Gender Identity in Kiwifruit
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellAkagi et al. identify a gender determining gene in kiwifruit. The Plant Cell (2018). https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.17.00787
By T. Akagi, I. M. Henry, H. Ohtani, T. Morimoto, K. Beppu, I. Kataoka, and R. Tao
Background: In flowering plants, hermaphroditism, or the presence of both male and female…
Of puzzles and pavements: a quantitative exploration of leaf epidermal cell shape (bioRxiv)
Plant Science Research WeeklyArabidopsis plants have epidermal pavement cells (the cells that make up the bulk of the epidermis, other than guard cells or trichomes) that are often described as “jigsaw puzzle” shaped, and, because Arabidopsis is such a useful model organism, we have nice models for how these distinctive shapes…
Chen Mingsheng's research team found an evolutionary trend of genes fleeing the centromere region
Blog, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: NewsArticle source: http://theworldseeds.cn/index.php?p=152804 (Translated by Google Translate)
The centromere and its surroundings are the fastest-evolving and most complex areas of the plant genome. The centromere and near centromere regions not only undergo rapid sequence changes and structural remodeling,…
A 5-enolpyruvylshikimate 3-phosphate synthase functions as a transcriptional repressor in Populus
Plant Science Research WeeklyHere’s a fascinating story; starting with an association study, Xie et al. found that a protein previously identified as an enzyme involved in phenylpropanoid metabolism (specifically, 5-enolpyruvylshikimate 3-phosphate synthase, EPSP) also acts as a transcriptional regulator of this pathway, not only…
Regulatory Divergence in the Stress Response of Tomato
The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In BriefHumans have domesticated crops for thousand of years by artificially selecting plants for numerous traits including morphology, lower toxicity or higher yield. As a result, plant domestication often altered plant fitness and resistance to stress under controlled conditions (Meyer & Purugganan 2013).…
Is Genetic Evolution Predictable?
The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In BriefHow often does evolution repeat itself? When the same evolutionary strategy arises multiple times, how often are these strategies built on the same genetic foundations? Addressing this question allows us to understand the relative roles of constraint and contingency in the history of life, but (without…
Strategic seed sourcing will enable species to better adapt to changing environments (eLIFE)
Plant Science Research WeeklyYellow box, Eucalyptus melliodora, is an iconic Australian tree and foundation species of a critically endangered woodland community that is the target for restoration efforts. This community is currently severely fragmented, and less that 5 % of its original distribution remains. Models of climate prediction…
Phylogenomics reveals multiple losses of nitrogen-fixing root nodule symbiosis (Science)
Plant Science Research WeeklyThe ability to participate in nitrogen-fixing root nodule symbiosis shows an interesting phylogenetic pattern, with some families showing a large number of nodulating species interspersed with non-nodulating ones, and some families showing only a few nodulating species. A current model suggests that…
The amount of nitrogen used for photosynthesis modulates molecular evolution in plants (Mol Biol Evol)
Blog, Plant Science Research Weekly, Research, Research BlogPlant growth is often limited by the availability of nitrogen (N), which is required to synthesise monomers and macromolecules, and is especially important in the synthesis of the carbon assimilating enzymes of the Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) cycle. In this article, Kelly has demonstrated that photosynthetic…