Recent Posts

Phloem Companion Cell-Specific Transcriptomics and Epigenomics

By conducting phloem companion cell-specific transcriptomic and epigenomic analyses, You et al. identify MRF1, a novel regulator of flowering. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.17.00714 By Yuan You1,2 and Markus Schmid1,3 1 Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Department of Molecular…

The Epigenetics of Leaf Senescence

Liu et al. explore the mechanism underlying the epigenetic reprograming of senescence-associated gene expression during leaf senescence. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00693    By Peng Liu, Jing Bo Jin, and Xiaofeng Cao, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China. Background: Leaf…

SME1 shapes plant development and freezing tolerance

Huertas et al. show that SME1 modulates spliceosome activity to shape plant development and tolerance to freezing temperatures. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00689   By Raúl Huertas, Noble Research Institute, Admore, Oklahoma, USA. Rafael Catalá, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas-CSIC,…

Impact of Biolistic Transformation on the Genome

Liu et al. show that biolistic transformation can cause extensive damage and rearrangements, including deletions, duplications, chromosome fusions, and copy number variations. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00613   By Jianing Liu and R. Kelly Dawe, Department of Genetics, University…

How Stress Experience Strengthens a Tree

Georgii et al. uncover transcriptomic memory in poplar trees after recovery from drought-heat stress, which changes with stress frequency and intensity and involves a complex interplay of common and tissue-specific factors. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00431    By Elisabeth Georgii…

ABA Balances Plant Growth and Metabolism

Yoshida et al. investigate how the phytohormone ABA balances normal growth and metabolism. https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00766. By Takuya Yoshida and Alisdair R. Fernie, Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie.   Background: Abscisic acid (ABA) is a plant hormone that…

Ferroptotic Cell Death Occurs in Plants

Dangol et al. demonstrate that Magnaporthe oryzae infection induces iron- and reactive oxygen species-dependent ferroptotic cell death in rice. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00535 By S. Dangol, Y. Chen, B. K. Hwang, and N. S. Jwa   Background: Cell death is the intracellular program…

Lipids and Auxin Signaling in Plant Salt Responses

Wang et al. highlight the importance of lipid protein interactions in spatiotemporal regulation of auxin signalling. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00528 By Peipei Wang and Qun Zhang Background:  Salt stress inhibits plant growth and development, leading to many physiological reactions.…

Meiocyte-specific Small RNAs and Meiotic Recombination: Questions and Anthers

Small RNAs regulate gene expression and epigenetic modifications (via RNA-directed DNA methylation), and therefore play key roles in plant development (reviewed in Borges and Martienssen, 2015). Moreover, emerging evidence indicates that small RNAs may have a role in the repair of double-stranded breaks…