Category: Plant Physiology

RETINOBLASTOMA was originally identified as a tumor suppressor gene in animals. A basic and core function of its protein is to control cell proliferation via regulating cell cycle entry. RB protein is also involved in regulating cell differentiation and organ specification. In plants, RBR (RB-Related)…

Plants often experience high light (HL) intensities in the field, many times in conjunction with elevated temperatures. Such conditions are a serious threat to agriculture production, because photosynthesis is highly sensitive to both HL intensities and high-temperature stress. During HL stress, the…

Glyphosate is the world’s most commonly used herbicide, owing to its high efficacy, broad spectrum, and systemic mode of action. Most plant species cannot significantly metabolize glyphosate, which is a major factor contributing to its lethality in plants. However, the widespread adoption of glyphosate-tolerant…

A common plant response to a variety of stresses is an influx of calcium (Ca2+) ions followed by an apoplastic burst of reactive oxygen species (ROS). This ROS burst is generated by Ca2+-dependent plasma membrane NADPH oxidases. A rapid increase in the NADP(H) pool size may be required to sustain the…

Li Feng, first author of An online database for exploring over 2,000 Arabidopsis small RNA libraries Current Position: PhD student in Biomedical Engineering, SUSTech-HIT Joint Graduate/PhD Project, Department of Biology & Institute of Plant and Food Science, Southern University of Science and Technology…

Lynn GL Richardson lynnr@msu.edu Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824 Chloroplasts, like their cyanobacterial ancestors, use binary fission to divide and generate new organelles. The origins of the division machinery stem from both the original eukaryotic…

In conifers such as Norway spruce (Picea abies), lignin is a major cell wall constituent of secondary xylem (wood), forming approximately 27% of the dry weight. Lignin enhances the structural stability of wood as well as water transport through it. Lignification encompasses many steps, starting with…

Plasmodesmata (PD) are membrane-bound tunnels that connect the cytosols of neighboring plant cells. The rate of PD transport between cells changes during the course of plant development. Forward genetic screens to identify factors controlling transport through PD have repeatedly revealed that chloroplasts…