The fate of scent in insect- vs. wind-pollinated flowers ($) (Ann. Bot)
Plant Science Research WeeklyFlower traits (mainly flower colour, position, shape, size, reward and scent) in present-day plants are the result of past selection pressures. Among these traits, scent is a crucial component mediating pollinator attraction, and is often greatly reduced in abiotic-pollinated plants. Wang et al. characterize…
Review: Regulation of pattern recognition receptor signalling by phosphorylation and ubiquitination (Curr. Opin. Plant Biol.)
Plant Science Research WeeklyA key step in pathogen recognition occurs at the cell surface with the interaction between receptor-like kinases (pattern-recognition receptors) and their ligands. This event triggers a signal-transduction cascade that leads to the induction of defense responses. Mithoe and Menke review our current understanding…
What a difference a base makes: A single nucleotide confers Alternaria resistance in apple ($) (Plant Cell)
Plant Science Research WeeklyGolden Delicious apples are particularly susceptible to the fungal pathogen Alternaria alternaria f. sp. mali. Zhang et al. have traced this susceptibility to a single nucleotide in the promoter of gene encoding a hairpin RNA (hpRNA), MdhpRNA277. This hpRNA produces small RNAs that selectivey target…
Phytophthora effector exploits host susceptibility factor NRL1 (PNAS)
Plant Science Research WeeklySome pathogen effectors disarm a plant’s immunity directly, for example through targeting resistance genes, whereas others work indirectly, through the plants own susceptibility (S) factors. He et al. provide an example of the latter. Previously, the authors showed that the Phytophthora infestans effector…
Best of both worlds: a free living insect with an endophytic-like feeding strategy (eLIFE)
Plant Science Research WeeklyEndophytic insects, which spend much of their life inside of plant tissues (e.g., leaf miners and gall-forming insects) are well-known for manipulating plant host physiology to their advantage, unlike free living herbivore insects whose game plan relies on their ability to move and find the most nutritious…
All Roads Lead to Rome: Multiple Pathways Close Stomata in Plant Defense
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellZheng et al. reveal that plant endogenous peptides and their receptors initiate stomatal closure to prevent microbes’ entry, thus enhancing plant immunity. The Plant Cell (2018) https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.17.00701.
By Xiaojiang Zheng and Sheng Luan.
Background: Unlike animals, plants can’t…
Diterpenoid Defense in Host- and Non-host Disease Resistance in Rice
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellLu et al. show that diterpenoids contribute to disease resistance in rice. Plant Cell. (2018). https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00205
Background: Rice (Oryza sativa) is an important food crop. Diseases caused by the fungal blast pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae and bacterial leaf blight pathogen Xanthomonas…
Convergent evolution of effector protease recognition by Arabidopsis and barley (bioRxiv)
Plant Science Research WeeklyPathogenic bacteria Pseudomonas syringae produce an effector protein, AvrPphB. The indirect interaction between this bacterial effector and the Arabidopsis resistance (R) protein RPS5 has been characterized previously; AvrPphB is a cysteine protease that targets another plant protein, PBS1, causing it…
Arabidopsis thaliana-associated Pseudomonas diversity and evolution
Plant Science Research WeeklyThere is not much available information regarding the evolutionary aspects of one of the most studied pathosystem in plant biology: Arabidopsis thaliana and Pseudomonas. Karazov et al. performed various surveys in Arabidopsis wild populations, for the detection and characterization of their associated…