Subfunctionalization of duplicated genes (ohnologs) is known to occur through eventual differential gene regulation/expression and sequence divergence. Winkler et al. explore the example of the negative regulators of auxin signaling, AUX/IAA proteins IAA6 and IAA19 and how their divergent structures…

Boosting photosynthetic efficiency in crop species has long been a goal since efficiency of photosynthesis is a critical factor in crop yield. One strategy for improving photosynthetic rates is enhancing mesophyll conductance to carbon dioxide. Tomeo and  Rosenthal examined 12 cultivars of soybean (Glycine…

Barbez et al. introduce a fluorescent dye (8-hydroxypyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonic acid trisodium salt, HPTS) to track apoplastic pH in Arabidopsis roots and uncover some nuances in the auxin acid growth hypothesis. A sudden spike in auxin, perhaps counter-intuitively, causes a transient alkalization of the…

Flowering time is regulated by FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT), its paralog TWIN SISTER OF FT (TSF), and related proteins.  Banana (Musa spp.) is an economically-important day-neutral plant with a months-long vegetative phase prior to flowering.  The banana cultivar Grand Nain has 14 FT/TSF-like genes spread…

Diversification in plants is driven by many factors, but one trait, plant size, has been systematically overlooked, in contrast with the zoological field where the influence of body size on diversification has long been recognized. In this Viewpoint paper, Boucher et al. try to convince us why we…

This week's edition is guest edited by Ian Street. Ian is a plant scientist, the writer and editor of The Quiet Branches Blog, The Resources Editor at The AoB Blog and an Associate Editor at The POSTDOCket and co-host of The Recovering Academic podcast. He can be found on Twitter @IHStreet.   Plant…

In plants, there are two biosynthetic pathways for the production of the plant hormone indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), namely the Trp-dependent and the Trp-independent pathways. Shao et al. (10.1104/pp.17.00094) have performed a genome-wide analysis to identify a key gene in wheat that functions in the tryptophan-dependent…

Legume roots form two types of organs, lateral roots and symbiotic nodules, which participate, respectively, in the uptake of water and mineral nutrients and in nitrogen fixation. Since both organs have considerable impacts on plant growth, understanding the mechanisms underlying the development of lateral…