Recent Posts

SNARE proteins in replication vesicle trafficking of turnip mosaic virus ($) (Plant Cell)

When plant cells are infected by RNA viruses, viral replication complexes are generated in organelle-like structures. These vesicles are important for the replication of viral RNA (vRNA) as well as moving vRNA-protein complexes through plasmodesmata to infect other plant cells. When turnip mosaic virus…

Arabidopsis Formin 2 regulates cell-to-cell trafficking through plasmodesmata (eLIFE)

Plasmodesmata are cell-cell junctions that form cytosolic channels between neighboring plant cells. These junctions mediate the exchange of information between cells during various stress and developmental programs by actively regulating the aperture of the channel entrance or ‘pore’. In a new study…

Predicting division planes of three-dimensional cells by soap-film minimization ($) (Plant Cell)

Martinez et al. used a modelling approach to see if it is possible to predict the location of a cell’s future division plane. In most cases the cell divides according to strict geometric rules, such that the newly formed wall will have a minimum area (described as a soap-film minimization model). However,…

Ploidy and size at multiple scales in the Arabidopsis sepal (Plant Cell)

Ploidy refers to the number of genomes contained within a nucleus. Ploidy levels can increase through whole-genome duplication, which affects every cell equally, and through endoreduplication, a cell-by-cell process in which DNA synthesis is not accompanied by cytokinesis. Robinson et al. investigated…

Construction of a functional Casparian strip in non-endodermal lineages is orchestrated by two parallel signaling systems ($) (Curr. Biol.)

The Casparian strip in the endodermis acts a barrier to allow the selective absorption of water and nutrients. Because of its cell-specific presence, the Casparian strip is considered a marker for functional endodermis. The cellular identity of endodermis is controlled by two transcription factors, SHR…

The inhibitor Endosidin 4 targets SEC7 domain-type ARF GTPase exchange factors and interferes with subcellular trafficking ($) (Plant Cell)

Subcellular trafficking helps determine the development of the plant through for instance the regulation of polar localization of auxin transporter PIN-FORMED (PIN) proteins. PIN trafficking or recycling is maintained by GNOM, a BFA-sensitive ARF GEF (ADP-ribosylation factor guanine nucleotide exchange…

Nonselective chemical inhibition of Sec7 domain-containing ARF-GEFs in Arabidopsis ($) (Plant Cell)

ARF GEFs (ADP-ribosylation factor guanine nucleotide exchange factors) play a major role in the intracellular trafficking and eventually regulate developmental cues. As plants contain multiple ARF GEF with very similar sequences, chemical genetics approaches are more appropriate to uncover their function…

Natural Artist: How a Protein Kinase Helps Sculpt the Pollen Grain Surface From the Inside Out

Finding genes that function in plant development often requires mutant screening, but probing the wealth of natural variation can provide important insights as well. A major focus of developmental biology is uncovering the mechanism behind cell polarity, that is, how components are deposited asymmetrically…

Busted: Finding Cells Whose Division Planes Defy Prediction

Every plant organ, from tuber to tepal, is formed by cells that divide along precisely placed cell plates. While much is known about the molecular biology behind cell plate formation (e.g., Gu et al., 2016), why cells divide where they do is much less clear. Dividing cells have much in common with soap…