Psst! Pass it on: How the message to make a new root alters gene expression
The Plant Cell: In a NutshellGala et al. perform single cell RNA sequencing to reveal molecular details about lateral root initiation.
By Amy Lanctot, Hardik Gala, Jennifer Nemhauser
University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
Background: Roots anchor the plant in place and allow it take up needed water and nutrients.…
We’re just not compatible…. Plant species with different parenting strategies can’t quite coordinate in rearing hybrid babies
The Plant Cell: In a NutshellKinser and colleagues explore the transcriptomic, genomic and epigenomic consequences of mixing two genomes with the same number or twice as many chromosomes in monkeyflower.
By Taliesin Kinser (University of Florida) and Joshua Puzey (College of William and Mary)
Background: Flowering plants…
Exploring the parental origin of potato dihaploid DNA
The Plant Cell: In a NutshellAmundson et al. investigate the fate of parental DNA in crosses that produce uniparental dihaploids
By Kirk Amundson and Luca Comai
Background: Plants carrying only the chromosomes of one parent, i.e. haploids, are very useful for research and breeding. Certain crosses are known to yield haploid…
Atomic structure of mitochondrial complex I from plants and algae
The Plant Cell: In a NutshellKlusch et al. discover an unusual bridge domain that might participate in regulating the activity of mitochondrial complex I in plants and algae.
By Niklas Klusch1, Jennifer Senkler2, Özkan Yildiz1, Werner Kühlbrandt1 and Hans-Peter Braun2
1 Department of Structural Biology, Max-Planck-Institute…
How drought affects the asynchrony between anthesis and silking
The Plant Cell: In a NutshellLiu et al. demonstrate how manipulating ZmEXPA4 gene expression in developing maize ears alleviates the prolonged anthesis and silking interval in response to drought. The Plant Cell (2021) https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koab083
By Boxin Liu and Feng Qin
Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of…
Dynamic 3D genome architecture during polyploidy and domestication
The Plant Cell: In a NutshellWang et al. report how chromatin architecture reorganization shapes transcriptome patterns during polyploidization and domestication of soybean. The Plant Cell (2021). https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koab081
By Longfei Wang and Qingxin Song
Background: Soybean and common bean are important sources…
The role of the microtubule-associated protein WDL4 in apical hook opening
The Plant Cell: In a NutshellDeng and colleagues show how the microtubule-associated protein WDL4 contributes to apical hook opening to protect seedligns from damage by soil particles
By Jia Deng, Xiangfeng Wang, Ziqiang Liu, and Tonglin Mao, China Agricultural University
Background: When seedlings emerge through the soil…
Maternal control of seed size through the ovule
The Plant Cell: In a NutshellLi et al. investigate how Arabidopsis seed size is controlled by maternal tissues.
By Ying Ju Li, Yang Yu and Ying Hua Su, State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Agricultural University, Shandong, China
Background: Seed size is determined by the coordinated development…
MED8 keeps H2O2-dependent gene expression under control
The Plant Cell: In a NutshellHe et al. demonstrate that Mediator complex subunits have functions beyond their known roles in transcription. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koab079
By Huaming He, Patrick Willems, Frank Van Breusegem, and Amna Mhamdi
Background: Plants often face challenging environments to which they…