Humans and flowering plants spend most of their lives in a diploid state with two copies of each chromosome in most cells, but to reproduce they produce haploid gametes through meiosis. By contrast, bryophytes (liverworts, hornworts, and mosses), spend most of their lives in the haploid state. They produce…

The exocyst complex is a conserved octameric protein complex in eukaryotic cells. Its primary function is to tether secretory vesicles to the plasma membrane during the exocytosis process, and it is also involved in autophagy and host-pathogen interactions. Intriguingly, EXO70, one of the subunits of…

CLAVATA 3/EMBRYO SURROUNDING REGION-related (CLE) peptides and CLAVATA type receptors have been well charecterized for their role in root and shoot apical meristem maintenance in Arabidopsis. CLE peptides are also referred to as “peptide hormones” for their role in contolling physiological and developmental…

The Triticeae is an important tribe of crops that contains both barley and wheat. As the global population increases, the yield of Triticeae crops must increase to meet global food demands. An important factor influencing yield is grain number per spike, which is affected by inflorescence architecture.…

Pollen tubes are characterized by extremely fast elongation growth. Previously, small peptides known as RALFs (RAPID ALKALINIZATION FACTORs) were identified as signaling peptides, some with a role in pollen tube growth; for instance, RALF4/19 are important in maintaining the cell wall integrity of pollen…

Molecular hydrogen (H2) has been shown to have several cellular benefits, most notably serving as an antioxidant. Its effects in humans and plants have been primarily assayed using hydrogen-rich water (HRW, produced by bubbling H2 into water), but slower, more persistent release of H2 has been demonstrated…

In angiosperms, pollen germination leads to a period of extensive polarized growth of the pollen tube, which carries the sperm nuclei to the ovule. Studies of tip growth in both pollen tubes and root hairs have contributed to a descriptive model that involves polarized vesicle movement along the cytoskeleton…

Stomata are pores on leaves which enable gas exchange. In grasses, stomata are surrounded by dumbbell-shaped guard cells that are flanked by subsidiary cells. However, the role of the subsidiary cells in stomatal closure is not fully understood. Here, Liu et al. investigated this using two maize (Zea…