Category: The Plant Cell: In a Nutshell

Decaestecker and Buono et al. develop a system for tissue-specific gene knockout to enable phenotypic analysis of context-specific gene function. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.19.00454 By Ward Decaestecker, Rafael Andrade Buono, Moritz Nowack and Thomas Jacobs Background: As plant molecular…

Demurtas et al. developed a high-throughput approach to identifying vacuolar transporters and used it to explore transport of crocins in saffron. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.19.00193 By Olivia C. Demurtas and Giovanni Giuliano Background: The saffron spice is made of dried stigmas from…

Cope et al. show how lipochitooligosaccharides produced by the mycorrhizal fungus Laccaria bicolor enhance colonization of Populus roots  Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00676 By Kevin R. Cope, University of Wisconsin–Madison (currently at S. Dakota State Univ.) and Jean-Michel Ané,…

You et al. show that LEUNIG_HOMOLOG Facilitates Jaresponses via interactions with the histone acetyltransferase HAC1 and the Mediator complex coactivator MED25.   Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.19.00115 By Yanrong You and Chuanyou Li, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese…

Karki et al. revisit the long-standing question of how and where lipid trafficking occurs during galactolipid synthesis. They report evidence for metabolically distinct pools of phosphatidylcholine, suggesting an underlying spatial organization in the ER–chloroplast metabolic interactions. Plant Cell…

Watkins et al. have identified XAT as the enzyme responsible for esterification and subsequent  stabilization of lutein in wheat grains. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.09.00272 By Jacinta Watkinsa, Barry Pogsona and Diane Matherb. aARC Centre of Excellence for Plant Energy Biology, Research…

Wang et al. identify a protein that mediates Casparian strip formation at the endodermis in rice roots. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.19.000296 By Jian Feng Maa and Jixing Xiab aInstitute of Plant Science and Resource, Okayama University, Japan bCollege of Life Science and Technology,…

Mandáková et. al. explore the origin of an ancient oilseed crop. https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.19.00366 Background: Camelina (Camelina sativa; gold of pleasure or false flax) is an ancient oilseed crop grown in Europe as early as 4000 BC. Gold of pleasure was largely forgotten as a crop, being replaced…