Cell-autonomously controlled ground tissue initiation by auxin in early Arabidopsis embryo ($)
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MONOPTEROS is an auxin-response factor (ARF) that is necessary for root formation during early embryogenesis. Its activity is modulated by BODENLOS (BDL), an Aux/IAA protein that is degraded in the presence of auxin. Möller et al. investigated the transcriptional targets of MP in very early embryos…
Review: The systems biology of auxin in developing embryos ($)
Plant Science Research Weekly, ResearchThe transcriptional response to auxin depends in large part on the interactions between ARF transcription factors and the Aux/IAA transcription inhibitors that interact with them. The crucial role of auxin in embryo patterning is revealed by the embryo patterning defects observed in mutants of ARF and…
Reviews: Nature Insight: Plants ($)
Plant Science Research Weekly, ResearchNature journal published a special “Plant Insights” section featuring several excellent reviews. Zipfel and Oldroyd review Plant signalling in symbiosis and immunity (10.1038/nature22009), Bevan et al. write about Genomic innovation for crop improvement (10.1038/nature22011), Scheres and van der…
Autocrine regulation of stomatal differentiation potential by EPF1 and ERECTA-LIKE1 ligand-receptor signaling
Plant Science Research Weekly, ResearchThe patterning of stomata in epidermal tissues involves both positive and negative cues, as revealed by the phenotypes of mutants including too many mouths and speechless, but the precise interactions between identified gene products are still not fully resolved. Qi et al. explore the interactions between…
Review: Using mustard genomes to explore the genetic basis of evolutionary change ($)
Plant Science Research Weekly, ResearchBrassicaceae is one of the largest angiosperm families and provides many opportunities for studies of evolution. Of course, its most famous species, Arabidopsis thaliana is an important resource, but Brassicaceae also includes the very interesting Brassica crops (cabbage, turnip) that demonstrate the…
Review: Signaling in early maize kernel development
Plant Science Research Weekly, ResearchThe formation of a maize kernel requires growth coordination between embryo, endosperm, and surrounding maternal tissues. Key molecular actors in this coordination are hormones, sugars, peptides and transcription factors. Doll et al. review recent advances in our understanding of maize kernel development,…
Welwitschia mirabilis sheds light on ancestral mechanisms prefiguring floral development ($)
Plant Science Research Weekly, Research, Research BlogIn order to look at the origins of flowers, Moyroud et al. looked at reproductive controls in the gymnosperm Welwitschia mirabilis, which, as the authors say, is a good model because, “Although the plant body is famously bizarre, the reproductive structures are generalized.” Furthermore, its male…
Structure of SHR–SCR heterodimer bound to BIRD/IDD transcriptional factor JKD
Plant Science Research Weekly, Research, Research BlogStructural biology provides a key link between genotype and phenotype. Hirano et al. probe the structure of a heterodimer of plant-specific GRAS family transcriptional regulators [SHORT-ROOT (SHR) and SCARECROW (SCR)] as bound to the transcription factor JACKDAW (JKD). The GRAS family proteins (encoded…
Molecular signals for regeneration ($)
Plant Science Research Weekly, ResearchEvery gardener knows that pulling off a shoot is not sufficient to kill a plant. Plants are able to reprogram cells in order to regenerate missing tissues. Pulling off a shoot removes photosynthetic tissues, but the root responds by activating chloroplasts to take over this role. Kobayashi et al. (Plant…