Category: Plant Science Research Weekly

Auxin mediates many of its effects through transcriptional changes via the well-known interaction between its co-receptors and transcriptional regulators (TIR1/AFB – Aux/IAA), but some auxin responses happen too quickly to be explained by transcriptional changes. Fendrych et al. demonstrate that root…

Arabidopsis plants have epidermal pavement cells (the cells that make up the bulk of the epidermis, other than guard cells or trichomes) that are often described as “jigsaw puzzle” shaped, and, because Arabidopsis is such a useful model organism, we have nice models for how these distinctive shapes…

Abscisic acid (ABA) plays a critical role in the opening and closing of the stomatal pore. This stomatal movement is essential for homeostasis, photosynthesis and stress responses. An influx of calcium ions and an increase the cytoplasmic calcium concentration of the guard cells are an early event in…

Guard cells are undoubtedly fascinating and frequently reviewed in terms of both their developmental programming and the intracellular signals that contribute to their function. This review, by Woolfenden, Baillie et al., covers a less familiar topic, that of the biophysical constraints to the mechanics…

The pathogenic oomycete Phytophthora capsici secretes RXLR effector proteins into plant cells to subvert host cell machinery and facilitate disease. Several RXLR effector proteins have been characterized to date, however, Phytophthora species encode a vast array of effector molecules that likely target…

Plants need to navigate and adjust their growth according to the environmental clues, such as light or gravity. Asymmetric distribution of auxin is necessary for organ bending. Abbas and colleagues show that conversion of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) into methyl-IAA (Me-IAA) is important for asymmetric…

Low temperature is one of the environmental factors limiting the plant distribution. Yet there are some plants that can survive freezing temperatures, such as Boechera stricta, native to the Rocky Mountains, spread across a broad range of elevations. Arisz and colleagues observed that freezing tolerance…

Abscisic acid (ABA) is a plant hormone involved in many plant processes – from seed maturation to drought responses. ABA is perceived by intracellular pyrabactin resistance and PYR-like family (PYR/PYL) receptors, counting 14 genes in Arabidopsis, representing the largest family of plant receptors. …