Recent Posts

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…

Acetylation in the Assembly of Cell-Wall Architecture

Zhang et al. discover a deacetylase from rice that highlights the importance regulating acetylation in the cell wall. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00894 By Baocai Zhang and Yihua Zhou, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Background: Plant cells…

Adaptive Loss-of-Function Mutations

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…

How a Plant Plankton Copes with Stress

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…

Peroxidases prevent tapetum swelling and pollen degeneration

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,…

Side Chains Influence Pectin Properties

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…

Balancing photosystem activities: different mechanisms in plants and cyanobacteria

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…