Review: 25 years of resistance (R) gene cloning identifies nine mechanisms for R protein function (Plant Cell)
Blog, Plant Science Research Weekly, Research, Research BlogGenes that confer pathogen resistance have been recognized for a very long time, and the first of these R genes was cloned 25 years ago. Kourelis and van der Hoorn examine lessons from the more than 300 R genes whose gene products are known, and from this analysis identify nine different mechanisms for…
Review: Strigolactones and symbiosis across the kingdoms (plants, fungi, and bacteria) (J. Experimental Botany)
Blog, Plant Science Research Weekly, Research, Research BlogStrigolactones (SLs) are plant hormones with pivotal roles in plant growth. Being conserved among all plant species, they’ve been recruited by plant-associated microbes as plant-derived molecules allowing microbes to detect plants, exchange signals and establish interactions with them. In this review,…
Drastic genome reduction in an herbivore’s pectinolytic symbiont
Blog, Plant Science Research Weekly, Research, Research BlogCell. In a very interesting report, Salem et al., showed evidence of an alternative mechanism supporting how the degradation of pectin, a very hard to metabolize component of the cell wall, has directed the evolution of herbivory in insects and arthropods. Recent reports have indicated that horizontally…
An extracellular network of Arabidopsis leucine-rich repeat receptor kinases
Blog, Plant Science Research Weekly, Research, Research BlogNature. Through the activity of hundreds of membrane receptors, plants can sense the extracellular environment and tune their growth and responses to abiotic and biotic stimuli in an elegant and complex way. Despite their pivotal role, only a dozen of receptors have been characterized in plants and very…
A barley powdery mildew fungus non-autonomous retrotransposon encodes a peptide that supports penetration success on barley
Blog, Plant Science Research Weekly, Research, Research BlogBioRxiv. Barley powdery mildew is an important asmocycete disease caused by the fungus Blumeria graminis f. sp. hordei. Previous literature in this field has investigated susceptibility genes as important targets to develop resistance. A well-known example of this, is the MLO gene, a negative regulator…
How to make a tumour: cell type specific dissection of Ustilago maydis-induced tumour development in maize leaves
Blog, Plant Science Research Weekly, Research, Research BlogNew. Phytol. Ustilago maydis causes corn smut disease on maize which is characterized by plant cancerous symptoms forming tumours on all aerial parts of host. The fungus deploys organ-specific effector proteins to re-program organ primordia to enormous tumours, however the cellular dissection of these…
Extracellular ATP acts on jasmonate signaling to reinforce plant defense
Blog, Plant Science Research Weekly, Research, Research BlogPlant Physiol. Extracellular ATP induces plant defense responses but the mechanisms involved are largely unknown. The paper by Tripathi et al. shows how extracellular ATP serves as a danger signal in plant defense and its interaction with the signalling pathways of other stress hormones, e.g. jasmonate…
MicroRNAs from the parasitic plant Cuscuta campestris target host messenger RNAs
Blog, Plant Science Research Weekly, Research, Research BlogNature. Cuscuta sp. commonly known as dodder, is an obligate parasitic plant that colonizes a broad range of host plants and obtain water and nutrients by specialized feeding structure called haustorium. Literature suggests that this specialized structure is involved in bidirectional movement of viruses,…
Laccase Confers Biotic Stress Tolerance in Cotton
Blog, Plant Physiology, Plant Physiology: On The Inside, Research, Research BlogCotton (Gossypium spp.) is a globally cultivated globally crop of vast economic importance. Pathogens and pests are major limitations to cotton yield and quality. Verticillium wilt, caused by the fungus Verticillium dahliae, is the disease most detrimental to cotton production. Cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa…