Diversity of CO2 concentrating mechanisms and responses to CO2 concentration in marine and freshwater diatoms ($)
Plant Science Research Weekly, Research0 Comments
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The CO2-fixing enzyme ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase (Rubisco) works most efficiently at high concentrations of CO2. Many organisms have evolved CO2-concentrating mechanisms (CCMs), such as the PEP-carboxylation that occurs upstream of Rubisco in C4 plants. Diatoms and other eukaryotic algae use a…
Unusual Rubisco Subunit Found in Trichomes
Plant Physiology, Plant Physiology: On The Inside, ResearchRubisco is responsible for CO2 fixation during photosynthesis. This enzyme is assembled from eight large subunits (RbcL), encoded by a single chloroplast gene, and eight small subunits (RbcS), encoded by a nuclear gene family. Although Rubisco’s catalytic reaction is mostly controlled by the large…
Opinion: Increasing crop yield and resilience with trehalose 6-phosphate ($)
Plant Science Research Weekly, ResearchTrehalose 6-phosphate (T6P) is a disaccharide formed from two glucose sugars, and more importantly is a signal of glucose availability and regulator of energy homeostasis. Acting via the protein kinase SnRK1, T6P controls the allocation of carbon, leading the plant down a “feast” (growth) or “famine”…
Evidence for Ancient Origins of Bowman-Birk Inhibitors from Selaginella moellendorffii
Plant Science Research Weekly, ResearchMany seeds produce protease inhibitors that are thought to help protect them from pathogens and predation. One class are the Bowman-Birk Inhibitors (BBIs), which form folded loops that specifically bind to and inhibit trypsin and/or chymotrypsin proteases. Originally characterized from legumes, BBIs…
Review: The systems biology of auxin in developing embryos ($)
Plant Science Research Weekly, ResearchThe transcriptional response to auxin depends in large part on the interactions between ARF transcription factors and the Aux/IAA transcription inhibitors that interact with them. The crucial role of auxin in embryo patterning is revealed by the embryo patterning defects observed in mutants of ARF and…
Review: Impact of the ion transportome of chloroplasts on the optimization of photosynthesis ($)
Plant Science Research Weekly, ResearchIn photosynthesis, light energy generates proton motive force (pmf) across the thylakoid membrane. The establishment and maintenance of pmf involves numerous membrane transporters as well as other ions. Szabò and Septea review how various ions (including K+, Na+, Fe2+, Cu+, Mn2+, Ca2+, Cl–) contribute…
A Kinase- and Proteasome-Mediated Link Between Lipid Biosynthesis and Energy Homeostasis
Research, The Plant Cell: In BriefIN BRIEF by Nancy R. Hofmann nhofmann@aspb.org
The economy of living cells includes energy production, energy utilization, and energy storage. Thus, a plant’s energy budget must connect the decision to produce lipids (for energy storage) with its overall energy status. Energy sensor kinases, such…
Protein doppelgangers are long-lost cousins
Research, Research BlogWednesday, 15 March 2017 Source: University of Western Australia
A 60-year-old mystery has been solved by biochemists at The University of Western Australia investigating the origin of a type of digestion-inhibiting proteins thought only to exist in two plant families that contain the important…
Arabidopsis O-fucosyltransferase SPINDLY activates growth repressor DELLA ($)
Plant Science Research Weekly, ResearchThe SPINDLY (SPY) gene was identified through a genetic screen; spy mutants are abnormally tall and thin, suggesting that they are overly sensitive to gibberellins. Later, the SPY gene was shown to act downstream of GIBBEERLLIN INSENSITIVE (GAI), which is a DELLA-domain containing protein. SPY was previously…