An Ion Channel Active in Plant Drought Response
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellEisenach et al. discover A new ion channel of the plant vacuole helps plants react to drought https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.17.00452
By Cornelia Eisenach
Background: Stomata are small pores on plant surfaces that facilitate diffusion of CO2, O2 and water vapor between plant and atmosphere. During…
Photosynthesis in Desert Plants: It’s About Time
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellBoxall et al. investigate CAM photosynthesis in Kalanchoë fedtschenkoi The Plant Cell (2017). https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.17.00301
Background: During photosynthesis, most plants use the enzyme Rubisco to capture CO2 during the day. Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) plants such as prickly pears,…
To Grow or to Defend: That is the Question for Plant Central Metabolism
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellFusari et al. perform GWAS to explore primary plant metabolism https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.17.00232
By Corina M. Fusari and Rik Kooke
Background: Primary metabolites such as sugars, organic acids, and amino acids are essential chemical compounds that drive plant growth and development by providing…
The Cys-Arg/N-end rule pathway is a general sensor of abiotic stress in flowering plants
Blog, Plant Science Research Weekly, Research, Research BlogThe N-end rule pathway is a conserved pathway for the control of protein turnover, through which the clipping or modification of amino acids from the amino-terminus of a protein leads to an interaction with PROTEOLYSIS 6 (PRT6; an N-recognin E3 ligase) and 26S proteasome-mediated proteolysis. Previously,…
The genome of Quenopodium quinoa, a halophytic pseudocereal
Blog, Plant Science Research Weekly, Research, Research BlogQuenopodiium quinoa is a highly nutritive and facultative halophyte pseudocereal whose cultivation has increased 10 fold in the last decades. However, the adaption to non-native areas is not easy to achieve and the limited genetic resources do not allow a breeding program. Zou and collaborators have…
Temporal network analysis of mild drought in Brassica rapa
Blog, Plant Science Research Weekly, Research, Research BlogIf you whithold water from a plant it eventually will wilt, but before this visible change there are other measurable effects and responses. However, many plant processes change cyclically over a 24-hour period independently of early drought responses, so it can be difficult to separate drought-responsive…
Review: Multiple routes of light signaling during root photomorphogenesis
Blog, Plant Science Research Weekly, Research, Research BlogLight response research in plants has traditionally focused on the shoot, but recent studies have revealed that roots are also light responsive. Lee et al. address the why and how of root photomorphogenesis. They review three ways that light is perceived in roots: via mobile signals from the shoot, direct…
Light Helps Plants Cope with Phosphate Starvation
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellLiu et al. focus on transcriptional regulation of PHR1 expression. The Plant Cell 2017. https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.17.00268
Phosphorus (P) is an essential micronutrient for plant growth, development, and metabolism. Phosphate (Pi), the major form of P used by plants, is highly immobile in most soils,…
Translating to beat the heat
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellZhang et al. investigate protein translation under heat stresss http://www.plantcell.org/content/29/8/1952
By Elizabeth Vierling
Plants can’t move to avoid unfavorable growth conditions, such as insufficient water availability or extremes of temperature. When plants are confronted with stressful…