Recent Posts

Fruit Length Regulation in Cucumber

Zhao et al. identify a key regulator of fruit length variation in cucumber. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00905 By Jianyu Zhao, China Agricultural University/University of Wisconsin-Madison; Li Jiang, China Agricultural University/Nanjing Agricultural University; Gen Che, China…

The Surprisingly Similar Glycomes of Maize and Arabidopsis Golgi

Okekeogbu et al. compare the glycomes and proteomes of the Golgi in grasses and dicots, finding that the differences in cell wall architecture are not reflected in differences between polysaccharides produced in the Golgi. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00755 Background: Grasses and other…

Plant Cells Shed Membrane-Bound Bubbles that Are Packed with Tiny RNA Molecules

Baldrich et al. identified membrane vesicles with tiny RNAs The Plant Cell (2019). https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00872 By Roger Innes Background: All cells are defined by an outer membrane, which is made up of a lipid bilayer. Most cells shed small bubbles of membrane called extracellular vesicles…

Getting to Know Each Cell in an Arabidopsis Root

Jean-Baptiste et al. use single-cell transcriptomic profiling to map developmental trajectories and assess cell-type specific changes during heat shock, demonstrating that single-cell transcriptomics holds promise for studying plant development and plant physiology at unprecedented resolution. Plant…

How Plants Activate Drought-Responsive Genes

Li et al. study a complex that regulates gene expression during drought stress. Plant Cell  https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00437   By Shuang Li, Ying-Chung Jimmy Lin, Vincent L. Chiang, and Wei Li   Background: Plants may become drought tolerant by activating specific drought-responsive…

Metabolite to Gene: A High-Resolution Resource for Maize

Zhou et al. provide a resource for structural and functional assignment of the many unknown maize metabolites. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00772 Background: Plants defend themselves against herbivores and pathogens by producing a myriad of specialized metabolites. This physiological…

OsSHI1 shapes plant architecture in rice

Duan et al. explore the mechanism underlying plant architecture establishment in rice.  Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.19.00023 By Erchao Duan, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China. Background: Rice is a major crop consumed by more than half of the world’s population. The…

How Does Light Cause Arabidopsis Cotyledons to Open?

Dong et al. investigate cotyledon-specific light-regulated gene expression in Arabidopsis. The Plant Cell (2019). https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00803  By J. Dong, N. Sun, J. Yang, Z. Deng, J. Lan, G. Qin, H. He, X. W. Deng, V. F. Irish, H. Chen, and N. Wei Background: When germinating in darkness…

To grow, or not to grow, that is the question

Xin et al., identify a mechanistic model that governs cucumber fruit elongation through fine-tuning of ethylene homeostasis. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00957 By Xueyong Yang and Tongxu Xin Background: Plant organ growth and development are determined by the subtle balance between…