Antagonist interactions between microbes of the phyllosphere stabilize the microbiome and some “hub” organisms can exert strong effects on community structure. The yeast family Ustilaginales contains several apathogenic species that are microbial antagonists that can inhibit infection from diverse…

Review: Devastating intimacy: the cell biology of plant–Phytophthora interactions Phytophthora are plant-destroying oomycetes. Within this genus are several infamous disease-causing agents: P. infestans of the potato late-blight fame, P. sojae of soybean root rot, P. ramorum of sudden oak death,…

Michael J. Skelly [email protected] To ensure optimal growth and development, plants must precisely control gene expression networks in a tissue-specific manner. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNA molecules that post-transcriptionally silence genes by binding to complementary…

The root epidermis presents an elegant model to study cell differentiation. Based on positional cues, Arabidopsis distinguishes two epidermal cell types. Cells in the H position, adjacent to the junction of two cortex cells, have the capacity of developing root hair identity, whereas the non-hair cells…

It might be a little known fact, even among plant biologists, that in embryos of many species of the Fabaceae, most oilseed plants and Arabidopsis thaliana embryos can photosynthesize within the seed (Tejos et al., 2010). We do not know why plant embryos have this capacity, since embryos are surrounded…

Plant cell walls provide mechanical support to plant cells, determine their size and shape, and influence plant development and stress responses. The plant cell wall is composed mainly of polysaccharides, including cellulose, hemicellulose and pectins, with smaller amounts of phenolic polymers and proteins…

Yu Zhang, first author of Astaxanthin is ketolated from zeaxanthin independent of fatty acid synthesis in Chromochloris zofingiensis Current Position: PhD candidate, Laboratory for Algae Biotechnology & Innovation, Peking University Education: PhD candidate in Bioengineering (Peking University);…

Yan Yan, first author of MYB30 Is a Key Negative Regulator of Arabidopsis Photomorphogenic Development that Promotes PIF4 and PIF5 Protein Accumulation in the Light Current Position: Post-doc, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China Education:…