Tag: Cell Biology

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a non-protein amino acid produced by animals and plants, but is its function conserved across kingdoms? In mammals, GABA acts as chemical messenger in the central nervous system by inhibiting neurotransmission. In plants, GABA accumulates in response to stress but its…

Autophagy is an intracellular evolutionarily conserved catabolic process that degrades cytoplasmic constituents and organelles in lytic vacuoles (micro- and macro-autophagy) or in the cytosol (mega-autophagy). Autophagy can be induced by biotic or abiotic stresses, sugar, carbon and nutrient starvation…

Mitochondria function as cellular powerhouses to generate energy via oxidative phosphorylation and facilitate the synthesis of essential macromolecules. To protect against proteotoxic stress, damaged mitochondria are selectively removed by autophagy via a process known as mitophagy. In mammalian cells,…

The exocyst is a conserved protein complex that mediates tethering of secretory vesicle to the plasma membrane prior to SNARE-mediated membrane fusion. Exo70 is one of eight subunits and has expanded into 23 homologs in Arabidopsis. Brillada and Teh et al. identified Exo70B2 as a bona fide exocyst subunit…

The ability to utilize stored energy is crucial for organism growth and development. For example, seed storage lipids go through hydrolysis and beta-oxidation to provide energy for seed germination. In this process, beta-oxidation occurs in the peroxisome, a subcellular compartment that houses many…

Review: Organelles-nucleus-plasmodesmata signaling, and roles in plant physiology, metabolism and stress responses Plasmodesmata (PD) are pores that connect plant cells and allow the flow of small molecules and information but also viruses. This traffic is tightly regulated, in large part by the deposition…

Review: Emerging roles of long noncoding RNAs in the cytoplasmic milieu Note: This article focuses on work in mammalian systems but may be of interest to plant biologists. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNAs) are ³200nt RNAs and represent almost 0.2% of cellular RNA pool. Early work focused on their roles…

Cell wall remodeling and vesicle trafficking mediate the root clock in Arabidopsis Living organisms use biological clocks that are coordinated by temporal signals (time) and positional cues (space) during growth and development. In plants, the ‘root clock’ is generated by a mechanism involving…