Keeping Walls on Track
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellSchneider et al. explore how secondary cell walls are made. The Plant Cell 2017. https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.17.00309
Background: Plant cells are surrounded by robust cell walls that function as dynamic extracellular skeletons and protect plants against their environment. The cell walls make up…
To Grow or to Defend: That is the Question for Plant Central Metabolism
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellFusari et al. perform GWAS to explore primary plant metabolism https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.17.00232
By Corina M. Fusari and Rik Kooke
Background: Primary metabolites such as sugars, organic acids, and amino acids are essential chemical compounds that drive plant growth and development by providing…
How Meiotic Chromosomes Cluster into a “Bouquet”
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellZhang et al. explore the behavior of chromosomes during meiosis. The Plant Cell (2017). https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.17.00287
By Fanfan Zhang
Background: In meiosis, plants, animals, and fungi reduce their chromosome numbers by half to form gametes (sperm and eggs) that can fuse to form a cell…
Space-Time Continuum of Gene Expression in Lateral Root Development
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellWalker et al. explore how the environment shapes root architecture. The Plant Cell 2017. https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.16.00961
By Liam Walker
Background: To acquire nutrients and anchor themselves, plant roots spread both vertically and horizontally in soil. Plants typically have a primary root…
A Plant Protein That Foils Aphid Feeding
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellKloth et al. probe aphid feeding behavior. The Plant Cell 2017 doi: 10.1105/tpc.16.00424
By Karen Kloth
Background: Aphids are phloem-feeding insects. They penetrate plants with a piercing-sucking mouth. Once they reach a tube where the plant transports its sugar-rich phloem sap, they can take…
New Teaching Tool: Root Phenomics
Blog, Education, Resources, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: News, UndergraduateMeet the newest member of the Teaching Tools in Plant Biology family, Phenomics of root system architecture: Measuring and analyzing root phenes -By Larry York and Guillaume Lobet.
This teaching tool discusses the relatively young field of root system architecture quantification. It introduces the concepts…
Clipping Chlamy Genes: Improved Methods for Targeted Gene Editing in Chlamydomonas
Blog, Research, Research Blog, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In BriefA beam of sunlight sends Chlamydomonas reinhardtii scrambling. This tiny, biflagellate alga senses light with its eyespot and adjusts its movements accordingly, depending on photosynthetic needs. In the eyespot, a membranous structure of reddish, carotenoid-filled granules that reflect light and two…
Making Connections: MAC Function in Splicing and MicroRNA Biogenesis
Blog, Research, Research Blog, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In BriefFans of the television show The Magic Schoolbus might remember that the teacher/heroine, Ms. Frizzle used to tell her students “Your job, as scientists, is to look for connections!” Ms. Frizzle would love the Mos4-associated Complex (MAC), because MAC has connections all over the place. Indeed, research…
Recognizing featured Plant Cell first authors: Vera Gorelova
Blog, Research, Research Blog, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: Author ProfilesVera Gorelova is the featured first author of Dihydrofolate Reductase/Thymidylate Synthase Fine-tunes the Folate Status and Controls Redox Homeostasis.
Current Position: PhD candidate at Ghent University looking for a new challenge
Education: MSc. In Biology, Novosibirsk State University, Russia
Non-scientific…