Recent Posts

Intracellular neighborhood watch - mitochondria help the endoplasmic reticulum to cope with reductive stress

Fuchs et al. report that reductive stress triggers retrograde signaling to safeguard the endoplasmic reticulum by boosting mitochondrial respiratory capacity. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koac017 By Philippe Fuchs, Markus Schwarzländer Background: A strict division into specialized…

A ubiquitinated SNARE protein functions in nutrient stress responses

Hasegawa, Reyes et al. discover a link between the ubiquitination of a key membrane trafficking regulator and carbon/nitrogen nutrient stress.  Background: Ubiquitination is a post-translational modification that functions in numerous cellular processes by serving as a molecular signal, such as protein…

Hormone crosstalk orchestrates root development

Qin et al. identify a mechanism by which ethylene activates gibberellin catabolism to determine primary root growth in rice. Hua Qin and Rongfeng Huang Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences Background: The optimization of root architecture is one of the…

Unraveling bHLH transcription factor-mediated maize anther development

Nan, Teng et al. uncover bHLH-regulated genetic networks that sequentially control maize anther development.  By Chong Teng (DDPSC, MO), Guo-Ling Nan (Stanford University, CA), Blake Meyers (DDPSC and University of Missouri–Columbia, MO), and Virginia Walbot (Stanford University, CA)  Background:…

Make two from one: How embryonic algal cells divide in an orchestrated flow of subcellular structures

Von der Heyde and Hallmann uncover the enormous dynamics of early cell divisions in Volvox embryos.  https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koac004 Eva Laura von der Heyde and Armin Hallmann Department of Cellular and Developmental Biology of Plants, University of Bielefeld, Universitätsstr. 25, 33615…

The straw that breaks the camel's back

Wang et al. investigate the downstream effectors of CLE peptide ligand-mediated meristem homeostasis. https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koab315 By Wenping Wang, Chong Hu, Xiaoping Gou and Jing Yi Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, School of Life Sciences,…

A module controlling endoreduplication and cell growth in Arabidopsis

Jiang et al. discover a module controlling endoreduplication, a process in which DNA replication occurs in the absence of mitosis. Background: Organ size is coordinately regulated by both cell number and cell size. Endoreduplication is often associated with cell size in plants and animals, but the…

The chloroplast protein biogenesis network at the ribosome during heat acclimation

By Raphael Tröscha, Fabian Riesb, Lisa Désirée Westrichb, Felix Willmundb, a Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany; b Molecular Genetics of Eukaryotes, University of Kaiserslautern, Paul-Ehrlich-Str. 23, 67663 Kaiserslautern, Germany Trösch,…

Bypassing reproductive barriers in hybrid seeds

Huc et al. discover a method for bypassing the triploid block via chemically induced epimutagenesis using 5-Azacytidine. Background: Hybridization of plants with different chromosome numbers is often hindered by reproductive barriers established after fertilization. This is because the correct balance…