Ironing Out the Wrinkles in Fatty Acid Synthesis
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellZhai et al. show that Trehalose 6-phosphate positively regulates fatty acid synthesis by stabilizing WRINKLED1. Plant Cell. https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00521
Background: In plants, oil synthesis is under the control of an “on switch” or transcription factor called WRINKLED1, that binds to DNA…
A Multi-Player Club for Maize Storage Protein Regulation
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellLi et al. take a new approach to identify a transcription factor that regulates γ-zein gene expression during maize endosperm development together with other transcription factors.
By Chaobin Li and Rentao Song, China Agricultural University
Background: Zeins are the most abundant storage proteins…
Soap-Film Aids Study of Cell Division
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellMartinez et al. show that a model based on three-dimensional cell shape successfully predicts the division planes of plant and animal cells, confirming a century-old hypothesis. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00401
Background: Plant cell division has long been thought to mimic weightless…
Opaque-2 Plays a Broad Role in Regulation of Endosperm Development and Function
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellZhan et al. report on genome-wide analysis of genes regulated by the maize transcription factor Opaque-2. Plant Cell. https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00392
By Junpeng Zhan and Ramin Yadegari, University of Arizona
Background: In flowering plants, development of seeds is initiated by double fertilization.…
Scaling Relationships between Ploidy and Size
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellRobinson et al. investigate scaling relationships between ploidy and size in Arabidopsis. The Plant Cell (2018). https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00344
By Dana O. Robinson and Adrienne H.K. Roeder
Background: The term “ploidy” refers to the number of copies of the genome contained in a cell.…
Blue Light Helps Plants Build Rigid Walls
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellZhang et al. investigate how Blue light enhances cell wall thickening https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00315.
Background: Plant vascular tissues provide plants with mechanical strength and long-distance transportation, and the thickened secondary cell walls of certain types of vascular cells help…
An Unconventional Route for Viral Replication Vesicle Trafficking
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellGarcia Cabanillas et al. show the existence of a tug-of-war for successful plant virus infection. The Plant Cell (2018). https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00281
By Daniel Garcia Cabanillas, Jun Jiang and Jean-François Laliberté
Background: Plants are susceptible to viruses, which cause severe…
Leaves Call to Roots: “Need More Zinc!”
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellSinclair et al. show that a low Zn status of shoots triggers in roots the transcription of genes important in root-to-shoot translocation of Zn. The Plant Cell (2018). https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00207
By Scott A. Sinclair and Ute Krämer
Department of Molecular Genetics and Physiology of…
Combinatorial Chemistry Solutions to Explore Intracellular Trafficking
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellMishev, Lu, et al. discover a new chemical inhibitor of a protein family involved in the regulation of endomembrane transport. Mishev, Lu, et al. Plant Cell (2018) https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00145
By Kiril Mishev and Qing Lu
Background: The structural and functional compartmentalization…