Recent Posts

Genetic reprogramming during immune activation: Decompressing the genetic information encoded in alternative transcription start sites

Thieffry, López-Márquez, et al. explore the use of alternative transcriptional start sites during immune responses. https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koac108 Background: Upon sensing an attempted infection, plants change from growth to defense by reshaping gene activity. However, there is not always…

Regulation of SK11/12 transcription guides carbon flow in seeds

By Chengxiang Li and Hao Yu National University of Singapore Background: Maternal carbon source supports seed development and is eventually transformed into seed reserves, such as storage oil in the filial embryo and protective compounds in the maternal seed coat. During seed development of Arabidopsis…

AHA2 is involved in ABA-induced stomatal closure

Author et al. explore the role of plasma membrane H +-ATPases in ABA-induced stomatal closure. https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koac106 By Zhizhong Gong1, 2 and Dan Pei1 1State Key Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing,…

Sweet revenge: a fungal oligosaccharide takes on plant defense responses

Chandrasekar, Wanke, Wawra and co-workers discover how fungal cell surface polysaccharides assist in evading hostile plant immune responses. https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koac114 By Alan Wanke1 and Pia Saake2 Alga Zuccaro2 1 Sainsbury Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United…

OUT OF THE BLUE and into the leaf veins

Grunwald et al. explore how blue light regulates leaf water balance https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koac089 By Y. Grunwald, S. Gosa, T. Torne Srivastava, M. Moshelion and N. Moran. The Robert H. Smith Institute of Plant Sciences and Genetics in Agriculture, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture,…

Two ABA-responsive transcription factors reset the requirement for vernalization by re-activating FLOWERING LOCUS C in embryos

Xu et al. identify two transcription factors that activate FLOWERING LOCUS C during embryogenesis, thus re-setting the requirement for vernalization. https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koac077  By Guokai Xu, Zeng Tao and Yuehui He Peking University Institute of Advanced Agricultural Sciences Peking-Tsinghua…

Mitochondrial ROS promise broad-spectrum disease resistance

Yang et al. identify a connection between a mitochondrial RNA-processing factor and plant disease resistance. https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koac082 Yang Yang and Weixing Shan  State Key Laboratory of Crop Stress Biology in Arid Areas and College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling,…

A new link between light and brassinosteroid signaling

Cao et al. demonstrate that the photomorphogenic repressors BBX28 and BBX29 enhance brassinosteroid signaling to promote hypocotyl elongation and cotyledon closure.  By Jing Cao and Fang Lin  Background: Light signals and brassinosteroids (BRs) are external stimuli and internal cues, respectively,…

A spliceophilin helps Arabidopsis adapt to heat stress

Jo et al. uncover the role of a spliceosome component in removing retained introns in Arabidopsis in response to heat stress https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koac084  Background: Alternative splicing plays a key role in abiotic stress responses in plants, especially responses to heat stress. The spliceosome…