Molecular mechanisms driving switch behavior in xylem cell differentiation (Cell Reports)
Plant Science Research WeeklyXylem is involved in the movement of water and mineral nutrients through the plants from the roots to leaves; its cells are not totipotent and undergo programmed cell death. VASCULAR-RELATED NAC-DOMAIN (VND) transcription factors are master switches of xylem cell differentiation in Arabidopsis and much…
SPX4 acts on PHR1-dependent and -independent regulation of shoot phosphorus status (Plant Physiol)
Plant Science Research WeeklyPlant phosphorus homeostasis is important to understand as humans seek to increase food production while also reducing the amount of agricultural inputs and environmental pollution. In their recent paper, Osorio and colleagues expand our current understanding of phosphorus homeostasis in Arabidopsis…
Update. GMO-free RNAi: exogenous application of RNA molecules in plants (Plant Physiol)
Plant Science Research WeeklyCriticism of transgenic plants and GMOs motivates research into effective GMO-free RNA delivery methods. In this review, Dalakouras et al. discuss different strategies for exogenous application of RNA molecules (dsRNAs, siRNAs) into plants to trigger RNA interference (RNAi) against various targets, such…
Review: N-degron pathway-mediated proteostasis in stress physiology (Annu Rev Plant Biol)
Plant Science Research Weekly
The rate of most biological processes is ultimately determined by protein activity levels, which of course are determined by rate of degradation or inactivation as well as production. Dissmeyer reviews the Cys/Arg branch of the N-degron pathway (previously called the N-end rule pathway) that contributes…
HORT1 retrotransposon causes harlequin/black flowers in Phalaenopsis orchids (Plant Physiol)
Plant Science Research WeeklyPhalaenopsis orchids produce beautiful, long-lived flowers and are widely popular houseplants. In 1996, a new variety was identified with intensely dark, nearly black pigmentation. Hsu et al. have identified the molecular basis for this phenotype; a Gypsy-like retrotransposon inserted in the promoter…
Identification of transcription factors regulating senescence in wheat through gene regulatory network modelling (Plant Physiol)
Plant Science Research WeeklyLike other seed crops, wheat yields depend in part on the efficiency with which nutrients stored in leaves are mobilized into the developing seeds. This depends on the several processes from macromolecule breakdown to transport, as well as the timing of leaf senescence. Borrill et al. used RNA analysis…
Arabidopsis FLL2 promotes liquid–liquid phase separation of polyadenylation complexes ($) (Nature)
Plant Science Research WeeklyThe nucleus of plants cells, like other eukaryotes, is full of non-membranous compartments separated by liquid-liquid phases. These complexes are often called nuclear bodies and concentrate proteins and nucleic acids. Disordered protein domains play a critical in their formation. Here, Fang et al. aimed…
Chromatin signature and transcription factor binding provide a predictive basis for understanding plant gene expression (Plant Cell Physiol)
Plant Science Research WeeklyMachine learning is a booming research field, also in Plant Science. Here, Wu et al. use chromatin modifications and transcription factors to predict transcription levels in Arabidopsis and rice. This is not only important for prediction but also to understand the mechanisms underlying epigenetic regulation.…
Network paths for nitrogen response in Arabidopsis (Nature Comms)
Plant Science Research WeeklyA goal of systems biology is to study how transcription factors participate in gene regulatory networks (GRN) underlying biological processes. In a recent report, Brooks et al. used network science to uncover how transcription factors mediate the early response to nitrogen (N). Authors identified the…