CLAVATA allowed 3D growth in land plants (Curr. Biol.)
Plant Science Research WeeklyLand plants had to acquire new ways to occupy the terrestrial environment, including the innovative shooting system with organs in a radial position. This new 3D form of growth was possible thanks to the capacity to rotate stem cells divisions through different orientation planes. In Arabidopsis the…
Stepwise and independent origins of roots among land plants (Nature)
Plant Science Research WeeklyThe Rhynie chert (near the village of Rhynie, Scotland; chert is a type of sedimentary rock) is an important site for plant biologists as it holds some of earliest and best preserved land-plant fossils. Hetherington and Dolan examined more than 600 thin sections prepared from this site, specifically…
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…
Gating of miRNA movement at defined cell-cell interfaces governs their impact as positional signals
Plant Science Research Weekly
Small RNAs constitute a unique signal transduction mechanism by targeting specific mRNAs and causing a direct down-regulation of target gene expression. Mobile RNAs are known to act as positional cues in developing tissues or to signal stress responses at the systemic level. Although plasmodesmata…
The floral C-lineage genes trigger nectary development in petunia and Arabidopsis
Plant Science Research WeeklyNectar production is a crucial feature of plants to attract insects and enhance their expansion across the ecosystems. The molecular basis of nectary development has been studied in detail only in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, where the nectaries are positioned on the flower receptacle and near…
Ectopic BASL reveals tissue cell polarity throughout leaf development in Arabidopsis thaliana
Plant Science Research Weekly
Signals determining tissue polarity are fundamental to proper organ development. Asymmetry across the entire organ arises due to to polarity fields. Although there are numerous examples of proteins that express preferential polar localization in the cell, the mechanism that coordinates the polarity…
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…