HRB2-BBX21 interaction regulates stomatal aperture
Plant Science Research WeeklyStomata must maintain a balance between opening for carbon uptake and closing to prevent dehydration and pathogen invasion during times of stress. Kang et al. investigate this relationship, utilizing light and ABA signaling to modulate stomatal dynamics. HBR2 was identified as a chromatin-remodeling…
RecQ Proteins: Masters of Genome Surveillance
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellWiedemann et al. show that RecQ6 in Physcomitrella enhances homologous recombination and gene targeting https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.17.00632.
Background: All living cells have mechanisms to protect their DNA against breaks during duplication and against damage by UV-light or chemicals. RecQ helicases…
Mechanisms of Long-Distance mRNA Movement
Plant Physiology: On The InsidePhloem has long been recognized as a tissue that transports carbohydrates and amino acids. In recent years, however, it has also been found that this tissue serves as a conduit for signals, e.g., mRNAs, small RNAs, proteins, small peptides, and hormones. Several classical studies have shown that certain…
RH8-PP2CA interaction in ABA signaling ($)
Plant Science Research Weekly, Research BlogIt is well understood that abscisic acid (ABA) inhibits PPC2A phosphatase activity, which subsequently relieves phosphate-induced inhibition of a kinase interacting partner. This pathway composes the ‘core’ ABA signaling pathway, activating process involved in the ABA response such as stomatal closure…
Identification and characterization of wheat stem rust resistance gene Sr21 effective against the Ug99 race group at high temperature (OA)
Plant Science Research Weekly, Research BlogStem rust is a fungal disease of wheat caused by Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici (Pgt). The Ug99 race group of the fungus has evolved the ability to overcome most stem rust (Sr) resistance genes. Previously, Sr21, an Sr gene that confers partial resistance to Ug99, was found in diploid wheat. Chen et…
GIF transcriptional coregulators control root meristem homeostasis ($)
Plant Science Research Weekly, Research BlogTranscription factor GRFs (GROWTH-REGULATING FACTOR) are specifically expressed in TACs (transit-amplifying cells) and promote rapid cell divisions. Their expression is repressed in stem cells through miR396. In this work, they studied the functions of small cofactors known as GIFs (GRF-INTERACTING FACTORs)…
Similar but Different: A Functionally Conserved of COI1 Receptor Recognizes Jasmonate Precursors in the Liverwort Marchantia polymorpha ($)
Plant Science Research Weekly, Research BlogLand plants evolved from freshwater charophyte algae over 450 million years ago and have since diverged into the multitude of plant lineages observed today. The extent to which prominent plant hormones and cognate receptor proteins, which play essential roles in evolutionarily young angiosperms, are…
Translational coincidence in Arabidopsis (Mol Syst Biol)
Plant Science Research WeeklyChanges in photoperiod affect metabolism and development, as well as flowering time, hypocotyl elongation, freezing tolerance, stomatal opening, C-allocation and growth. Seaton and collaborators measured the Arabidopsis proteome under four photoperiods: 6h, 8h, 12h and 18 hours. At longer photoperiods,…
Crosstalk between PTGS and TGS pathways in natural antiviral immunity and disease recovery (Nature Plants)
Plant Science Research WeeklyViruses are significant pathogens of plants, and we know that plants defend themselves in part through the production of small RNAs (sRNAs) that suppress the virus. The viral pathogens in turn can produce viral supressors of RNA silencing (VSR). Kørner et al. investigated the role of gene silencing…