Category: Plant Physiology

The biochemistry of photosynthesis and biophysical processes that constrain it are intrinsically linked within the landscape of the inner leaf. Because leaf tissue is heterogeneous in structure as well as photosynthetic capacity, it follows that chlorophyll may also be spatially heterogeneous. Yet, while…

Comparative analyses of wild and domesticated accessions have previously identified several aboveground domestication-related traits in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris). Genetic analyses of these traits suggested the presence of several major quantitative trait loci (QTLs) with large effects.  However,…

Type 2 diabetes, which is characterized by high blood glucose (Glc) levels, afflicts ~6% of the population of the western world. A major goal in treating diabetes is reducing high levels of blood Glc, which is a particular problem in patients whose diets are rich in starch and other sugars. The main…

Antonella Locascio, first author of BCL2-ASSOCIATED ATHANOGENE4 Regulates the KAT1 Potassium Channel and Controls Stomatal Movement Current Position: Post-doctoral researcher at the Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas-UPV-CSIC  (Polytechnic University of Valencia-Spanish Research…

Miranda Meents, first author of Organization of Xylan Production in the Golgi During Secondary Cell Wall Biosynthesis Current Position: Teaching and Learning Fellow & Sessional Lecturer, Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada Education: PhD in Botany from the…

Tropic movement in plants (movement in relation to a directional stimulus) has fascinated thinkers since ancient times (reviewed in Whippo and Hangarter, 2006). This interest has led us to a good molecular understanding of how for example, plants direct their shoots towards light and their roots towards…

Kim L Johnson La Trobe Institute for Agriculture & Food, Department of Animal, Plant and Soil Sciences, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria 3086, Australia Flowers are mostly associated with pleasant smells; the sweet fragrance of a rose, the exotic scent of jasmine, the fresh smell of…

By Maria Grazia Annunziata Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany. The plant leaf apoplast is composed of all extracellular compartments beyond the plasmalemma and is filled with gas, water and cell wall elements (Sattelmacher, 2000). The apoplast is involved…