Can you imagine going a day without a sip of water? Neither can plants. Water is essential for supporting diverse physiological processes in plants, including photosynthesis, nutrient transport, temperature regulation, and maintenance of cell turgidity. However, with global increase in temperature and…

Throughout the world, cereal endosperm is a major source of food. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying the import of sugar into the endosperm of rice plants (Oryza sativa) and how these pathways relate to auxin signaling. In this paper, Wu et al. investigate the role of…

Most plants benefit from symbiotic associations with fungi, in which the fungi aid in nutrient update particularly of phosphate, and the plant returns the favor by supplying the fungi with lipids. Several but not all of the molecular players required for these important pathways have been identified.…

It’s easy for most of us to grasp how an enzyme evolves new functions or substrate specificities, but envisioning how something incredibly complex like the human eye can be quite challenging (even Darwin was stumped). In this fascinating paper, Chomicki et al. asked how two geographically…

Plants shape ecosystems and sustain human life. Only a small portion of plant diversity is currently known to be in use, even though most plants may be useful to humans. Over time, certain species become widespread, but others are native to specific geographical regions. Thus, to manage plant resources…

Review: A century of studying plant secondary metabolism—From “what?” to “where, how, and why?”  Phytochemicals, 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.…

Mermet et al. identify a protein that provides a continuum between the nucleoskeleton and the nuclear pore complex basket via short peptide motifs.  https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koad236  Christophe Tatout and Aline Probst iGReD, Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, INSERM, 63001 Clermont-Ferrand,…

Huang et al. explore the molecular mechanism underlying the regulation of autophagy by HLS1.  https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koad252  By Li Huang, Xing Wen, Lian Jin, Huihui Han, and Hongwei Guo New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Institute of Plant and Food Science, Department of Biology,…