Recent Posts

Jonathan Huc: The Plant Cell First Author

Jonathan Huc, first author of "Bypassing reproductive barriers in hybrid seeds using chemically induced epimutagenesis" Current Position: PhD student in Max Planck Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie (Potsdam, Germany) Education: High School Diploma in Biotechnologies (ESTBA, Paris, 2017),…

An E3 ubiquitin ligase modulates brassinosteroid signaling by targeting the transcription factor BES1 to selective autophagy under sucrose starvation

Wang et al. identify a mechanism by which plants reduce growth under sucrose starvation conditions. Plant Cell. https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koab210 by Ping Wang and Yanhai Yin (Iowa State University)  Background: Plants fine-tune their growth and stress-response programs to adapt to the environment.…

COMPASS functions as a module of the INO80 complex

Shang et al. explore the function of a chromatin-remodeling complex in the regulation of gene expression. Plant Cell. https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koab187 By Ji-Yun Shang and Xin-Jian He  Background: In eukaryotic cells, the INO80 chromatin remodeling complex uses energy derived from ATP hydrolysis…

Toshisangba Longkumer: The Plant Cell First Author

Toshisangba Longkumer, first author of "Spatial differences in stoichiometry of EGR phosphatase and Microtubule-Associated Stress Protein 1 control root meristem activity during drought stress" Current Position: Postdoctoral researcher at Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica,…

Engineering a wheat spike

Li et al. investigated genes regulating wheat spike development and found that SQUAMOSA and SVP genes control the development of normal spikes. Plant Cell. https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koab243 By Jorge Dubcovsky, Kun Li and Juan Manuel Debernardi, University of California, Davis, CA, USA Background:…

Ping Chang: The Plant Cell First Author

Ping Chang, first author of "The U1 snRNP component RBP45d regulates temperature-responsive flowering in Arabidopsis" Current Position: PhD student in Taiwan International Graduate Program at the Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, Taiwan Education: BS in Biotechnology Science…

Ubiquitylation and grain size in rice

Gao et al. reveal a non-proteolysis-based mechanism by which polyubiquitin modification of a histone acetyltransferase modulates grain size. https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koab194 Background: Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a staple crop that feeds over half of the world’s population and boosting rice…

Under Pressure: The cell wall of sieve elements is critical for sugar transport

Julius, McCubbin, and Mertz, et al. explore the connection between cell wall synthesis and sugar transport. Tyler J. McCubbin1,4, Benjamin T. Julius1, and David M. Braun1 1Divisions of Plant and Biological Sciences, Interdisciplinary Plant Group, and the Missouri Maize Center, University of Missouri,…

Stigma retracted into anther tube needs two steps

Shang and colleagues investigated the molecular mechanisms that contributed to stigma insertion during tomato domestication and improvement.  By Lele Shang, Jianwen Song and Yuyang Zhang, Huazhong Agricultural University  Background: In flowering plants, flower morphology influences pollination.…