Enhanced sustainable green revolution yield via nitrogen-responsive chromatin modulation in rice ($) (Science)
Plant Science Research WeeklyThe well-known success of the green-revolution was accomplished through the development of semi-dwarf grasses (rice and wheat), which led to decreased losses to lodging and higher yields; however, the benefits of these improved varieties depends on the application of nitrogen-rich fertilizer. As N-rich…
R-Loop Mediated trans Action of the APOLO Long Noncoding RNA
Plant Science Research Weekly
It was shown that the Arabidopsis intergenic long noncoding RNA (LncRNA) APOLO (AUXIN-REGULATED PROMOTER LOOP) modulates in cis its neighbor gene PID forming a chromatin loop. However, it remained unknown whether it can act also in trans modulating the expression of other genes. Now, Ariel et…
Down the Rabbit Hole: The Hidden World of Gene Regulation Within the Nucleus
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellLee and Bailey-Serres uncover multiple aspects of nuclear and whole-cell epigenetic and post-transcriptional gene regulation in Arabidopsis. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.19.00463
By T. A. Lee and J. Bailey-Serres
Background: Plant cells require oxygen to generate ATP, similar to our own…
Arabidopsis endosperm response to paternal genome dosage is regulated by small RNA pathway (Plant Cell)
Plant Science Research WeeklyThe endosperm, a tissue that transfers nutrients from maternal tissue to the embryo, is normally triploid, with two copies of the maternal genome and one of the paternal genome. Excess paternal genomes usually leads to endosperm abnormalities and seed abortion. Previous studies have shown that the RNA…
Small RNA Pathway Acting in the Father Controls Seed Abortion
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellSatyaki and Mary Gehring uncover the mechanism underlying interploidy seed abortion, challenging previous models of dosage sensitivity in endosperm. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.19.00047
By PRV Satyaki (Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research) and Mary Gehring (Whitehead Institute for…
The RNA export factor ALY1 enables genome-wide RNA-directed DNA methylation (Plant Cell)
Plant Science Research WeeklyThe epigenetic control of gene expression is crucial for genomic stability and allows the defence against invading DNA that for instance could be derived from viruses or transposable elements. In this context, the RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) plays an essential role in silencing of genes via epigenetically…
The Epigenetics of Leaf Senescence
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellLiu et al. explore the mechanism underlying the epigenetic reprograming of senescence-associated gene expression during leaf senescence. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00693
By Peng Liu, Jing Bo Jin, and Xiaofeng Cao, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Background: Leaf…
Plant PRC2 subunit VRN2 stability regulation through oxygen dependent proteolysis
Plant Science Research WeeklyPolycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) represses the expression of its gene targets epigenetically and VERNALIZATION 2 (VRN2) is a subunit of the PRC2 complex in Arabidopsis. The PRC2-VRN2 complex, among other roles, regulates flowering after long cold exposure. Gibbs and coworkers identified VRN2 as a…
Worming into the Plant Chromatin: A Nematode Effector Influences Host Histone Acetylation
Blog, The Plant CellPlants encounter myriad invaders, including bacteria, fungi, insects, and other parasites. These pathogens generally deliver effector proteins into plants, increasing their virulence and targeting various host processes (Toruño et al., 2016). Although advances in the past two decades have led to significant…