Corn ChIPs and RNA-seq: Researchers Dip into Advanced Tools and Resources to Examine bZIP Transcription Factor Function in the Maize Endosperm
The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In BriefThe endosperm of maize (Zea mays) seeds undergoes a complicated developmental program that ends with the production of massive amounts of storage compounds, particularly carbohydrates, but also including zein storage proteins (reviewed in Li and Berger, 2012; Hannah and Boehlein, 2017; Larkins et al.,…
Towards Pathogen-Resistant Apples
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellZhang et al. show that a single-nucleotide polymorphism in a hairpin RNA promoter contributes to Alternaria alternata leaf spot resistance in apple and could serve as a marker to distinguish susceptible versus resistant apple cultivars. https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00042.
Background: Apple Alternaria…
Biosynthesis of the Antidiabetic Plant Metabolite Montbretin A
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellIrmisch et al. investigate enzymes of the ornamental plant montbretia involved in a complex flavonoid biosynthetic system relevant to human health. https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00406
Background: Type-2 diabetes is a major health challenge of the 21st century requiring new treatments. Plants produce…
In Brief: Loss of a Silencing Cascade Contributed to Indica Rice Domestication
Blog, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In BriefThousands of years of artificial selection have produced rice plants (Oryza sativa) that are vastly different from their wild progenitor species in terms of architecture, yield, and resilience. Most of the genetic changes linked to rice domestication involved genes encoding transcription factors. However,…
ZmbZIP22 regulates 27-kD γ-zein transcription during maize endosperm development (Plant Cell)
Plant Science Research WeeklyZeins are maize seed storage proteins, but are notoriously low in the amino acids lycine and tryptophan. Therefore, to improve maize's nutritional properties, efforts have been made to decrease zein levels. However, such efforts often lead to abnormal (opague) kernels. Previous work has demonstrated…
Special issue: Orchestrating the proteome with post-translational modifications (J. Exp. Bot.)
Plant Science Research WeeklyI guess we're well past the stage of thinking "one gene - one protein", but even a single polypeptide isn't really one protein, due to the huge number of different types of post-translational modification (PTM) it can be subjected to. These are summarized in the illustration that accompanies the editorial…
Review: New insights into the plant epitranscriptome ($) (J. Exp. Bot.)
Plant Science Research WeeklyJust like the epigenome is the collection of epigenetic marks on DNA, the epitranscriptome is the collection of epigenetic marks on mRNA. Vandivier and Gregory review our current understanding of the epitranscriptome, with a focus on N6-methyladenosine (m6A) and 5-methylcytosine (m5C), and their various…
A single transcription factor promotes both yield and immunity in rice ($) (Science)
Plant Science Research WeeklyPlants regularly prioritize either growth or defense, leading to reduced growth rate when the plant is under attack. Wang et al. have identified a simple switch in rice that demonstrates this principle beautifully. The Ideal Plant Architecture 1 (IPA1) transcription factor is involved in controlling…
Chloroplast Biogenesis in Germinating Seeds: A Multi-Dimensional Approach
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellZizhen et al. perform electron tomography and correlative gene expression analyses of thylakoid assembly in greening Arabidopsis cotyledons Plant Cell (2018) https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.17.00972
By Byung-Ho Kang
Background: The chloroplast produces carbohydrates and molecular oxygen from water,…