Recent Posts

MYB30 Promotes PIF4 and PIF5 Accumulation in the Light

Yan et al. discovered that MYB30, an R2R3-MYB family transcription factor, is a negative regulator of Arabidopsis photomorphogenic development and promotes PIF4 and PIF5 accumulation under prolonged red light irradiation. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.19.00645 By Yan Yan and Jigang Li, China…

Control of Arabidopsis Hypocotyl Growth by Strigolactone and Karrikin Signaling

Descriptive paragraph. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.20.00140 By Bing Wang and Qian Xu, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Background: Strigolactones (SLs) are carotenoid-derived plant hormones that control many aspects of plant development, such…

XOAT1- At the heart of plant polysaccharide acetylation

Lunin et al. describe a structural and biochemical analysis of the enzyme XOAT1, responsible for the acetylation of the cell wall component xylan, with potential applications in cell wall modification for better biomass valorization. The Plant Cell (2020) https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.20.00028 By Vivek…

A New Plant Component of the Conserved Machinery for Cellular Trafficking

Garcia et al. discover a plant-specific component of TRAPP membrane trafficking complexes with important roles in plant development. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.20.00044.  By Veder Garcia and Zhi-Yong Wang Department of Plant Biology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, CA  Background:…

Formation of xylem vessels: Role of a WRKY transcription factor

Ge et al explore the function of a transcription factor that functions upstream of a master regulator of tracheary element differentiation. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.19.00689 By Shating Ge1, Juan Xu2, and Shuqun Zhang3 1 College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University,…

A Catalytic Inhibitor of Cellulose Biosynthesis in the Toolbox

Huang et al. identify a new cellulose synthase inhibitor. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.20.00202.  By Lei Huang and Chunhua Zhang  Background: Cellulose is a polymer of b-1,4-D-glucose that serves as an essential source of everyday objects such as cloth, paper, and biofuel. Plant cellulose…

A closed mouth catches no pathogens: how plants sense bacteria and regulate stomata

Chan, Panzeri, et al. show how a receptor-like kinase regulates stomatal immunity by phosphorylating an anion channel that mediates closure of stomata. Plant Cell. https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.19.00578  By Ching Chana,b and Laurent Zimmerlia aDepartment of Life Science and Institute of Plant Biology,…

The Basis of Glyphosate Resistance in Palmer Amaranth

Molin et al. describe the sequence and gene organization of an extrachromosomal circular DNA element, the eccDNA replicon, that confers resistance to the herbicide glyphosate in amaranths. The Plant Cell (2020) https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.20.00099 By William Molin a and Christopher Saski b, a USDA-ARS,…

A Chloroplast tRNA-Modifying Enzyme Functions in Plant Development

Liu, Ren et al. discover how a natural allele of tRNA-modifying GTPase gene PDD leads to pleiotropic developmental defects in rice. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.19.00660.  By Hui Liu and Pingli Lu Fudan University and Henan University  Background: Transfer RNAs (tRNAs) are components…