Recent Posts

Brassinosteroid coordinates cell layer interactions via cell wall and tissue mechanics

Organismal growth requires extensive coordination between cells and tissues with different identities, and this is particularly important for plants with their rigid cell walls and lack of cell motility. A key mechanism for tissue coordination involving brassinosteroids has been identified by Kelly-Bellow…

Uncovering the brassinosteroid gene regulatory networks in Arabidopsis root using single-cell RNA sequencing

Brassinosteroid hormones regulate root growth and development by controlling cell division and elongation. However, it has been unclear why and how root cells with different identities and developmental stages respond to brassinosteroids differently. Nolan et al. used cutting-edge single-cell RNA sequencing…

How do brassinosteroids promote etiolation of apical organs in Arabidopsis?

Wang et al. explore how plants maintain apical etiolation. By Jiajun Wang (Southwest University, China), Haodong Chen (Tsinghua University, China), Xing Wang Deng (Peking University, China), Ning Wei (Southwest University, China) Background: Seeds germinate underneath the soil; to help the shoot…

BIN2 signaling network constructed using proximity labeling and TurboID

The brassinosteroid (BR) signaling pathway is essential for plant growth and development. BRASSINOSTEROID-INSENSITIVE2 (BIN2) is a GSK3-like kinase, serving as a repressor of the BR signaling pathway. In the absence of BR, BIN2 phosphorylates BRASSINAZOLE-RESISTANT1 (BZR1) family transcription factors…

H2O2 regulates activity of the GSK3-like kinase BIN2

Lu et al. unravel a mechanism by which reactive oxygen species modulate brassinosteroid signaling through the GSK3-like kinase BIN2 Qing Lua,b, Eugenia Russinovaa,b a Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, 9052 Ghent, Belgium b Center for Plant Systems Biology,…

A new link between light and brassinosteroid signaling

Cao et al. demonstrate that the photomorphogenic repressors BBX28 and BBX29 enhance brassinosteroid signaling to promote hypocotyl elongation and cotyledon closure.  By Jing Cao and Fang Lin  Background: Light signals and brassinosteroids (BRs) are external stimuli and internal cues, respectively,…

An E3 ubiquitin ligase modulates brassinosteroid signaling by targeting the transcription factor BES1 to selective autophagy under sucrose starvation

Wang et al. identify a mechanism by which plants reduce growth under sucrose starvation conditions. Plant Cell. https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koab210 by Ping Wang and Yanhai Yin (Iowa State University)  Background: Plants fine-tune their growth and stress-response programs to adapt to the environment.…

NF-YCs mediate plant growth during the dark-to-light transition

Zhang et al. uncover the roles of NF-YC transcription factors in repressing brassinosteroid biosynthesis and signaling to mediate photomorphogenesis in Arabidopsis. Background: Seedlings, which germinate in the soil, generally undergo rapid hypocotyl elongation to seek light for growth and development.…