Phosphoinositides control the localization of HOPS subunits and vacuole fusion (PNAS)
Plant Science Research Weekly
The plant vacuole makes up to 90% of the cell volume and its dynamics are important for regulating growth, development and stomatal movement. Membrane fusion between the vacuole and the smaller vesicles is at the heart of central vacuole establishment. Homotypic fusion and vacuole protein sorting…
Chloroplast TOC/TIC protein translocon pore size ($) (Plant Cell)
Plant Science Research WeeklyMost of the proteins that function inside of mitochondria or chloroplasts are encoded in the nucleus, translated in the cytosol, and imported through one or two membrane-localized translocons. (In mitochondria the outer- and inner-membrane translocons are called TOM and TIM, and in chloroplasts they…
Chloroplast Biogenesis in Germinating Seeds: A Multi-Dimensional Approach
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellZizhen et al. perform electron tomography and correlative gene expression analyses of thylakoid assembly in greening Arabidopsis cotyledons Plant Cell (2018) https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.17.00972
By Byung-Ho Kang
Background: The chloroplast produces carbohydrates and molecular oxygen from water,…
A New Epigenetic Switch Regulating Histone Modification
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellMateo-Bonmatí et al. have found novel components of the Arabidopsis epigenetic machinery. Plant Cell (2018). https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00300
By Eduardo Mateo-Bonmatí, Lucía Juan-Vicente, Riad Nadi, and José Luis Micol
Background: In multicellular organisms, most cells contain the same…
Metabolic Fate of Modified Nucleotides after RNA Turnover, an Overlooked Issue in RNA Modification
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellChen et al. reveal a multilayer molecular protection system functioning in Arabidopsis and human cells https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00236
By Mingjia Chen and Claus-Peter Witte
Background: RNA possesses over 100 distinct posttranscriptional modifications in eukaryotic species. N6-methyladenosine…
A RopGEF regulates asexual reproduction in the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha
Plant Science Research WeeklyComplex developmental programs regulate tissue and organ formation throughout the green plant lineage, from early diverging non-vascular lineages (bryophytes) to vascular flowering (angiosperm) plants. In the model liverwort Marchantia polymorpha, epidermal patterning gives rise to surface structures…
Tectonic Movements Across the Tomato Genome
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellCorem et al. demonstrate a switch in DNA methylation patterns across the tomato genome. The Plant Cell (2018). https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00167.
By Shira Corem, Tzahi Arazi and Nicolas Bouché
Background: Crop genomes are covered by transposons, which are DNA sequences that can jump from one…
A Lipid Droplet-Associated Degradation System in Plants
The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In BriefOnce viewed merely as inert packets of metabolic energy that are mobilized during postgerminative growth, lipid droplets (LDs) have emerged as dynamic organelles with important roles in processes ranging from stress responses to hormone signaling (Pyc et al., 2017). LDs consist of a core of neutral lipids…
Tic-Tac-Toe: How TIC and TOC Coordinate Getting Proteins Across the Line
The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In BriefMost proteins within a cell are encoded in the nucleus and then translated in the cytosol, but how do they end up where they need to be? With the exception of the few proteins expressed within the chloroplast, the process of shipping nucleus-encoded proteins into the chloroplast is dependent on N-terminal…