Category: Research

Lipid flippases hydrolyze ATP to flip lipids across a membrane bilayer toward cytosolic facing leaflets, whether that be from the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane (PM) or luminal leaflet of internal membranes. Flippases are proposed to be involved in multiple processes, such as flipping specific…

Variation in leaf morphology across the angiosperms is impressive and abounds. Leaves are the primary photosynthetic organ for most angiosperms, acting as the primary sites of light capture and gas exchange. Typical of grass leaves, maize leaves are strap-like and simple, with unelaborated margins. Leaves…

Potassium (K+) serves important roles in plants for the control of cellular pH, regulation of membrane electric potentials and cell turgor, and as a cofactor in essential metabolic processes including protein synthesis. Plasma membrane voltage-gated K+ channels are crucial for K+ uptake, release, and…

Calcium (Ca) deficiency symptoms often occur in crops because Ca is mainly translocated by the transpiration stream, and conditions that affect transpiration can cause Ca deficiency. Because Ca is translocated via the transpiration stream, it tends to accumulate more in older, expanded leaves and less…

Aquaporins belonging to the plasma membrane intrinsic protein (PIP) subfamily are key players in determining membrane water permeability. Since the overall root hydraulic conductivity (Lpr) depends on the integration of conductivity from three pathways (symplastic, apoplastic and transcellular), it…

Fruit aromas attract seed-dispersal agents in nature and are critical determinants of human fruit choice.  In the process of constructing a peach (Prunus persica) core germplasm collection, Peng et  al. (10.1104/pp.19.00964) analyzed the characteristics of peach cultivars in the National Fruit Germplasm…

Chloroplasts divide by binary fission, a process that is driven by a ring-like multiprotein complex spanning the inner and outer envelope  membranes (OEMs) at the site of division. DYNAMIN-RELATED PROTEIN 5B (DRP5B/ ARC5), a cytosolic component of the chloroplast division machinery, is thought to function…

Chen-Kun Jiang, first author of Insight into the Diversification and Evolution of R2R3-MYB Transcription Factors in Plants Current Position: Doctoral candidate, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China Education: B.S., School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China Non-scientific…