Recent Posts

Nitrate–NRT1.1B–SPX4 cascade integrates N and P signaling networks (Nature Plants)

Plants need several mineral nutrients for their optimal growth and development. This is contingent on a proper nutrient balance particularly between the two most required essential elements, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus. Even though considerable success has been achieved in understanding the molecular…

Alternative usage of miRNA-biogenesis co-factors in plants at low temperatures (Development)

As in animals, plants produce microRNAs that are also key developmental regulators. Unlike some animals, plants are more exposed to environmental factors that alter cellular processes. Ré et al. show here that phenotypic defects produced by loss-of-function mutations in key proteins of Arabidopsis miRNA…

Insight: Rapid evolution in plant – microbe interactions (New Phytol)

Plants and associated microbes co-exist and co-evolve over time. The rate of evolution is higher in pathogens as compared to plants. Although the phenotypic consequences of rapid evolution in pathogens are well studied, changes at genomic level are not as well known, and are the subject of a recent review…

Genomic regions associated with economic traits in walnut (Plant Breeding)

The bearing habit refers to the location of flower buds in woody plants. For walnut cultivars, lateral bearing is preferred for its yield superiority. Deciphering its genetic architecture would improve seedling and sapling selection. Here, Aradhya et al. performed a SNP-based linkage map to estimate…

Review: Integration of sulfate assimilation with C and N metabolism in transition from C3 to C4 photosynthesis (J Exp Bot)

“Cysteine (HO2CCH(NH2)CH2SH) synthesis is the converging point of the three major pathways of primary metabolism: carbon, nitrate, and sulfate assimilation.” It’s hard enough to coordinate two pathways, let alone three; but these metabolic connections are revealed in that a deficiency in one nutrient…

Multi-level modulation of light signaling by GIGANTEA regulates both the output and pace of the circadian clock ($) (Devel Cell)

The daily cycle of light and dark controls many facets of plant growth and development, but these cycles depend on and are most efficient when integrated with the rhythms of the circadian clock. Nohales et al. have identified a key mechanism that directly links the regulation of light-responsive genes…

Accelerated flowering time reduces lifetime water use without penalizing reproductive performance in Arabidopsis (Plant Cell Environ)

As climate change proceeds, the availability of fresh water is decreasing. Luckily, the variation in water use efficiency within and between species provides tools necessary to breed plants for future climate. However, water use is often studied at the vegetative level. Ferguson et al. observed that…

Three-dimensional time-lapse analysis of maize root system archictecture (Plant Cell)

Root system architecture (RSA) profoundly affects plant nutritent uptake and response to drought, and is also famously extremely developmental plastic, which makes it difficult to identify genes that control root growth traits. Here, Jiang et al. analyzed 3D growth patterns over time of three maize lines…

GRANAR, a new computational tool to better understand the functional importance of root anatomy (bioRxiv)

Uptake of water by plants depends on root conductivity, which in turn is determined by hydraulic properties of individual cells and cell anatomy. Quantification of radial root anatomy is a time-consuming process, limiting our understanding of root anatomical features contributing to water uptake. Heymans…