Plant immune and growth receptors share common signaling components but localize to distinct plasma membrane nanodomains
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Signal transduction in plant and animal cells is often initiated at the plasma membrane (PM) and involves common signaling components, raising the question of how receptor complexes elicit distinct signaling outputs. To address this question, Bücherl et al. investigated physical characteristics of the…
A Salivary Effector Aids in Brown Planthopper Feeding on Rice Plants
Plant Physiology, Plant Physiology: On The Inside, ResearchHerbivory-induced plant cell wall modifications play an important role in deterring herbivory. Modified cell walls not only act as physical defenses against herbivores by enhancing the mechanical hardness of plant tissues but also reduce the digestibility of food for herbivores, thereby functioning as…
Stomatal immunity: Roles of MAP kinases and cytokinin
Plant Science Research Weekly, ResearchWhen a pathogen is perceived, plants have the ability to induce stomatal closure to prohibit the pathogens from passing into the inner tissues; this response is known as stomatal immunity. Two new papers in The Plant Cell investigate mechanisms by which pathogen perception is transduced into stomatal…
Review: Host-microbe and microbe-microbe interactions for plant breeding ($)
Plant Science Research Weekly, ResearchThe idea that the microbes on and within an organism (the microbiota) influence an organism in positive, neutral and negative ways has been a hot topic in popular science, especially the role of the gut microbiota in human health and nutrition. Plants are similarly influenced by their microbiota, as…
The importance of pollen chemistry in evolutionary host shifts of bees
Careers, Plant Science Research Weekly, Research, Research BlogSome bees are generalist pollinators that gather pollen from a wide range of species, whereas others are specialists that visit only one or a few species. Vanderplanck et al. examined floral traits of the host plants of two different groups of generalist bees. There was no significant correlation between…
Proteomics of two differently pathogenic races of Fusarium oxysporum
Plant Science Research Weekly, Research, Research BlogFusarium oxysporum is a fungal pathogen of plants. F. oxysporum f. sp. conglutinans (Foc) causes fungal wilt in cabbage. Two races have been identified, with Race 2 being much more pathogenic than Race 1. Li et al. used a proteomic approach to investigate the origin of Race 2’s enhanced pathogenicity.…
Sterol-binding activity of PR-1 contributes to its antimicrobial activity ($)
Plant Science Research Weekly, Research, Research BlogPATHOGENESIS-RELATED 1 (PR-1) protein was identified 50 years ago as a small protein induced in response to pathogens, but its mode of action has remained obscure. PR-1 is a member of the CAP family (cysteine-rich secretory protein, antigen 5, and pathogenesis-related 1). These proteins share a 150…
Review: The cryptic chemical traits that mediate plant community composition
Plant Science Research Weekly, Research, Research BlogPlants produce a huge variety of specialized metabolites, many with roles in defense. Metabolic profiles rarely follow phylogenetic lines; in fact, closely related species often produce dramatically different suites of metabolites. When it comes to defense chemistry, it is advantageous to be different…
Durable resistance gene Xa4 encodes a cell wall-associated kinase
Plant Science Research Weekly, ResearchXa4 is a durable rice disease resistance gene that confers resistance against Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), causal agent of bacterial blight. Hu et al. show that Xa4 encodes a wall-associated kinase (WAK) that promotes cellulose synthesis and suppresses wall loosening, thereby strengthening the…