Transcription factors (TFs) can be subject to multiple posttranslational modifications (PTMs) that affect protein stability, subcellular localization, interactions with corepressors and activators, and DNA binding activity of TFs, thereby influencing their regulatory activities on target genes. Recent…

Intrinsically disordered proteins lack a defined three-dimensional structure but often contain a simple amino acid composition with repeated  sequences that provide the basis for multivalent intermolecular interactions. Because of their unique structural flexibility, conformational adaptability, and…

Leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinases (LRR-RLK) are one of the largest gene families in  plants. Research over the past decade has implicated LRR-RLKs and their selective interactions with secreted peptide hormones in a myriad of developmental processes. A conserved LRR-RLK with a burgeoning list…

Programmed cell death (PCD) in plants is closely associated with a wide variety of biological processes, including cell differentiation, aleurone layer formation, tapetum degradation, leaf and fruit resistance, pathogen invasion and abiotic stresses. Plant PCD is a complex genetically programmed mechanism,…

The rhizosheath, the sticky part of the rhizosphere, is the layer of soil that adheres to roots upon excavation of the root system. The stickiness of the layer arises from mucilage and other substances secreted by roots, soil microbes or both. Rhizosheaths preferentially form in drier soil and  are…

Upon germination, the vegetative pollen cell forms a long tubular protrusion, the pollen tube, which rapidly elongates through the pistil and transports the enclosed immobile sperm cells toward the egg and the central cell for double fertilization. To reach the female gametophyte, growing pollen tubes…

Abt et al. found that Arabidopsis SS5, a protein homologous to typical starch-synthesizing enzymes, is itself enzymatically inactive, but rather has an important role in the starch granule initiation process. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.19.00946 By Melanie R. Abt and Samuel C. Zeeman, Institute…

Plants (embryophytes) are by definition multicellular, but we seek to understand them as the sum of the activities of individual cells. Much of this knowledge rests on information obtained through grinding up tissues  made up from several cell types. This review by Luo et al. describes methods for plant…