Integration of two RAB5 groups during endosomal transport in plants (OA) (eLIFE)
Plant Science Research WeeklyRAB proteins are membrane-anchored proteins that coordinate and regulate vesicle trafficking. Plants contain two group of RAB5 proteins, canonical (ARA7, RHA1) and plant-specific (ARA6), which share a common activator, VPS9A (Vacuolar Protein Sorting 9A). Ito et al. used an activated (GTP-bound) version…
Review: A newly proposed plastid: the xyloplast (Curr. Opin. Plant Biol.) ($)
Plant Science Research WeeklyIn its simplest definition, a plastid is an organelle that manufactures and stores essential chemical compounds used by its host cell. Numerous plastids exist beyond the familiar chloroplast. Chromoplasts synthesise and store carotenoid pigments, and provide their hosts with district yellow, orange or…
The fungal MAP kinase Pmk1 controls intracellular spread of rice blast fungus in rice cells (Science)
Plant Science Research WeeklyMagnaporthe oryzae is a devastating fungal pathogen that routinely threatens rice crop yields. Rice blast infection occurs when fungal hyphae penetrate into and proliferate within living plant cells, moving intracellulary from cell-to-cell through plasmodesmatal junctions. In a recent article published…
Guard cells in fern stomata are connected by plasmodesmata, but control cytosolic Ca2+ levels autonomously (New Phytol)
Plant Science Research WeeklyPotassium (K+) and calcium (Ca2+) ions are important for stomatal function in seed plants, however little is known about the contributions of these ions in the stomata of bryophytes and early-branching vascular plants. Voss et al. focus on how fern stomata regulate ion transport. Injection of K+ into…
A Kinesin-14 motor activates neocentromeres to promote meiotic drive in maize
Plant Science Research WeeklyMeiotic drive is essentially a subversion of meiosis such that particular regions or alleles are preferentially favored for transmission to the progeny. Abnormal chromosome 10 (Ab10) is a classic example of meiotic drive in maize that converts heterochromatic chromosomal knobs into motile ‘neocentromeres’.…
From The Scientist: Image of the day, Pseudomonas autophagy
Blog, Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: News
An image from a paper published in Plant Cell is featured as The Scientists "Image of the Day"
Image of the Day: Pseudomonas Autophagy
Researchers identify antibacterial functions of cell death in Arabidopsis when the plant is infected with Pseudomonas.
By The Scientist Staff | March 30, 2018
A…
The Origins of Protein Storage Vacuoles
Plant Physiology, Plant Physiology: On The Inside, ResearchDuring seed development, protein reserves and minerals are stored in specialized vacuoles called protein storage vacuoles (PSVs). PSVs are functionally different from the lytic vacuoles (LVs) that serve a lysosome-like role in vegetative plant tissues. Embryonic vacuole (EVs) are also present during…
Viewpoint: Cell-cell junctions: What’s their function? (New Phytol)
Plant Science Research WeeklyPlasmodesmata are contiguous cell-cell junctions that provide an avenue for intracellular (symplastic) communication between neighboring plant cells. In recent years, researchers have unravelled key aspects of plasmodesmata development and function in cell-cell signalling during a multitude of responses…
Update: Diffuse Growth of Plant Cell Walls
Blog, Plant Physiology, Plant Physiology: UpdatesBy Daniel Cosgrove
The primary wall of a growing cell is a versatile, subtle, and dynamic structure, with unique properties and functions in the life of the plant (Burton et al., 2010). When a cell grows, its wall stretches irreversibly as the cell enlarges in volume. Cells can start and stop this…