Arabidopsis OR Represses the Greening of Cotyledons while It Is in the Nucleus
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellSun et al. showed that OR interacts with TCP14 in the nucleus of dark-germinated seedlings and reduces chlorophyll biosynthesis, thylakoid membrane development and expression of EARLY LIGHT-INDUCIBLE PROTEINS, and that subsequent illumination relieves this repression. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.…
Tissue-specific Gene Elimination in Plants
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellDecaestecker and Buono et al. develop a system for tissue-specific gene knockout to enable phenotypic analysis of context-specific gene function.
Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.19.00454
By Ward Decaestecker, Rafael Andrade Buono, Moritz Nowack and Thomas Jacobs
Background: As plant molecular…
The Pattern of Alternative Polyadenylation
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellYu et al. study the function of FY in alternative polyadenylation. The Plant Cell (2019) https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00545
Zhibo Yu, Juncheng Lin, Qingshun Quinn Li
Background: Polyadenylation of eukaryotic messenger RNAs (mRNAs) involves the addition of a ‘tail’ of dozens to hundreds of…
An Unexpected Role of a Phosphatase-like Protein in Starch Degradation
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellSchreier et al. uncover the surprising role played by the glucan phosphatase family member, LIKE SEX4 1, as a protein scaffold on the starch granule surface that binds β-amylases. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.19.00089.
By Tina B. Schreier1,2 and Samuel C. Zeeman1
1 Institute of Molecular…
A specialized metabolic network selectively modulates Arabidopsis root microbiota (Science)
Plant Science Research WeeklyPlants have evolved to adapt to varied environmental niches. The ability to produce specialized metabolites is one of the evolved characteristics which help plants to thrive through varied biotic and abiotic conditions. Plant-associated microbes are always known to have a drastic impact on plant growth…
A chloroplast-localized mitochondrial calcium uniporter transduces osmotic stress in Arabidopsis (Nature Plants)
Plant Science Research WeeklyCalcium and chloroplasts are both at the heart of the signal transduction during environmental stress. Teardo et al. studied whether the chloroplast-localized mitochondrial calcium uniporter has a role in stress signaling. The group identified 6 homologs of mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU) in Arabidopsis,…
Immunity-growth Trade-off in Plants
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellJing et al. reveal how danger-associated peptides inhibit root growth in plants in response to pathogen attack. Plant Cell (2018) https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00145.
Background: Plants defend themselves against pathogens and pests through an innate immune system that is activated by pathogen-associated…
The MICOS Complex in Plant Mitochondria
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellLi et al. reveal a complex regulatory network defining mitochondrial, chloroplast and endoplasmic reticulum function.
Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00885
By Lu Li1, Anastasiya Lavell2, Xiangxiang Meng1, Oliver Berkowitz1, Jennifer Selinski1, Allison van de Meene3, Chris Carrie4, Christoph…
The unknown unknowns of plant cell biology: identifying the functions of conserved, single-copy genes
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellWang et al. examine single-copy, conserved genes of unknown function, with OPENER as proof of concept. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.19.00033
By Wei Wang and Totte Niittylä, Umeå Plant Science Centre, Sweden
Background: Thale cress or Arabidopsis thaliana was the first sequenced…