Seasonal flowering and seasonal growth measure light duration differently
Plant Science Research WeeklyOne of the first lessons a plant biologist learns is that many plants coordinate their seasonal flowering through measuring daylength, and that this process involves both photoreceptors and the biological clock that functions inside of cells. Of course, daylength also affects plant metabolism, in part…
Chemical defense: Exploring two-component plant defense mechanisms in Panax species
Plant Science Research WeeklyIn the interesting world of plant defenses, plants have secret weapons called defense metabolites that stay quiet until a pathogen comes knocking. Plants have evolved two-component chemical defence systems to protect against pathogens while striking a balance between growth promotion and defence mechanisms.…
An opportunistic plant pathogen disrupts leaf microbiome through secretion of plant cell wall degrading enzymes
Plant Science Research WeeklyHealthy plants possess a functional immune system, and their leaves harbor a structured microbial community, including opportunistic pathogens. These opportunistic pathogens can trigger plant diseases under conducive conditions, such as when plant immunity is compromised, and the microbial community…
Plant Science Research Weekly: February 16, 2024
WWR Full PostReview: Integrating cellular electron microscopy with multimodal data to explore biology across space and time
Fifty years ago (1974), Albert Claude, Christian de Duve, and George Palade were awarded the Nobel Prize for their discoveries on the structural and functional organization of the cell, which…
It takes a complex to degrade starch
The Plant Cell: In a NutshellJian Liu, Xuecui Wang, Zeyuan Guan, Junjie Yan and colleagues reveal how the glucan phosphatase LSF1 acts as a scaffold to bring together the necessary enzymes for starch degradation.
https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koad259
Background:
Starch is a glucan-polymer that accumulates in chloroplasts…
Conserved function of MADS8 in pistil regulation at high temperatures
The Plant Cell: In a NutshellShen et al. explore how female reproductive development is maintained in at high ambient temperatures in barley and rice, and whether members of the SEPALLATA subfamily of floral organ regulators contribute.
https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koad246
Chaoqun Shena,b and Matthew R. Tuckerb
a Joint…
Imaging of Ca2+-decoding in planta
The Plant Cell: In a NutshellLiese et al. reveal a genetically encoded fluorescent biosensor for CDPK conformational activation.
https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koad196
By Anja Liese1,2 and Tina Romeis1,2
1 Department for Biochemistry of Plant Interactions, Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry, D-06120 Halle (Saale),…
Pros and cons of various popular RNA sequencing methods
The Plant Cell: In a NutshellLiu and Zhu et al. systematically compare various methods for investigating transcription.
The Plant Cell: https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koad237
By M. Liu and Z. Dong
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Adaptation and Molecular Design, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Editing,…
Review: A century of studying plant secondary metabolism—From “what?” to “where, how, and why?”
Plant Science Research WeeklyPhytochemicals, also known as plant secondary metabolites, play primary roles in plant development, structure, and response to the environment. Their metabolism has been studied for over a century. In a new review, Dixon and Dickinson discuss past and recent advances in understanding the identity, localization,…