High Fiber Research: A Moss Arabinoglucan Synthase
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellRoberts et al. investigate cell wall synthesis in Physcomitrella patens. The Plant Cell (2018). https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00082.
By Alison Roberts and Eric Roberts
Background: The health-promoting soluble fiber in whole grains is rich in mixed-linkage glucan (MLG), so called because it consists…
Essential Cell Cycle Pathways in Chlamydomonas
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellBreker et al. provide a large collection of mutants in cell-cycle-essential pathways in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00071.
By Michal Breker
Background: The cell division cycle is a set of tightly regulated and orchestrated events that lead to accurate…
New insights in cell death in plants might generate new leads for weed control
Blog, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: NewsSource: SeedQuest
Some plants like the giant sequoia trees can grow into the “Largest Living Things on Earth”. Ironically, most of a tree’s biomass is actually not alive, but is formed by persistent cell corpses that are collectively called wood. Wood development is terminated by a tightly controlled…
Heat Trims the Fat: HIL1 Functions in Lipid Homeostasis
Blog, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In BriefGlobal climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing our world today. The impact of increasing temperatures can be felt in diverse areas, including human health and disease, natural ecosystems, and food security. In the agricultural sector, deciphering how plants respond to changing environmental…
Predominant Golgi-residency of the plant K/HDEL receptor is essential for its function in mediating ER retention (Plant Cell)
Plant Science Research WeeklyCells use a sophisticated sorting system to ensure that proteins get to the proper destination. Proteins that are supposed to stay in the ER carry special tags (KDEL or HDEL, recognized by the ERD2 receptor) that prevent them from being swept along with other proteins out of the ER and into the Golgi.…
Chloroplast biogenesis controlled by DELLA-TOC159 interaction in early plant development (Curr. Biol.)
Plant Science Research WeeklyPlant photosynthesis occurs in the chloroplast, the green organelles that are the most famous members of the plastid family. Chloroplast biogenesis starts with illumination at germination, when the colorles, non-photosynthetic proplastid acquires photosynthetic activity as it greens. Gaining photosynthetic…
Role of the Actin Cytoskeleton in Self-Incompatibility
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellChen et.al. demonstrate that phosphatidic acid mitigates S-RNase signaling in pollen by stabilizing the actin cytoskeleton. Plant Cell (2018). https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00021
By Jianqing Chen, Peng Wang, Shaoling Zhang, and Juyou Wu
Background: The success of sexual reproduction in flowering…
Review: Shaping plastid stromules — principles of in vitro membrane tubulation applied in planta ($) (COPB)
Plant Science Research WeeklyStromules (or stroma-filled tubules) have been observed for more than 100 years, but uncertainty remains about their formation and function. Stromules are extensions of the plastid membrane that form highly dynamic tubule-like structures that sometimes interact with other plastids or organelles. Hypothetical…
When Lipids Meet Hormones: Plants’ Answer to Complex Stresses
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellWang et al. show that abscisic acid-inducible genes encode lipid degrading enzymes that release polyunsaturated fatty acids from chloroplast lipids as precursors for jasmonic acid production leading to biotic defenses in Arabidopsis. Plant Cell doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00250
By Kun Wang and Igor Houwat
Background:…