Recent Posts

Exploring variation in a key maize regulator of floral form

María Jazmín Abraham-Juárez, Amanda Schrager-Lavelle et. al. explore how variation in a key floral regulator affects floral development, downstream gene expression and protein complex assembly in maize. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.20.00300  by Jazmin Abraham-Juarez, Biology Department,…

Recognizing Plant Cell authors: Ping Wang

Ping Wang, first author of Cotton wall-associated kinase GhWAK7A mediates responses to fungal wilt pathogens by complexing with the chitin sensory receptors Current Position: Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Texas A&M University, College Station,…

Follow that Protein: SNAP-tagging Permits High-resolution Protein Localization

Protein analysis relies heavily on the production of ‘tagged’ proteins, i.e. recombinant proteins that contain both a functional peptide sequence and a peptide or chemical label (the ‘tag’). Common tags include fluorescent proteins (FPs), which make tagged proteins easier to detect, as well as…

Sometimes “jammed paper” can be a good thing: functional interactions between pectins and cellulose in the plant cell wall

Du et al. explore how pectins interact with cellulose in the plant cell wall. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.20.00252 By Juan Du1 and Charles T. Anderson2,3 1Key Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu…

Useless no more: infertile spikelets contribute to grain yield in a major food crop and its relatives

AuBuchon-Elder and Coneva et al. reveal an important function for apparently non-functional floral structures. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.20.004242 By Taylor AuBuchon-Elder1,*, Viktoriya Coneva1,2*, Doug K. Allen1,3†, and Elizabeth A. Kellogg1† 1Donald Danforth Plant Science…

Recognizing Plant Cell authors: Jing Liu

Jing Liu, first author of SPIKE1 Activates the GTPase ROP6 to Guide the Polarized Growth of Infection Threads in Lotus japonicus Current Position: Ph.D. candidate, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences/Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology Education: Ph.D. in Genetics, CAS Center…

Recognizing Plant Cell authors: Andan Zhu

Andan Zhu, co-first author of Temporal regulation of metabolome and proteome in photosynthetic and photorespiratory pathways contributes to maize heterosis Current Position: Professor, Germplasm Bank of Wild Species, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences Education: Ph. D. from…

Recognizing Plant Cell authors: Zhi Li

Zhi Li, co-first author of Temporal regulation of metabolome and proteome in photosynthetic and photorespiratory pathways contributes to maize heterosis Current Position: Postdoc in Dr. Z. Jeffrey Chen’s lab at The University of Texas at Austin Education: Ph.D. from China Agricultural University Non-scientific…

The sweet smell of sucrose transport during rose petal abscission

Liang et al. demonstrate that auxin modulates sucrose transport to repress petal abscission in rose. The Plant Cell (2020).  https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.19.00695 By Yue Liang, Chuyan Jiang, Yang Liu, Yuerong Gao, Jingyun Lu, Palinuer Aiwail, Zhangjun Fei, Cai-Zhong Jiang, Bo Hong, Chao Ma and Junping…