Category: The Plant Cell: In a Nutshell

Xu et al. study the effects of loss-of-function mutations in over 1000 Arabidopsis accessions. https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00321  By Yong-Chao Xu and Ya-Long Guo Background:  The gain of genes is thought to play important roles in the adaptation and diversification of plants. Loss-of-function…

Yamaoka et al. report that the mRNA of a Chlamydomonas bZIP transcription factor is spliced by CrIRE1 under ER stress, and the resulting protein protects cells via modulating lipid remodeling. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00723 By Yasuyo Yamaoka and Youngsook Lee Background: The endoplasmic…

Jacobowitz et al. identify two enzymes essential for anther development. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00051 By Joseph Jacobowitz, MIT/Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research Jing-Ke Weng, MIT/Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research   Background: Just like all organisms,…

Šola et al. examine how galactose alters rhamnogalacturonan-I properties. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.000954 By Krešimir Šola and George W. Haughn Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada Background: Pectin is a component of the plant…

Calzadilla et al. investigate the mechanism underlying state transitions in cyanobacteria. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00159 By Pablo I. Calzadilla and Diana Kirilovsky, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell, CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif sur…

Li et al. identify a module regulating seed dormancy in Arabidopsis. Plant Cell (2019). https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00449 By Xiaoying Li Background: Grain crop production is important for human survival. Pre-harvest sprouting is a worldwide natural disaster that seriously affects crop yields…

In a pioneering study, Wilkop et al. characterized the type of polysaccharide cargo transported in specific plant vesicles. Plant Cell (2019) https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00854.      By Destiny Davis, Thomas Wilkop, Michael  Hahn, and Georgia Drakakaki, University of California, Davis  Background:…

Choudry et al. show that the mRNA export protein ALY1 enables genome-wide RNA-directed DNA methylation, transposon repression and transgene silencing though the efficient export of the AGO6 mRNA. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00624 By Sarah Choudury Background: Transposons, sometimes…