Hydrogen cyanide (HCN) is a potent inhibitor of cytochrome c oxidase, a conserved component of the respiratory electron transport chain in all aerobic life. Thus, HCN is well suited to serve as a broad-spectrum chemical defense, and indeed it plays such a role in many interactions between plants and…

Plants devote more than 70% of their available nitrogen to maintaining chloroplast function (Makino and Osmond, 1991). During senescence or under stress conditions, chloroplasts are degraded and their constituent components are recycled. Chloroplasts can be degraded through at least three pathways: (1)…

(Translated from the Chinese original) Auxin is an important plant hormone that is essential for plant growth and development. At present, people's understanding of auxin signal transduction mainly focuses on the process of auxin receptor TIR1/AFBs- mediated Aux/IAAs protein degradation…

Sheng Wang, first author of CYP76B74 catalyzes the 3'-hydroxylation of geranylhydroquinone in shikonin biosynthesis Current Position: Assistant Researcher at National Resources Center of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China Education: B.S. in Resources…

Wojciech J. Nawrocki, first author of Chlororespiration controls growth under intermittent light Current Position:  Postdoctoral fellow at the VU Amsterdam Education:  MSc in Biophysics, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France, PhD, Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, CNRS, Paris, France Non-scientific…

I think trees are awesome, and I mean that in the truest sense of the word. They dwarf us in height, and when we look at a tree that has lived for hundreds or thousands of years it is impossible not to think of that span in terms of human generations and human history. But, trees don’t live or grow…

Several recent studies have demonstrated that plants are able to respond to environmental challenges within minutes, through electrical signals, calcium oscillations, hydraulic changes, metabolites such as glutamate, and reactive oxygen species. Kollist et al. review studies of rapid responses that control…

What tools and skills do tomorrow’s plant scientists need, and how can we as a community ensure that today’s students get appropriate training? The Plant Science Research Network (PSRN), a consortium of plant science organizations and societies, has organized a series of workshops and discussions…