
The Battlefield in the Rice Apoplast
Yang et al. show how rice recognizes a Magnaporthe oryzae chitinase to trigger immune responses to this fungal pathogen. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00382
By Chao Yang and Jun Liu
Background: Plants, like us, have an immune system that protects them from the majority of pathogen…

Seed Shattering in Rice
Jiang et al. identified a genetic factor regulating seed shattering in rice. The Plant Cell (2019). https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00304
By Liyun Jiang and Lubin Tan
Background: ‘Seed shatter’ refers to the release of mature seeds from their mother plants, which allows offspring dispersal in…

Ubiquinone (Coenzyme Q) Biosynthesis in Plants: Free that Ring
Soubeyrand et al. use genetic and biochemical evidence to show that Arabidopsis and tomato can derive the ubiquinone precursor 4-hydroxybenzoate from the B-ring of kaempferol. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00688.
By Eric Soubeyrand, Timothy S. Johnson, and Scott Latimer, University…

Enzymatic Sweeteners as Tools for Biotech Applications
Louveau et al. investigate plant natural products in the large family of enzymes called arabinosyltransferases https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00641
Background: Plants produce a diverse array of natural products. These compounds have important ecological functions, providing protection against pests,…

Petunia Battlefield in Style: S-RNases vs. SLF proteins
Sun et al. use CRISPR/Cas9 in Petunia to establish the essential role of SLF proteins in self-compatibility and reveal their complex interactions with S-RNases. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00615.
By Linhan Sun and Teh-hui Kao, The Pennsylvania State University
Background: Plant…

Tomato Hairs and Metabolites - A Dual Narrative
Xu et al. find that the transcription factor SlMYC1 is involved in trichome formation and regulates mono- and sesquiterpene biosynthesis differentially in leaf and stem trichomes in tomato.
By Robert Schuurink, Department of Plant Physiology, University of Amsterdam, NL
Background: Many plants…

The Identity of an Unstable Pigmenting Factor
Wittmeyer et al. discover a CACTA element that regulates ufo1 epialleles. Plant Cell (2018) https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00546
By Kameron Wittmeyer and Surinder Chopra
Background: A single gene can produce different outcomes depending on when, where, and at what levels it is turned on. A classical…

The Complex Evolution of Desiccation Tolerance
VanBuren et al. examine the evolution of desiccation tolerance in Lindernia. Plant Cell (2018). https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00517.
By Robert VanBuren and Dorothea Bartels
Background: Plants have evolved numerous strategies over the last ~400 million years to overcome water limitations. The…

Integrating Coexpression Networks with GWAS
Schaefer et al. integrate co-expression networks from three diverse maize gene expression data sets with genome wide association study data to prioritize genes related to the maize grain ionome. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00299
Background: Genetics examines the relationships between…