Tag: Cell Biology

Chloroplasts divide by binary fission driven by a protein ring, the position of which is regulated by the Min system (derived from the system in bacteria). The inner envelope membrane protein PARC6 (PARALOG OF ARC6) is a key component. Here Sun et al. generated crystal structures showing that PARC6 interacts…

Bending or folding in plants is influenced by different factors such as environmental conditions (nutrient, water, light, gravity), abiotic or biotic stress, cell wall properties, and cell differential growth. Jonsson et al. explain how bending is achieved by considering molecular mechanisms, mathematical…

Lately, reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been recognized as signaling molecules that regulate plant cellular proliferation and differentiation in many areas of the plant, including root tips. Chloroplasts, peroxisomes, and mitochondria are the main cellular compartments for ROS generation in cells.…

Cellulose synthase (CESA) complexes (CSCs) synthesize the main polysaccharide component of plant primary cell wall, cellulose. The trafficking and dynamics of CSC are tightly regulated. Kesten et al. identified a new family of CSC- and microtubule-interacting proteins, named TETRATRICOPEPTIDE THIOREDOXIN-LIKE…

Salt is a massive problem for most land plants. At the macroscopic level, excess soil salinity can cause stunting or death. At the molecular / cellular level, salinity causes both osmotic and ionic challenges that affect membrane homeostasis, molecular interactions, and protein stability. A new review…

Some of the most fascinating questions in biology, subject to numerous Nobel Prizes, center on how all the parts of a eukaryotic cell are spatially and temporally coordinated, to allow the plethora of often incompatible functions to occur in harmony. Studies in three major systems, yeast, metazoans,…

The plasma membrane (PM) is a critical interface between the cell and its environment and serves crucial sensing and transducing roles. This timely review by Medina-Puche and Lozano-Durán updates exciting new developments in understanding communication between the PM and intracellular organelles, focusing…

In a contribution to the January 2022 Plant Cell Focus Issue on Plant Cell Biology, Kang et al. have assembled an updated survey of plant cell structures. This review includes a dozen mini-reviews that describe various compartments or structures within plant cells: the nucleus, endoplasmic reticulum,…