A conserved role for flavonoids in the protection of plant tissues from UV damage ($)
Plant Science Research WeeklyThe transition from aquatic to terrestrial environments exposed the earliest land plants to higher doses of damaging ultraviolet (UV-B) radiation. To cope with this stress, land plants evolved complex signalling mechanisms and an inventory of protective ‘sunscreen-like’ flavonoids. To explore whether…
Suns out, guns out: Plant defense responses are enhanced under long-day photoperiods ($)
Plant Science Research WeeklyAs sessile organisms, plants must constantly sense and respond to a dynamic range of stimuli in their environment, which includes both the duration of light (photoperiod) and the presence of microbial invaders. In a recent article published in Plant Physiology, Cagnola et al. (2018) investigate how plant…
A RopGEF regulates asexual reproduction in the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha
Plant Science Research WeeklyComplex developmental programs regulate tissue and organ formation throughout the green plant lineage, from early diverging non-vascular lineages (bryophytes) to vascular flowering (angiosperm) plants. In the model liverwort Marchantia polymorpha, epidermal patterning gives rise to surface structures…
Dynamic Alternative Splicing Response to Cold
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellCalixto et al. demonstrate a rapid wave of alternative splicing as temperatures drop. The Plant Cell (2018) https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00177.
By Cristiane Calixto and John Brown
Background: Alternative splicing (AS) allows a single gene to produce more than one transcript, which can affect…
Old Gene, New Function
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellXie et al. discover an EPSP synthase gene involved in the transcriptional regulation of the phenylpropanoid pathway in Populus trichocarpa The Plant Cell (2018). https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00168.
By Meng Xie, Wellington Mechuro, Jin-Gui Chen, and Gerald A. Tuskan
Background: 5-enolpyruvylshikimate…
Tectonic Movements Across the Tomato Genome
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellCorem et al. demonstrate a switch in DNA methylation patterns across the tomato genome. The Plant Cell (2018). https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00167.
By Shira Corem, Tzahi Arazi and Nicolas Bouché
Background: Crop genomes are covered by transposons, which are DNA sequences that can jump from one…
Autophagy During Viral Infection: Viruses Fight Back!
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellYang et al. investigate the role of autophagy in the ongoing arms race of plant defense and viral counterdefense. The Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00122
By Meng Yang and Dawei Li
Background: Most plants have defense mechanisms that enable resistance to pathogens. One of theses is…
Genome-Wide Assessment of Alternative Splicing in Maize
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellChen et al. higlight the importance of AS in diversifying gene function and regulating phenotypic variation. The Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00109
Background: Alternative splicing (AS) of precursor mRNAs is an essential regulatory mechanism that greatly enhances transcriptome and proteome…
Mitigating Yield Loss Under Global Warming
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellMa et al. investigate epigenetic aspects of heat-induced male sterility in cotton.
By Yizan Ma, Ling Min and Xianlong Zhang
Background: Global warming causes extremely high temperatures in summer in some areas. Certain crops cultivated in summer cannot tolerate extreme heat stress and begin…