Recent Posts

Update: Finite element modeling of shape changes in plant cells

By Amir Bidhendi and Anja Geitmann Abstract Plant cells come in a striking variety of different shapes. Shape formation in plant cells is controlled through modulation of the cell wall polymers and propelled by the turgor pressure. Understanding the shaping aspects of plant cells requires knowledge…

Do Lipid Droplets Exist in the Chloroplast Stroma?

Understanding the metabolic pathways underlying oil production and the precise intracellular localization of lipid droplets is crucial for successfully engineering microalgae for biofuel production. The microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii accumulates considerable amounts of starch and triacylglycerol…

Review: Emerging roles of cortical microtubule–membrane interactions ($)

The plant cytoskeleton forms a dynamic and complex architecture in all plant cells and comes with a myriad number of functions, from allowing intracellular transport to regulating gene expression. In this review, Yoshihisa Oda focuses on the purposes of cortical microtubule (cMT) arrays, which are anchored…

Review: Acid growth, an ongoing trip

Plant growth is determined not only by cell division, but also by loosening of the cell wall. Arsuffi and Braybrook review our understanding of the mechanisms of cell wall loosening. Already in the 1970s scientists started to observe that low pH leads to increased growth, using destructive experiments.…

Update: The actin cytoskeleton: functional arrays for cytoplasmic organization and cell shape control

By Daniel B. Szymanski and Christopher J. Staiger A dynamic network of filamentous elements, the cytoskeleton, holds the key to patterning of the cell wall during growth. This review focuses on the actin cytoskeleton during cell morphogenesis. The field is progressing rapidly, enabled by forward-…

Update: The plant trans-Golgi network. Not just a matter of distinction.

By Michel Ruiz Rosquete, Destiny Jade Davis, and Georgia Drakakaki Abstract Transport networks may be defined as sets of connected nodes or hubs where cargo from different origins are sorted to their final destinations. The trans-Golgi Network (TGN) is the most discussed and arguably busiest hub…

Review: Plasmodesmal regulation during plant- pathogen interactions

Plasmodesmata are plasma membrane-enclosed pores between cells that were initially described by Tangl in 1879 as ‘open communications’ between protoplasts of endosperm cells. These structures are regulated by callose deposition from the apoplast and play an important regulatory role in stress and…

MAPKs influence pollen-tube growth via phosphorylation of PIP5K6, affecting PtdIns(4,5)P2 formation

Pollen tubes exhibit unidirectional, polar growth because vesicles carrying compounds required for growth  are selectively transported to the growing apex. The phosphoinositide PtdIns(4,5)P2 accumulates at the apex and  is thought to help with vesicle targeting. Helpel et al. showed that the lipid…

Review. Katanin: A sword that cuts microtubules for cellular, developmental, and physiological purposes

KATANIN is a AAA ATPase protein which, according to the most recent models, is able to track along microtubules (MTs) and sever emergent γ-TUBULIN and AUGMIN-nucleated MTs. This severing event occurs at MT cross-over areas, particularly where there are MT lattice defects, promoting disassembly of unfavorable…