered the primary source of these microbes. However, Abdelfattah and colleagues' fascinating research shows that seeds can act as vehicles to share…

Review: Age is NOT just a number Aging of plants is marked by the growth and differentiation of individual organs, as well as transitions of the whole plant through developmental phases: juvenile, vegetative adult, and reproductive phase. In their recent review, Rankenberg et al. discuss how abiotic…

Mario Fenech Torre, first author of The role of GDP-L-Galactose phosphorylase in the control of ascorbate biosynthesis Current Position: Postdoctoral researcher in the Plant biotechnology and Biochemistry Lab at the University of Malaga Education: PhD in Molecular Biology (2020); MSc in Advanced…

Gayani Ekanayake, first author of DYNAMIN-RELATED PROTEIN DRP1A functions with DRP2B in plant growth, immune responses and FLS2 endocytosis Current Position: Postdoctoral Scholar at The Ohio State University Education: Ph.D. in Biochemistry from University of Missouri-Columbia (2014 – 2020) BS…

Hou et al. report a DEAD-box helicase as a component of the RNA microprocessor complex and highlight its importance in embryogenesis. Plant Cell http://bit.ly/2LhT7LO By Xiu-Li Hou,a,b Xiu-Fen Song,a,b Chun-Ming Liua,b,c a Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Physiology, Institute of Botany, Chinese…

Baoguang Liu, first author of Transcriptional Reprogramming of Xylem Cell Wall Biosynthesis in Tension Wood https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiab038 Current Position: Teacher, Academy of Forestry, Beihua University Education: Ph.D. in Tree Genetics and Breeding, Northeast Forestry University Non-scientific…

Francesca B. Lopez, co-first author of Gene dosage compensation of rRNA transcript levels in Arabidopsis thaliana lines with reduced ribosomal gene copy number https://bit.ly/3pKnKc5 Current Position: PhD candidate at Genetics and Biotechnology lab under the supervision of Prof. Charles Spillane Non-scientific…

Antoine Fort, co-first author of Gene dosage compensation of rRNA transcript levels in Arabidopsis thaliana lines with reduced ribosomal gene copy number https://bit.ly/3pKnKc5 Current Position: Postdoctoral researcher in seaweed breeding and genomics, Plant Systems Biology Lab, NUI Galway, Ireland Education:…

Qingpei Liu, co-first author of Heat Stress Interferes with Formation of Double-Strand Breaks and Homolog Synapsis in Arabidopsis thaliana http://bit.ly/3pJonTd Current Position: Assistant professor, South-Central University for Nationalities Education: PhD, Huazhong Agricultural University Non-scientific…

Yingjie Ning, co-first author of Heat Stress Interferes with Formation of Double-Strand Breaks and Homolog Synapsis in Arabidopsis thaliana http://bit.ly/3pJonTd Education: Undergraduate student, majored in bioengineering, South-Central University for Nationalities Non-scientific Interests: reading…

Herrmann et al. uncover the role of KINESIN-12E in the rapid alignment of chromosomes during cell division. The Plant Cell (2020) http://bit.ly/3lCfIzf  By Arvid Herrmann Howards Hughes Medical Institute at University of Texas at Austin, Sabine Müller, Center for Plant Molecular Biology, University…

Matías Beltramino, first author of ARF2 represses expression of plant GRF transcription factors in a complementary mechanism to microRNA miR396 Current Position: Postdoctoral fellow at RNA Biology lab, Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology of Rosario (IBR-CONICET) Education: PhD in Biological…

Yun-Long Liu, co-first author of The Pharus latifolius Genome Bridges the Gap of Early Grass Evolution Current Position: Assistant Professor, Germplasm Bank of Wild Species, Kunming Institute of Botany (KIB), Chinese Academy of Sciences Education: Ph.D.（2013）at University of Chinese Academy…

Peng-Fei Ma, co-first author of The Pharus latifolius Genome Bridges the Gap of Early Grass Evolution Current Position: Associate Professor at Germplasm Bank of Wild Species, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences Education: Ph. D. from University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Non-scientific…

Olubu Adeoye Adiji, first author of UGT84F9 is the major flavonoid UDP-glucuronosyltransferase in Medicago truncatula Current Position: Postdoctoral, BioDiscovery Institute, University of North Texas, Denton TX Education: Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Department of Biological Sciences,…

Rodrigo Siqueira Reis, first author of An antisense noncoding RNA enhances translation via localised structural rearrangements of its cognate mRNA Current Position: Postdoc at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland Education: PhD in Molecular Biology (University of Sydney, Australia), MSc in Biochemistry…

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) are often presented as something of enigmas. They are damaging by-products of metabolism and stress, but also intentionally produced as a signal and defense response to pathogens. This excellent Update by Bleau and Spoel synthesizes new…

Plants possess a complex series of local and systemic signaling networks driven by multiple stimuli. They translate this information into plant-wide response to coordinate their physiology and development.  Here, Johns et al. review these communication pathways, which function across different scales…

It’s one of those plants that gets noticed, so we’re excited to see the press associated with the genome sequence of the large endoparasitic plant Sapria himalayana. Everyone has seen pictures of this plant, which lives entirely underground except when it produces its large (20 cm diameter) blood…

Bacteria can exploit the stomatal pores to gain entry into plant leaves. Previous studies have demonstrated that guard cells close in response to flagellin, an effect that is described as stomatal immunity. Like ABA-induced stomatal closure, this involves the movements of ions and water from the guard…

Legume seeds are typically physically dormant, meaning they have an impermeable seed coat that prevents water uptake. In fire-prone ecosystems, this dormancy is presumably broken when the seed coat is cracked due to being exposed to fire or the daily temperature fluctuations found in burnt sites. However,…

Review: Selective redox signaling shapes plant-pathogen interactions Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) are often presented as something of enigmas. They are damaging by-products of metabolism and stress, but also intentionally produced as a signal and defense response…

Maryam Rahmati Ishka, first author of Arabidopsis Ca2+-ATPases 1, 2, and 7 in the endoplasmic reticulum contribute to growth and pollen fitness Current Position: Postdoctoral Associate Education: Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), Reno, Nevada, USA Non-scientific…

Yiming Kong, first author of Brassinosteroid Homeostasis Is Critical for the Functionality of Medicago truncatula Pulvinus Current Position: Ph.D. candidate, The Key Laboratory of Plant Development and Environmental Adaptation Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University,…

Olga Blifernez-Klassen, first author of A gene regulatory network for antenna size control in carbon dioxide-deprived Chlamydomonas cells Current Position: Postdoctoral Research Associate at Algae Biotechnology and Bioenergy Research Group at Bielefeld University, Faculty of Biology, Center for Biotechnology…

Cole Wunderlich, first author of Metabolic source isotopic pair labeling and genome wide association are complementary tools for the identification of metabolite-gene associations in plants Current Position: PhD Student, Simons Center for Quantitative Biology, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring…

Tian et al. Background: Flowering time plays an important role in plant reproductive success. In the model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, several flowering time pathways adjust flowering time in response to day length), hormones, and temperature (i.e. vernalization a period of cold). During photoperiodic…

Fu-Yu Hung, first author of Arabidopsis histone demethylase JMJ28 regulates CONSTANS by interacting with FBH transcription factors Current Position: Visiting Researcher of Cell Function Research Team in RIKEN, Japan/ Postdoctoral Scientist of Institute of Plant Biology, National Taiwan University, Taiwan…

Gábor Sipka, first author of Light-adapted charge-separated state of photosystem II. Structural and functional dynamics of the closed reaction center Current Position: Research associate in the research group of Prof. Dr. Győző Garab and Dr. Petar H. Lambrev, the Laboratory of Photosynthetic Membranes,…

Sanjay Kumar Singh, first author of BHLH IRIDOID SYNTHESIS 3 is a member of a bHLH gene cluster regulating terpenoid indole alkaloid biosynthesis in Catharanthus roseus Current Position: Scientist at the University of Kentucky, USA Education: Ph.D. in plant science, Bose Institute, India Non-scientific…

Jessica Barros, first author of Autophagy is required for lipid homeostasis during dark-induced senescence Current Position: Post Doc, Federal University of Viçosa, Brazil Education: PhD in Plant Physiology, Federal University of Viçosa, Brazil Non-scientific Interests: dancing, travelling and…

Xinchen Lv, first author of Structural insights into the multivalent binding of the Arabidopsis FLOWERING LOCUS T promoter by the CO-NF-Y master transcription factor complex Current Position: Visiting Student in Dr. Jiamu Du’s Lab at Southern University of Science and Technology Education: PhD…

Tingting Guo, co-first author of The URL1-ROC5-TPL2 transcriptional repressor complex represses the ACL1 gene to modulate leaf rolling in rice Current Position: Instructor, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Hunan University of Humanities, Science and Technology Education: Hunan Agricultural…

Jingjing Fang, co-first author of The URL1-ROC5-TPL2 transcriptional repressor complex represses the ACL1 gene to modulate leaf rolling in rice Current Position: Research Associate, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (ICS-CAAS) Education:…

Bolaji Babajide Salam, first author of Sucrose promotes stem branching through cytokinin Current position: Postdoc in Dr. Dani Eshel's lab, Department of Postharvest Science, Agricultural Research Institute (ARO), The Volcani Center, Israel Education: PhD jointly at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem…

Anna Sergeeva, first author of Glycerolipid profile differences between perennial and annual stem zones in the perennial model plant Arabis alpina Current Position: Postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Prof. Dr. Petra Bauer, Institute of Botany, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany Education:…

Om Prakash Narayan, first author of Sulfur transfer from the endophytic fungus Serendipita indica improves maize growth and requires the sulfate transporter SiSulT Current Position: Postdoctoral Research Scholar, Tufts University, Boston, USA Education: Ph.D., Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi,…

Limeng Zhou, co-first author of The Gibberellin Signaling Negative Regulator RGA-LIKE3 Promotes Seed Storage Protein Accumulation Current Position: Ph.D. student (The Chinese University of Hong Kong) Education: I got my B.S. from Wenzhou University in 2015 and got a master’s degree from South…

Yilong Hu, co-first author of The Gibberellin Signaling Negative Regulator RGA-LIKE3 Promotes Seed Storage Protein Accumulation Current Position: Postdoctoral fellow (South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences) Education: I got my B.S. from Nanchang University in 2013 and Ph.D. from…

Transcription factors (TFs) are very important actors through which evolution can operate. In every organism and system studied, starting with the seminal work of Jacob and Monod, they’ve been shown to be potent regulatory proteins. Here, Romani and Moreno review the contributions of plant transcription…

Succulence provides plants with the ability to store water and is therefore commonly associated with plants from arid environments such as the familiar Aloe and Agave. Here, Heyduk reviews the genetic control of leaf succulence. Succulence usually involves large, highly vacuolated cells, but not surprisingly,…

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…

A drop in ambient temperature adversely affects plant growth and development. While the primary molecular pathway in response to cold stress involves the expression of CBF transcription factors, Guillaume-Schöpfer and colleagues found cold stress-induced inhibition of ribosome translation machinery…

Plants launch their response to osmotic stress with a sudden spike in cytosolic Ca2+ levels, which subsequently leads to the accumulation of the phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA). This further initiates a chain of events including closure of stomata, large-scale transcriptional changes, retardation of…

Crop damage and yield losses caused by herbivores have become major threats to global food security. Upon wounding and herbivory, plants rapidly accumulate high levels of jasmonates (JA). However, the mechanism underlying how JA biosynthesis is triggered by herbivore attack remains unclear. It is therefore…

One of the most significant limitations in seed-based restoration projects is that some native species exhibit low recruitment in the field. As a result, various seed enhancement technologies (SETs) are being developed to improve germination and seedling emergence by facilitating access to nutrients…

Review: Molecular mechanisms involved in functional macroevolution of plant transcription factors Transcription factors (TFs) are very important actors through which evolution can operate. In every organism and system studied, starting with the seminal work of Jacob and Monod, they’ve been shown…

If you’ve ever grown cucumbers (Cucumis sativus) at home, you know that at some point over the summer, those cucumbers will probably produce a bounty of fruit and only your trusted pickle recipe will help manage the massive number of cucumbers. Rather than being overwhelmed commercial growers want…

Gao et al. demonstrate TaNAC019 regulates kernel weight and quality in wheat. The Plant Cell (2021). http://bit.ly/3qCTXSH By YJ Gao, KX An, WW Guo, YM Chen, RJ Zhang, X Zhang, SY Chang, V Rossi, FM Jin, XY Cao, MM Xin, HR Peng, ZR Hu, WL Guo, JK Du, ZF Ni, QX Sun, and YY Yao Background: Wheat…

F1 plants resulting from crosses between parents of different strains often exhibit improved fitness, known as heterosis, or also hybrid vigor. Hybrids are heavily used in modern agriculture and could be part of the solution to address the challenge of feeding an ever-growing world population. However,…

Yokoyama et al. explore regulation of the shikimate biosynthetic pathway in plants. https://bit.ly/3oZeh01 By Ryo Yokoyama and Hiroshi A. Maeda, Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin-Madison  Background: The shikimate pathway directs bulk carbon toward biosynthesis of aromatic amino acids…

Dereje Worku Mekonnen, co-first author of UGT76B1, a promiscuous hub of small molecule-based immune signaling, glucosylates N-hydroxypipecolic acid and balances plant immunity Current Position: Postdoctoral researcher at Helmholtz Zentrum Müchen (contract now ended) Education: PhD at the University…

Sibylle Bauer, co-first author of UGT76B1, a promiscuous hub of small molecule-based immune signaling, glucosylates N-hydroxypipecolic acid and balances plant immunity Current Position: Proposal Manager at FGK Clinical Research GmbH, Munich, Germany Education: PhD in Biochemistry, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität…

Femke de Jong, first author of Attracted to Membranes: Lipid-Binding Domains in Plants Current Position: Just finished a postdoc position at the section Plant Cell Biology from the Swammerdam Institute of Life Sciences of the University of Amsterdam . Education: PhD in plant science from the Australian…

Bao Yang, first author of Non-Specific Phospholipase C4 Hydrolyzes Phosphosphingolipids and Sustains Plant Root Growth under Phosphate Deficiency Current Position: Ph.D. candidate, National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China Education:…

Elodie Billey, first author of Characterization of the Bubblegum acyl-CoA synthetase of Microchloropsis gaditana Current Position: Researcher in Microalgae Engineering, TOTAL Refining & Chemicals, France Education: Ph.D. Plant Biology from University of Perpignan Via Domitia (UPVD) Non-scientific…

Sandra Marisa Mathioni, co-first author of Reproductive phasiRNA loci and DICER-LIKE5, but not microRNA loci, diversified in monocotyledonous plants Current Position: Research Scientist in the Resistance Management Team in Syngenta Crop Protection, Brazil Education: PhD in Molecular Plant Pathology…

Parth Patel, co-first author of Reproductive phasiRNA loci and DICER-LIKE5, but not microRNA loci, diversified in monocotyledonous plants Current Position: Research Scientist at Janssen: Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson Education: Ph.D. in 2019 from the University of Delaware…

Textbooks tell us that eukaryotic cells acquired first mitochondria and later plastids through assimilation and retention of useful prokaryotes, but textbooks also imply that these were one-off occurrences that happened long ago. In the past several years, evidence has been accruing that genomes from…

Every student knows that in a C4 plant like maize, photosynthetic carbohydrates are synthesized in the bundle sheath cells that surround the vein. These carbohydrates are then transported into the phloem for delivery to other tissues. Previous studies have identified SWEET (Sugars Will Eventually be…

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…

Plants produces ROS (Reactive Oxygen Species) as an immune response against infection. ROS induces additional immune response, but high ROS levels have detrimental effects on plant cellular function. To understand how plants produce just the right amount of ROS, Goto et al. the studied regulation of…

Angiosperms synchronize the floral transition with optimal internal and external conditions such as daylength to maximize reproductive success. Despite the wealth of knowledge on the molecular mechanisms controlling flowering time, little is known about the cellular events that occur as the vegetative…

Lateral roots continually form and develop out of the primary root throughout the plant’s lifetime, enabling the root system to optimize its development to its environment. In this study, Schütz et al. used light-sheet microscopy to generate 4D movies of Arabidopsis lateral root primordia expressing…

Soil is the growth substrate for most plants and contributes to their success through factors such as microbial ecology, chemistry and presence of nutrients, and physical properties including how compact it is. With increasing soil compaction (bulk density), roots are less able to penetrate, resulting…

East Amazonian ironstone outcrops host highly diverse plant communities with impressive endemism levels (meaning the plants are found nowhere else), yet they are threatened by large-scale mining operations. As a result, proper conservation and restoration techniques are urgently needed to ensure…

Increasing our understanding of how plants will respond to climate change is one of our most urgent challenges. However, most approaches require extensive historical records that are not available for most areas. In this paper, Everingham and colleagues compare the regeneration and growth traits…

Horizontal genome transfer by cell-to-cell travel of whole organelles Textbooks tell us that eukaryotic cells acquired first mitochondria and later plastids through assimilation and retention of useful prokaryotes, but textbooks also imply that these were one-off occurrences that happened long ago.…

Najla Ksouri, first author of Tuning promoter boundaries improves regulatory motif discovery in non-model plants: the peach example Current position: PhD candidate at the University of Zaragoza, Spain Education: Engineer degree in Agronomy, Tunisia & Master of Science in Plant Breeding, Zaragoza,…

Tianli Tu, co-first author of Coordinated Cytokinin Signaling and Auxin Biosynthesis Mediates Arsenate-induced Root Growth Inhibition Current Position: Ph.D student in State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Agronomy, Shandong Agricultural University, China Education: MSc in Developmental…

He Zhang, first author of MicroRNA775 Regulates Intrinsic Leaf Size and Reduces Cell Wall Pectin Levels by Targeting a Galactosyltransferase Gene in Arabidopsis Current Position: Ph.D. candidate, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China Education: Bachelor of Biological science…

Feifei Xu, first author of Exportin-4 Coordinates Nuclear Shuttling of TOPLESS Family Transcription Corepressors to Regulate Plant Immunity Current Position: Research associate at the Institute of Nuclear Agricultural Sciences, Zhejiang University, Zijingang Campus, Hangzhou, China Education: PhD…

Guo-Zhang Wu, first author of GUN control in retrograde signaling: How GENOMES UNCOUPLED proteins adjust nuclear gene expression to plastid biogenesis Current Position: Associate Professor, School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Education: Ph.D from Shanghai Institute…

  Claudia Steglich, first author of Inverse regulation of light harvesting and photoprotection is mediated by a 3' end-derived sRNA in cyanobacteria Current Position: Senior researcher, Laboratory of Genetics & Experimental Bioinformatics, Institute of Biology III, University of Freiburg,…

If you regularly enjoy a cold glass of orange (Citrus × sinensis) juice, freshly squeezed or store-bought (who has time for the former, really?), then you should know that the future of this drink is at stake. Citrus greening disease or Huánglóngbìng (HLB) has been wreaking havoc on the citrus industry…

Development involves a delicate patterning of cell division and differentiation in three dimensions. This is beautifully illustrated in leaves, where three axes are visible: proximo-distal (from base to tip), medio-lateral (from the midvein to the margin/edge of the blade) and adaxial-abaxial (from upper…

José Ugalde, first author of Chloroplast-derived photo-oxidative stress causes changes in H2O2 and EGSH in other subcellular compartments Current Position: Postdoctoral researcher, Chemical Signalling lab, INRES, University of Bonn, Germany Education: PhD in Molecular Genetics: Pontificia Universidad…

Affiliation: University of Melbourne ORCiD: 0000-0001-5092-6168 email: [email protected] Mangrove trees live and thrive in intertidal zones, where they are regularly inundated with salt water. To survive such harsh environmental conditions, they have evolved several features to improve…

Arteaga et al. report that some natural populations of Arabidopsis have trichomes on fruits. They exploit this previously unknown trait to explore the genetic underpinnings of trichome development and their evolutionary relevance. Plant Cell http://bit.ly/3byAMFl By Noelia Arteaga, Belén Méndez-Vigo,…

Margot Bezrutczyk, first author of Evidence for phloem loading via the abaxial bundle sheath cells in maize leaves Current Position:  PhD Student at Heinrich Heine University Education: BS in Neural Science from NYU, MS in Neuroscience from U.C. San Diego Non-scientific Interests:  gardening…

Ribosomes are essential molecular machines in the cell that translate mRNA sequences into proteins. Growing parts of an organism produce many ribosomes, so that after each cell division both daughter cells have enough to translate the proteins necessary for growth and development. Defects in ribosomes…

Kimmo Kivivirta, first author of Transcriptome analysis of gynoecium morphogenesis uncovers the chronology of gene regulatory network activity Current Position: Ph.D. candidate in the research group of Prof. Dr. Annette Becker, Evolutionary Developmental Biology of Plants, Faculty of Biology and Chemistry,…

Cereal grains accumulate large amounts of proteins and starch and are a major source of dietary calories for humans and animals. In maize (Zea mays), most of the storage compounds are synthesized during the grain-filling period of kernel development. Several key transcription factors (TFs) that regulate…

Ryo Yokoyama, first author of The Entry Reaction of the Plant Shikimate Pathway Is Subjected to Highly-Complex Metabolite-Mediated Regulation Current Position: Postdoctoral fellow, Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA Education: BA, MS, and Ph.D., Kyoto University, Japan Non-scientific…

Maki Hayashi, first author of The quest for the central players governing pollen tube growth and guidance Current Position: Postdoctoral fellow at Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen Education: Ph.D. from Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan Non-scientific Interests:…

Flora Hetherington, first author of Lateral root inhibition in response to K+-deprivation in Arabidopsis is mediated by gibberellin signalling Current Position: Senior Manager, Global Food Security Programme, UKRI Education: BSc in Botany, University of Bristol; PhD, Durham University Non-scientific…

More than half of human calories come from rice, wheat, and corn, although many other cereals have been domesticated as food crops. Several of these “orphan” cereal crops and their wild relatives are being studied with the goal of diversifying our food supply, which is particularly important due…

Climate change has increased global temperatures and affected agriculture in recent years. Heat stress can negatively impact plant growth, development, metabolism, fertility, and immunity. To generate resilient plants that will endure warmer weather conditions, it is imperative to understand how…

Complex multicellular flowering plants evolved from simple unicellular algae. This evolutionary transition was driven by crucial innovations in plant anatomy like shoot and root, inflorescence and flowers. Multiple studies have demonstrated the role of local auxin gradients in determining the development…

N-1-naphthylphthalamic acid (NPA) inhibits polar auxin transport (PAT). Though used for over six decades, the precise mechanism by which it inhibits PAT is still unclear. A new study by Abas and colleagues now suggests that NPA directly associates with and inhibits the activity of PIN-FORMED (PIN) transporters.…

Vilarrasa-Blasi and coworkers described their impressive work on a huge barcoded Chlamydomonas collection, in which they screened almost 60,000 insertion mutants grown under a wide range of environmental and chemical stress conditions. The authors assessed genotype-phenotype specificity for almost…

Plants have evolved two major adaptive strategies to tackle shade from their neighbours: avoidance and tolerance. However, what makes a species shade-avoider or shade-tolerant at the molecular level has remained mostly elusive. Recently, Paulisic et al. uncovered the key role of a regulatory module formed…

The exocyst is a conserved protein complex that mediates tethering of secretory vesicle to the plasma membrane prior to SNARE-mediated membrane fusion. Exo70 is one of eight subunits and has expanded into 23 homologs in Arabidopsis. Brillada and Teh et al. identified Exo70B2 as a bona fide exocyst subunit…

Roots have been described as the gut of the plant, as they are the main interface for nutrient and water intake from their surrounding environment. This interface is remarkably complex. Not only must the root allow for the proper diffusion of substances into the plant, but by virtue of being constantly…

Plant roots are composed of concentric cell layers with distinct gene regulatory programs. Cell layer-specific responses are likely critical for plants to cope with microbes with various lifestyles, but little is known about root responses against microbes at cell-layer resolution. Fröschel et al. tackled…

Alpine ecosystems include all the environments found above the treeline, the maximum elevation where trees can grow. These environments are known for their low temperatures, unstable substrates, and short growing seasons. However, while germination studies in this ecosystem can be traced back to…

Seed dormancy controls germination so that it occurs under the most suitable conditions. Different dormancy classes achieve this by allowing germination in response to distinct environmental cues. In fire-prone ecosystems, species with physically dormant (PY) seeds benefit from fire since it breaks their…

Review: Orphan crops and their wild relatives in the genomic era More than half of human calories come from rice, wheat, and corn, although many other cereals have been domesticated as food crops. Several of these “orphan” cereal crops and their wild relatives are being studied with the goal…

Tianhu Sun ORCID ID: 0000-0002-2513-1387 Plant Breeding and Genetics Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853 [email protected]  Chloroplasts are semi-autonomous organelles that retain their own genomes derived from their cyanobacterial ancestors,…

Zhang, Zhu, Shen, Ji et al. discover a way to enhance nitrogen use efficiency and grain yield in rice. The Plant Cell (2020) https://bit.ly/3s3bLb3  Background: Nitrogen (N), an essential element for crop growth, is provided to plants by external fertilizer application. However, the excessive use…

Marcus Griffiths, first author of A multiple ion-uptake phenotyping platform reveals shared mechanisms affecting nutrient uptake by roots Current Position: Postdoctoral Fellow in the Root Phenomics lab headed by Dr. Larry York, Noble Research Institute, USA Education: PhD in Plant & Crop Sciences…

Madeleine Seale Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3RB, United Kingdom [email protected] ORCID: 0000-0002-8924-3943   In a world surrounded by a vast expanse of gaseous air, water is constantly evaporating from aqueous sources…

Rajeev Gupta, first author of The maize premature senesence2 encodes for PHYTOCHROME-DEPENDENT LATE-FLOWERING and its expression modulation improves agronomic traits under abiotic stresses Current Position: Principal Scientist and Theme Leader for Genomics and Trait Discovery, ICRISAT, INDIA, Falgship…

Konstantinos Koudounas, co-first author of Alternative splicing creates a pseudo-strictosidine β-D-glucosidase modulating alkaloid synthesis in Catharanthus roseus Current Position: Postdoctoral Researcher, EA2106 - Biomolecules and Plant Biotechnology, University of Tours, France Education: PhD…

Inês Carqueijeiro, co-first author of Alternative splicing creates a pseudo-strictosidine β-D-glucosidase modulating alkaloid synthesis in Catharanthus roseus Current Position: Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Tours Education: PhD in Plant Biochemistry at the University of Porto (2013),…

Dong, LeBlanc, Poulet et al. investigate genomic stability in Arabidopsis. The Plant Cell (2020) https://bit.ly/3nhgdQ5  By Jie Dong, Chantal LeBlanc, Axel Poulet, and Yannick Jacob  Background: DNA is the genetic material used by all living organisms on Earth. The faithful replication of DNA…

Summary: Huang et al. elucidate a link between ethylene signaling and heat stress responses. Plant Cell https://bit.ly/3pTjNBK By Jianyan Huang, Xiaobo Zhao, Marco Bürger, Yurong Wang, Joanne Chory Background: Temperature is an environmental factor that has one of the most dramatic effects on…

Yupei Wang, first author of Molecular basis for high ligand sensitivity and selectivity of strigolactone receptors in Striga Current Position: Ph.D. candidate in School of Life Sciences at Tsinghua University Education: B.S. in College of Life Science, Wuhan University Non-scientific Interests:…

Yujiao Gao, first author of The endosperm-specific transcription factor TaNAC019 regulates glutenin and starch accumulation and its elite allele improves wheat grain quality Current Position: Ph.D. candidate, State Key Laboratory for Agrobiotechnology and Key Laboratory of Crop Heterosis and Utilization…

Jakub Tesitel, first author of The bright side of parasitic plants: What are they good for? Current Position: Associate Professor in Botany, Masaryk University, Czech Republic Education: Masters degree in plant systematics and Ph.D. in botany (plant ecology) , University of South Bohemia, Czech…

Does a new job always come with a new location? Perhaps this is true for some plant proteins; half of the proteins are located in more than one subcellular compartment. Emerging evidence in plants shows that nuclear-encoded proteins undergo redox and posttranslational modifications or processing events…

Hou et al. report a DEAD-box helicase as a component of the RNA microprocessor complex and highlight its importance in embryogenesis. Plant Cell http://bit.ly/2LhT7LO By Xiu-Li Hou,a,b Xiu-Fen Song,a,b Chun-Ming Liua,b,c a Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Physiology, Institute of Botany, Chinese…

A HUGE thank you to the Plant Physiology Assistant Features Editors who are rotating off today. We've very much enjoyed working with you for the past few years, best wishes for your futures! Nathaniel Butler (University of Wisconsin, United States) Anne-Sophie Fiorucci (Université Paris-Saclay) Charlotte…

More then four years ago, we started a weekly column to highlight a few plant science articles each week. The series lauched with the name What We're Reading, but at some point was rebranded to Plant Science Research Weekly. From early on, we've drawn on the interests and talents of the Plantae Fellows…

Suresh Kumar Gupta, first author of Tomato agl6 parthenocarpy is facilitated by ovule integument reprogramming involving the growth regulator KLUH Current Position: Postdoctoral Fellow in Dr. Tzahi Arazi Lab at the Institute of Plant Sciences, Agricultural Research Organization (ARO), Volcani Center,…

Hailong Guo, first author of Autoactive Arabidopsis RPS4 alleles require partner protein RRS1-R Current Position: Postdoctoral Scientist, The Sainsbury Laboratory, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, UK Education:  Ph.D., Institute of Botany, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing,…

Danielle Young, first author of Large fluxes of fatty acids from membranes to triacylglycerol and back during N-deprivation and recovery in Chlamydomonas Current Position: PhD Candidate at Michigan State University Education: B.S. in Plant Biology and Biochemistry, North Carolina State University Non-scientific…

Jing Lu, first author of The nucellus: between cell elimination and sugar transport Current Position: PhD student at Institut Jean-Pierre Bourgin (IJPB), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRAE, Versailles), and also at the University of Paris-Sud in France Education: PhD (2016) in…

Xinyu Xu, first author of OsYUC11-mediated auxin biosynthesis is essential for endosperm development of rice Current Position: PhD candidate Education: Bachelor of management science in rural regional development, Yangzhou University Non-scientific Interests: swimming, cooking Brief bio:…

The Plant Cell is pleased to announce our Top 5 of 2020 articles based on Altmetric scores.  Altmetrics are metrics and qualitative data that are complementary to traditional, citation-based metrics. They can include (but are not limited to) peer reviews on Faculty Opinions, citations on Wikipedia and…

Plant Direct is pleased to announce our Top 5 of 2020 articles based on Altmetric scores.  Altmetrics are metrics and qualitative data that are complementary to traditional, citation-based metrics. They can include (but are not limited to) peer reviews on Faculty Opinions, citations on Wikipedia and…

Plant Physiology is pleased to announce our Top 5 of 2020 articles based on Altmetric scores.  Altmetrics are metrics and qualitative data that are complementary to traditional, citation-based metrics. They can include (but are not limited to) peer reviews on Faculty Opinions, citations on Wikipedia…

Patrick Willems, first author of Contemporary proteomic strategies for cysteine redoxome profiling Current Position: Post-Doctoral Researcher in the group of Prof. Frank Van Breusegem, VIB-UGent Center for Plant Systems Biology, Ghent, Belgium Education: M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Biotechnology…

Qing Yang, first author of Hyperoside regulates its own biosynthesis via MYB30 in promoting reproductive development and seed set in okra Current Position: Associate Professor at the College of Forestry and Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Tree Breeding by Molecular Design, Beijing Forestry…

Putri Prasetyaningrum, first author of Nocturnal gibberellin biosynthesis is carbon dependent and adjusts leaf expansion rates to variable conditions Current Position: Postdoctoral researcher - Institute of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of Glasgow Education: PhD in Agrobiodiversity,…

Liyong Zhang, first author of Live Imaging of Microtubule Organization, Cell Expansion, and Intercellular Space Formation in Arabidopsis Leaf Spongy Mesophyll Cells Current Position: PhD Student in Dr. Chris Ambrose Lab at University of Saskatchewan Education: MSc in Biology, University of Science…

Jeffrey F. Harper, co-first author of Update: Dynamic membranes - The multiple roles of P4 and P5 ATPases Current Position: Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nevada, Reno Education: BS in Honors Biology in 1980 from the University of Illinois, Urbana;…

James A. Davis, co-first author of Update: Dynamic membranes - The multiple roles of P4 and P5 ATPases Current Position: Postdoctoral researcher at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Education: Ph.D. in Biochemistry, University of Nevada, Reno; B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University…

Rosa Laura López-Marqués, co-first author of Update: Dynamic membranes - The multiple roles of P4 and P5 ATPases Current Position: Associate Professor, Group Leader, University of Copenhagen Education: PhD in Chemistry Non-scientific Interests: reading, cooking, sports Brief bio: I obtained…

Stefanie Wege (University of Adelaide), Alexis De Angeli (Université de Montpellier) Electrical signals or action potentials are present in animals, plants, and other organisms such as single-celled diatoms (Moran et al., 2015; Hedrich et al., 2016; Helliwell et al., 2019). Electrical signals are…

Shi et al. provide a high-resolution gene expression map of the Arabidopsis stem. The Plant Cell (2021) http://bit.ly/3pgWm4G  By Dongbo Shi and Thomas Greb  Bckground: Multicellular organisms are usually built of numerous different tissues with very special functions. These functions depend…

Arvid Herrmann, first author of Shouting out Loud: Signaling Modules in the Regulation of Stomatal Development Current Position: Postdoctoral Fellow in Prof. Dr. Keiko Toriis Lab at University of Texas at Austin Education: PhD in 2018 at the ZMBP (Center for Plant Molecular Biology) in Tuebingen…

Praveen Krishnamoorthy, co-first author of Plasma membrane nano-organization specifies phosphoinositide effects on Rho-GTPases and actin dynamics in tobacco pollen tubes Current Position: Staff Scientist for Light microscopy at the Center for Cellular Imaging in Washington University in St. Louis (WUCCI),…

Marta Fratini, co-first author of Plasma membrane nano-organization specifies phosphoinositide effects on Rho-GTPases and actin dynamics in tobacco pollen tubes Current Position: Postdoctoral Scientist at Prof. Dr. Ingo Heilmann Laboratory, University of Halle, Halle (Saale), Germany Education: PhD…

Satoshi Ogawa, first author of Subtilase activity in intrusive cells mediates haustorium maturation in parasitic plants Current Position: Postdoctoral researcher, Center for Sustainable Resource Science, RIKEN, Japan Education: Ph.D. in Biotechnology at Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences,…

Yuanlong Liu, first author of Phased, Secondary, Small  Interfering RNAs (phasiRNAs) in Plants: Their Biogenesis, Genic Sources, and Roles in Stress Responses, Development, and Reproduction Current Position: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Horticulture College, South China Agriculture University, Guangzhou,…

H. Tucker Hallmark, first author of Cytokinin isopentenyladenine and its glucoside isopentenyladenine-9G delay leaf senescence through activation of cytokinin-associated genes Current Position: Antibody Production & Assay Development at Avanti Polar Lipids, Inc. Education: PhD Biological Sciences…

Daewon Kim, first author of A Temperature-Sensitive FERONIA Mutant Allele That Alters Root Hair Growth Current position: Research Scientist in Dr. Gary Stacey Lab, Division of Plant Science, C.S Bond Life Science Center, University of Missouri-Columbia Education: Ph.D. in 2014 at the Gyeongsang…

Matthias Riediger, first author of Analysis of a photosynthetic cyanobacterium rich in internal membrane systems via gradient profiling by sequencing (Grad-seq) Current Position: Post-Doc, Laboratory of Genetics & Experimental Bioinformatics, Institute of Biology III, University of Freiburg, Germany Education:…

What exactly is the growth/defense tradeoff? This review is an excellent place to ask. Zhang et al. review evidence that shows that it is much more than a competition for limiting resources – the plant actively responds to stress in ways that may slow growth but ultimately promote survival. The…

The ability to utilize stored energy is crucial for organism growth and development. For example, seed storage lipids go through hydrolysis and beta-oxidation to provide energy for seed germination. In this process, beta-oxidation occurs in the peroxisome, a subcellular compartment that houses many…

Efficient phenotyping is important for plant breeding. For wheat, leaf reflectance spectra can be used to calculate leaf traits that impact crop yield, particularly constituent (leaf mass per area, nitrogen/chlorophyll content) and physiological (Rubisco carboxylation activity, electron transport…

Auxin shapes the plant body and drives the formation of lateral organs such as roots and ovules. In the current model, AUXIN RESPONSE FACTORs (ARFs) are transcription factors that regulate plant growth by activating signaling in an auxin dose-dependent manner, regulated by Aux/IAA proteins. Here,…

Photosynthesis, in addition to generating ‘food’ for plants, is also known to control root growth, although the mechanism has been unknown. Duan and co-workers identified CYCLOPHILIN38 (CYP38) as necessary for photosynthesis-mediated lateral root (LR) emergence. The chloroplast-localized CYP38 is…

Three-dimensional (3D) growth was an essential evolutionary innovation that allowed the radiation and diversification of land plants. In most land plants the transition from two-dimensional (2D) to 3D growth takes place during embryo development and its disruption results in lethality, however, the…

Mountains are extraordinary natural laboratories. They encompass a wide range of environments in a relatively small space, making them ideal for assessing how different environmental variables shape plant traits and communities. Here, Wang and colleagues evaluate how seed functional traits vary along…

Inceptins are degraded fragments of host chloroplast ATP synthase subunit (cATPC) that are an important class of herbivore-associated molecular patterns (HAMPs). These peptides are abundant in herbivore oral secretions (OS). Using Vu-In, a conserved inceptin from cowpea, Steinbrenner and colleagues have…

Review: Thriving under stress: How plants balance growth and stress response What exactly is the growth/defense tradeoff? This review is an excellent place to ask. Zhang et al. review evidence that shows that it is much more than a competition for limiting resources – the plant actively responds…

Ananya Mukherjee ORCID ID: 0000-0003-1802-1806 University of Nebraska Lincoln Genetic screens are a remarkable way of identifying mutations affecting various aspects of plant growth and development. Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) (T)-DNA insertion lines enable rapid identification of mutant…

Yang and colleagues set out to untangle the network of transcription factors controlling O2 expression during maize seed development By Tao Yang and Yongrui Wu, National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology…

Juan Zhang, co-first author of Interdependent evolution of biosynthetic gene clusters for momilactone production in rice Current Position: Postdoc in China Agriculture University; Incoming Associate Professor in the School of Chemistry and Biological Engineering, University of Science and Technology…

Naoki Kitaoka, co-first author of Interdependent evolution of biosynthetic gene clusters for momilactone production in rice Current Position: Assistant Professor, Hokkaido University Education: PhD, Hokkaido University Non-scientific Interests: Kayaking and jogging Brief bio: I started my…

Keiko Yonekura-Sakakibara, Masaomi Yamamura et al. identify factors that play essential roles in the biosynthesis of seed-coat protective neolignans. Plant Cell. http://bit.ly/3mseqae By Keiko Yonekura-Sakakibara and Kazuki Saito, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science Background: Neolignans…

Kevin Lehner, first author of VAP-RELATED SUPPRESSORS OF TOO MANY MOUTHS (VST) Family Proteins are Regulators of Root System Architecture Current Position: USDA NIFA Postdoctoral Fellow at Colorado State University Education: PhD in Genetics and Genomics, Duke University Non-scientific Interests:…

Dongbo Shi, first author of Tissue-specific transcriptome profiling of the Arabidopsis inflorescence stem reveals local cellular signatures Current Position: Postdoctoral Researcher, Centre for Organismal Studies (COS), Heidelberg University, Germany Education: PhD in Life Science from Kyoto University…

Yushi Yoshitake, first author of RCB-mediated chlorophagy caused by oversupply of nitrogen suppresses phosphate-starvation stress in plants Current Position: Assistant professor at Department of Life Science, School of Agriculture, Meiji University Education: Ph. D. (2019), School of Life Science…

Akira Yoshinari, first author of Transport-coupled ubiquitination of a borate transporter BOR1 for its boron-dependent degradation Current Position: Postdoc, Institute of Transformative Biomolecules (WPI-ITbM), Nagoya University Education: Ph.D., Hokkaido University, Japan; bachelor degree, Tohoku…

Lina Duan, first author of Characterization of CYCLOPHILLIN38 shows that a photosynthesis-derived systemic signal controls lateral root emergence Current position: Basic Life Research Scientist, Stanford University Education: PhD in Science School, National University of Singapore Non-scientific…

Jiao Zhan, first author of Inverse regulation of light harvesting and photoprotection mediated by a 3' end-derived sRNA in cyanobacteria Current Position:  Assistant researcher, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Education: Ph.D., Genetics, University of Chinese Academy of…

Maria-Angelica Sanclemente, first author of Sugar Modulation of Anaerobic-Response Networks in Maize Root Tips Current Position: Post-doctoral researcher at Utrecht University Education: PhD in Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology and MS in Horticultural Sciences from University of Florida Non-scientific…

Masaomi Yamamrua, co-first author of Seed-coat Protective Neolignans are Produced by the Dirigent Protein AtDP1 and the Laccase AtLAC5 in Arabidopsis Current Position: Specially appointed assistant professor, Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere (RISH), Kyoto University Education: Ph.D.…

Keiko Yonekura-Sakakibara, co-first author of Seed-coat Protective Neolignans are Produced by the Dirigent Protein AtDP1 and the Laccase AtLAC5 in Arabidopsis Current Position: Senior Research Scientist, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, Japan Education: Ph.D. in Science, Osaka University,…

Sébastien Bélanger, first author of The commitment of barley microspores into embryogenesis correlates with miRNA-directed regulation of members of the SPL, GRF and HD-ZIPIII transcription factor families Current Position: Postdoctoral Associate at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center Education:…

Michał Bykowski, first author of Too rigid to fold: carotenoid-dependent decrease in thylakoid fluidity hampers formation of chloroplast grana Current position: PhD student in the research group studying the structural and molecular basis of chloroplast function in the Department of Plant Anatomy…

Ciera Martinez, first author of Spatial transcriptional signatures define margin morphogenesis along the proximal-distal and medio-lateral axes in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) leaves Current Position: Research Lead, Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences, Berkeley Institute of Data Science Education:…

Maryam Rahmati Ishka, first author of Copper deficiency alters shoot architecture and reduces fertility of both gynoecium and androecium in Arabidopsis thaliana Current Position: Postdoctoral Associate Education: Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), USA Non-scientific…

Kazuma Sakoda, first author of Stomatal, mesophyll conductance and biochemical limitations to photosynthesis during induction Current Position: Postdoctoral researcher Education: PhD, Kyoto University, Japan Non-scientific Interests: music and traveling Brief bio: I obtained my PhD in 2019…

Yuge Li, co-first author of EDS1-Interacting J Protein 1 (EIJ1) Is an Essential Negative Regulator of Plant Innate Immunity in Arabidopsis Current Position: Associate Professor, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences Education: Ph.D. from Sun Yat-sen University Non-scientific…

Hailun Liu, co-first author of EDS1-Interacting J Protein 1 (EIJ1) Is an Essential Negative Regulator of Plant Innate Immunity in Arabidopsis Current Position: Postdoc in South China Botanical Garden Education: PhD from Nanjing Agricultural University Non-scientific Interests: cooking, PUBG Brief…

  We all know scientific research involves the work of many hands, and we also know that grad students, postdocs and others in the early stages of their careers find themselves working long hours for low pay and precious little job security all in the name of scientific advancement. ASPB is…

Riediger et al. investigate the RNA-protein complexome of a photosynthetic cyanobacterium. The Plant Cell. https://bit.ly/3njpBn4 By Matthias Riediger and Wolfgang R. Hess Background: Cyanobacteria are a unique group of bacteria with the ability to perform plant-like photosynthesis. Like their…

Yoshinari et al. demonstrate that boron-dependent poly-ubiquitination and subsequent degradation of BOR1 is coupled with its boron transport activity. Plant Cell https://bit.ly/2JYEooF By Akira Yoshinari Background: Abundance and activity of nutrient transporters are continuously tuned to both…

The contribution of microtubule orientation to the direction of cell expansion is familiar to most; when microtubules wrap around the middle of a cell like a belt, the cell expands in the perpendicular direction to become longer. Recent studies have extended this idea and proposed that the mechanical…

There’s been a lot of talk lately about how to improve the carboxylation efficiency of Rubisco, but of course this also depends on how much CO2 reaches the enzyme within the chloroplasts. To do so, it needs to pass through several distinct barriers: the boundary layer to reach the leaf surface, the…

H3K27me3 [K27 (Lysine 27) trimethylation on histone H3] and H3K9me2 are two epigenetic modifications that repress gene activity in plants. While they are typically present in different genomic regions, both marks are found in the seed endosperm. Here, Sato and colleagues show that this histone modification…

Seedlings emerging in light undergo photomorphogenic development, forming short hypocotyls and green, fully opened cotyledons. Disruption of chloroplast development by drugs such as lincomycin induces retrograde signals (RS) that inhibit photomorphogenesis. The retrograde signaling pathway has been known…

Upon germination in dark, plants adopt a strategy known as skotomorphogenesis, or etiolation, to protect the shoot apical meristem and cotyledon from damage while the seedling moves through the soil. The seedlings de-etiolate when they perceive light and the apical hook and cotyledon open. Wang et…

The cell walls of plants are intricate structures. Their complexity is due to multiple biochemical components and interactions, but while many of the components have been identified, their interactions have yet to be fully elucidated. A major component of the cell wall is cellulose, of which multiple…

Few fruits have a more distinctive color than strawberry (Fragaria spp). Anthocyanins are responsible for strawberry’s characteristic red pigmentation with variations in receptacle color caused by altered anthocyanin levels. While the flavonoid synthesis pathway accountable for anthocyanin accumulation…

While ammonium ions (NH4+) serve as important sources of nitrogen nutrition, higher concentrations are toxic and inhibit plant growth and development. In an attempt to understand how roots of rice plant adapt to high concentrations of NH4+, Jia and colleagues found the roots coil and adopt a helical…

Review: The mechanical feedback theory of leaf lamina formation The contribution of microtubule orientation to the direction of cell expansion is familiar to most; when microtubules wrap around the middle of a cell like a belt, the cell expands in the perpendicular direction to become longer. Recent…

The availability of inorganic phosphate (Pi) often limits plant growth and crop productivity. The signaling mechanisms governing Pi starvation responses in plants include responses to external Pi concentrations to modify the root system architecture and responses to internal Pi concentrations to maintain…