Plant Physiology: On The Inside

Ice formation within plants influences their physiology mechanically, hydraulically, and at a cellular level. Mechanical strain occurs as water expands during freezing and tension is induced in the remaining liquid-phase sap. Xylem cavitation is initiated upon freezing due to the low (i.e. negative)…

European grapevines (Vitis vinifera) are routinely grafted on interspecific hybrid rootstocks mainly to control infestation by phylloxera (Daktulosphaira vitifoliae). Research has shown, however, that these rootstocks can also affect scion growth vigor and resistance to abiotic stresses such as drought.…

Rubisco is responsible for CO2 fixation during photosynthesis. This enzyme is assembled from eight large subunits (RbcL), encoded by a single chloroplast gene, and eight small subunits (RbcS), encoded by a nuclear gene family. Although Rubisco’s catalytic reaction is mostly controlled by the large…

Biogeographic studies suggest that the degree of fatty acid unsaturation in oilseeds has played a major role in adapting plants to temperature. The enzymes that are primarily responsible for producing polyunsaturated fatty acids in seed oils are the microsomal ω-6 and ω-3 fatty acid desaturases FAD2…

Current available evidence suggests that the location of the sites of evaporation is important for many questions across plant physiology, including patterns of leaf isotopic enrichment, maintenance of mesophyll water status, stomatal regulation, and interpretation of measured stomatal and leaf hydraulic…

Calmodulin (CaM) and closely related CaM-like polypeptides are principal sensors of Ca2+ signals. The plant-specific IQ67 DOMAIN (IQD) family has emerged as possibly the largest class of CaM-interacting proteins with undefined molecular functions and biological roles. Bürstenbinder et al. (Plant Physiol.…

Herbivory-induced plant cell wall modifications play an important role in deterring herbivory. Modified cell walls not only act as physical defenses against herbivores by enhancing the mechanical hardness of plant tissues but also reduce the digestibility of food for herbivores, thereby functioning as…

Transfer cells (TCs) play critical roles in membrane transport of solutes at various sites within plants and between plants and their environment. This transport capacity is conferred by inward wall protuberances that extend into the cell lumen. These ingrowths function to enhance the area of surrounding…