Recent Posts

Identification of a methyltransferase catalyzing the final step of methyl anthranilate synthesis in cultivated strawberry

Methyl anthranilate (MA) is a volatile chemical that contributes to the aroma of strawberry (Fragaria spp.), but several modern varieties do not produce this chemical. Pillet et al. tried to identify the biosynthetic pathway of MA. They compared transcriptomes between MA-producing and non-producing varieties…

Silencing phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase phosphorylation in a CAM plant

Many plants living in arid environments conserve water by taking up CO2 at night through the action of the enzyme phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PPC); this process, which is widespread in the Crassulaceae family, is known as Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM). The nocturnal activity of PPC is regulated…

A plant protein structure from the MATE family, an important family of transporters ($)

The MATE (multidrug and toxic compound extrusion) family is found in all three domains of life. Proteins in this family are secondary transporters, functioning as sodium or proton/organic cation antiporters. This family has diverse functions in plants, including vacuolar sequestration of alkaloids,…

Opinion: Beyond editing to writing large genomes ($)

This is an era of rapid acceleration of our ability to both read and write genomes. Chari and Church point to a future in which making a small number of changes in a genome (editing) is supplanted by making hundreds or thousands or more of changes, essentially whole-genome editing. Basically, the authors…

Review: Promiscuity, impersonation and accommodation: Evolution of plant specialized metabolism ($)

The huge set of chemical pathways beyond the conserved primary metabolic network is described as specialized metabolism (formerly known as secondary metabolism). The diversity of specialized metabolites is due to recent evolutionary innovations in enzyme function, as reviewed by Leong and Last. Key processes…

Review: Cutin from agro-waste as a raw material for the production of bioplastic ($)

When we think about making things from plant biopolymers, we often think about cellulose, the “most common natural polymer on Earth, with an estimated annual biomass production between 1011 and 1012 tons” or ligin, with a biomass production on the order of 107 tons per year. Heredia-Guerrero et al.…

Review: Senescence and nitrogen use efficiency in perennial grasses for forage and biofuel production ($)

Much of our understanding of the molecular processes of senescence and nutrient remobilization comes from annual plants. Yang and Udvardi explore how these processes take place in perennial grasses including important biofuel grasses switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) and miscanthus (Miscanthus×giganteus).…

Review: The Chlamydomonas CO2-concentrating mechanism and its potential for engineering photosynthesis in plants

Many green algae have the ability to concentrate CO2 to enhance their photosynthetic performance. Mackinder reviews these algal CO2-concentrating mechanisms (CCMs) and what steps would be required to introduce them into higher plants. He also compares progress and pitfalls towards introducing algal CCMs…

Review: Embracing the unknown: disentangling the complexities of the soil microbiome ($)

The soils microbiome is of course hugely complex and immensely variable. Metagenomics tools allow us to describe the diversity of the soil microbiome, but what that diversity means is best grasped when the microbiome is considered in terms of its ecological functions, as described in this Tansley Insight…