Plant scientists use big data to map stress responses in corn
Blog, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: NewsIowa State University
AMES, Iowa – Plant scientists at Iowa State University have completed a new study that describes the genetic pathways at work when corn plants respond to stress brought on by heat, a step that could lead to crops better capable of withstanding stress.
The findings, published…
ONE GENE: DIFFERENT mRNAs, DIFFERENT TISSUES, DIFFERENT FUNCTIONS IN DEVELOPMENT
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellNapoli et al. show that mRNA splicing variants have tissue- and developmental stage-specific activity in flower development https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.17.00840.
By Roberta Ghelli and Patrizia Brunetti
Background: Plants that are self-pollinating contain both male (stamen) and female (pistil)…
Pathogenic Bacteria Use A “Self-Eating” Process to Trick Plants
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellÜstün et al. show that pathogenic Pseudomonas enhances the autophagic turnover of proteins in Arabidopsis https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.17.00815.
By Suayib Üstün and Daniel Hofius
Background: Autophagy and the proteasome are the major pathways for protein degradation in eukaryotes. While the…
Developing High-Yield Early-Maturation Crops by Manipulating Nitrogen Utilization
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellWang et al. investigate the function of OsNRT1.1A in rice. Plant Cell (2018). https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.17.00809.
By Wei Wang, Bin Hu and Chengcai Chu
Background: To cope with an increasing global population and decreasing availability of arable land, improving crop yield is a major agricultural…
Clathrin-Mediated Endocytosis: Plant Homologs of the Clathrin Uncoating Factor Auxilin
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellAdamowski et al. use CRISPR to investigate the function of plant auxilin proteins https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.17.00785.
By Maciek Adamowski
Background: Endocytosis is one of the basic pathways of cellular trafficking. By endocytosis, proteins located in the plasma membranes, for instance receptors,…
Switching off Seed Maturation Genes in Seedlings
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellChen et al identify AGL15 as a direct target of HSI2-dependent transcriptional repression in Arabidopsis seedlings https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.17.00655.
By Naichong Chen and Randy Allen
Background: The developmental transition from seeds to seedlings is a critical step in the plant life cycle.…
Live and Let Die: Phosphatidic Acid Modulates the Self-Incompatibility Response
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In BriefPollen tubes are remarkable vehicles that deliver immobile sperm nuclei from the stigma to the ovule during angiosperm reproduction. Their journey delicately balances turgor pressure with the precise spatiotemporal regulation of polarized growth machinery to navigate pollen tubes and their cargo to the…
Life of PPi: Soluble PPases and H+-PPase act cooperatively to keep pyrophosphate levels in check
Blog, Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In BriefInorganic phosphate (PPi) is a byproduct of many metabolic reactions, including those involved in sucrose, sugar nucleotide, and cellulose biosynthesis. Although PPi is an important phosphate donor and source of cellular energy, high levels of cytosolic PPi are toxic, disrupting the metabolic reactions…
A Tale of Three Studies: Uncovering the Crucial Roles of m6A Readers
Blog, Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In BriefThe story behind m6A (methylation of the N6 position of adenosine), the most common internal mRNA modification in eukaryotes, has long been a source of intrigue. This epitranscriptomic mark is deposited at specific mRNA sequences by m6A writers and removed by m6A erasers. The m6A marks recruit and anchor…