Recent Posts

An Unexpected Role of a Phosphatase-like Protein in Starch Degradation

Schreier 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)

Plants 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)

Calcium 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

Jing 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

Li 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

Wang 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…

The Surprisingly Similar Glycomes of Maize and Arabidopsis Golgi

Okekeogbu et al. compare the glycomes and proteomes of the Golgi in grasses and dicots, finding that the differences in cell wall architecture are not reflected in differences between polysaccharides produced in the Golgi. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00755 Background: Grasses and other…

Getting to Know Each Cell in an Arabidopsis Root

Jean-Baptiste et al. use single-cell transcriptomic profiling to map developmental trajectories and assess cell-type specific changes during heat shock, demonstrating that single-cell transcriptomics holds promise for studying plant development and plant physiology at unprecedented resolution. Plant…

How Does Light Cause Arabidopsis Cotyledons to Open?

Dong et al. investigate cotyledon-specific light-regulated gene expression in Arabidopsis. The Plant Cell (2019). https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00803  By J. Dong, N. Sun, J. Yang, Z. Deng, J. Lan, G. Qin, H. He, X. W. Deng, V. F. Irish, H. Chen, and N. Wei Background: When germinating in darkness…