Tag: Gene Expression

Activation domains (AD) are parts of transcription factor proteins (TFs) that bind the transcriptional machinery (coactivator complexes) and lead to transcriptional activation. However, identifying ADs is challenging because they are often part of intrinsically disordered regions, which lack a defined…

An efficient method of gene downregulation, where gene expression is reduced but not completely knocked out, is useful for crop improvement. Here, Shen et al. have developed a system to achieve this, by using CRISPR/Cas9 to insert an element containing a Kozak sequence and an ATG start codon just before…

Adamski et al. reveal that the expression of a MADS-box transcription factor is the basis for a grain phenotype observed in Polish wheat. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koab119 By Cristobal Uauy and Nikolai M Adamski John Innes Centre, Norwich NR4 7UH, United Kingdom Background:…

The three most widely adopted plant models all use C3 photosynthesis, but discoveries made in these plants are not always applicable to C­4 plants. Foxtail millet (Setaria italica) has been emerging as a potential C4 model species, but its use for genomics research is challenging due to long generation…

Raxwal et al. uncover the roles of the RNA helicase and ATPase UPF1 in regulating gene expression. The Plant Cell (2020) https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.20.00244   By Vivek K. Raxwal and Karel Riha  CEITEC Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic   Background: Gene expression, i.e., the…

Transgene introduction has been a major tool in modern plant science, but the ability of plants to distinguish ‘self’ from ‘non-self’ can lead to transgene silencing. This mechanism is mediated by the recruitment of RDR6 (an RNA-Dependent RNA polymerases) leading to the production of several…

Roots have many specialized cells arranged in concentric circles that are functionally homologous among various plant species but with varying cell-type-specific developmental programs. To further understand these developmental programs, Kajala et al. performed TRAPseq (Translating Ribosome Affinity…

The ability to directly sequence RNAs (RNA-seq) has revolutionized our understanding of gene expression, but it can miss or underestimate short-lived RNAs. Several methods have been developed to identify newly-synthesized mRNAs to provide a snapshot of transcription as it happens. Szabo present Neu-seq,…