
Underwater blues: Molecular rewiring of stomatal development in Rorippa aquatica
Unanticipated flooding conditions challenge the survival and overall growth and development of a plant, for example stomatal development is suppressed under submerged conditions. Stomata are microscopic pores on the surface of leaves of a plant that play an important role in the exchange of gases between…

A molecular framework for ethylene-mediated tomato fruit development
Huang et al. unravel the roles of ethylene in tomato fruit growth and ripening.
Background: Fruit development is an intriguing evolutionary strategy that functions in both seed protection and seed dispersal. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) has long been used as a model system to uncover mechanisms…

High humidity compromises plant immunity while promoting pathogen growth (Plant Cell Environ)
Humidity is considered a key component for the growth of fungal plant pathogens. For many infection assays we either maintain plants in high humidity, or wrap the infected area and keep spraying it with water. This is generally performed to facilitate fungal growth and the assumption that this may not…

Hormone crosstalk orchestrates root development
Qin et al. identify a mechanism by which ethylene activates gibberellin catabolism to determine primary root growth in rice.
Hua Qin and Rongfeng Huang
Biotechnology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Background: The optimization of root architecture is one of the…

Nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR 5 mediated by nitric oxide suppresses ethylene biosynthesis in apple fruit (New Phytol.)
Mechanisms of phytohormone modulation and their interface with other regulatory molecules are still being uncovered. Nitric oxide (NO) is a regulatory molecule which has been shown to affect ethylene biosynthesis through the action of ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR 5 (ERF5) in apple fruit. New work by Ji et…

Ethylene augments root hypoxia tolerance through amelioration of reactive oxygen species and growth cessation (bioRxiv)
Flooding presents a dual threat to plants; not only is mitochondrial respiration supressed during the resulting hypoxic conditions, but once the floodwaters recede, the return to ambient oxygen levels triggers a cascade of harmful reaction oxygen species (ROS). One of the most well-studied responses…

The sweet and musky scent of home: biogenic ethylene fine-tunes seed germination in wetlands (Plant Biol.)
Light, temperature, substrate moisture and oxygen availability are renowned germination triggers for wetland species. However, wetlands sediments are a significant source of gases that might shape the species germination behavior, such as ethylene –a renowned germination promoter. Still, little is…

A Rosy Scenario for Flower Opening
Cheng et al. explore how ethylene promotes the asymmetric growth of petal bases to promote flower opening in rose. The Plant Cell (2021) https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koab031
By Chengchen Xia, Junping Gao, and Nan Ma
Background: Flowers are unique structures in angiosperms that are used for…

The Role of Ethylene and Ethylene Response Factors in the Heat Stress Response
Summary: Huang et al. elucidate a link between ethylene signaling and heat stress responses. Plant Cell https://bit.ly/3pTjNBK
By Jianyan Huang, Xiaobo Zhao, Marco Bürger, Yurong Wang, Joanne Chory
Background: Temperature is an environmental factor that has one of the most dramatic effects on…