Recent Posts

Lipid kinases in signaling and metabolism

Angkawijaya et al. investigate diacylglycerol kinase function in Arabidopsis phospholipid signaling and metabolism. The Plant Cell (2020) https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.20.00251 By Artik Elisa Angkawijaya, Van C. Nguyen, Farrel Gunawan, and Yuki Nakamura, Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia…

It’s a TRAPP! Arabidopsis Transport Protein Particle (TRAPP) Complexes Contain a Novel Plant-Specific Subunit

Membrane vesicle trafficking is the process of moving and distributing signaling molecules from their place of synthesis or capture to target locations inside or outside the cell. Vesicles, mobile membrane compartments produced from the endoplasmic reticulum, carry proteins and other molecules to an…

SMAX1-dependent seed germination bypasses GA signalling in Arabidopsis and Striga (Nature Plants)

Strigolactones (SL) are germination cues for parasitic plants, as their seeds will not germinate until they perceive SL exuded from the host plant.  In contrast, gibberellins (GA) are the dominant germination hormone in non-parasitic plants; GA-mediated degradation of DELLA repressors permits germination.…

PIN FORMED 2 modulates the transport of arsenite in Arabidopsis thaliana (Plant Comms.)

PIN FORMED (PIN) proteins are known for their directional auxin transport capacity. Ashraf et al. found that auxin transporter PINs have sequence similarity to bacterial arsenite transporter arsB, yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae arsenite transporter SsAcr3, and arsenic hyperaccumulator fern Pteris vittata…

Tissue-resolved multi-omics atlas of Arabidopsis (Nature)

Arabidopsis as a model system has been intensively studied over the past twenty years, but the proteome of Arabidopsis has been less well characterized. Here, Mergner et al. report the first 30-tissue-type integrated proteome, phosphoproteome and transcriptome atlas of Arabidopsis. The data cover the…

An RNA thermoswitch regulates daytime growth in Arabidopsis (Nature Plants)

Plants are sessile organisms and as such they must be highly responsive to environmental cues including temperature, and adjust their growth and development accordingly. Considering that mean global surface temperatures are expected to continue to rise dramatically in the 21st century, it is crucial…

Branch Formation (or Not) in the Leaf Axil

Li et al. report a regulatory module that controls the initiation of axillary meristems, thereby determining plant branching. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.20.00012 By Yu Li and Yunhai Li State Key Laboratory of Plant Cell and Chromosome Engineering, CAS Centre for Excellence in Molecular…

A new player links ABA biosynthesis and signaling with seed dormancy

Liu et al. identify new connections between known regulators of seed dormancy, acting through modulation of ABA biosynthesis and signaling. The Plant Cell (2020) https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.20.00026 By Fei Liu and Yong Xiang, Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Genome…

Copy Number Variations in the Arabidopsis Genome

Żmieńko et al. generate a catalog of large copy number variations in Arabidopsis, shedding light on the genetic basis of phenotypic variation. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.19.00640 By Agnieszka Żmieńko and Marek Figlerowicz, Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences,…