Sweet and Juicy: Identification and Origins of the Dry Alleles in Sorghum
The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In BriefSorghum (Sorghum bicolor) is the fifth most important cereal crop globally and is considered to be the “camel among crops” due to its ability to flourish in low-nutrient soils and to withstand prolonged drought. Cultivated varieties are phenotypically and morphological diverse. Consequently, sorghum…
Moonlighting Role of Plastidial NAD-MDH
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellSchreier et al. investigate the role of a plastid malate dehydrogenase in early chloroplast development. Plant Cell 30: 1745-1769
Background: Malate dehydrogenases (MDH) are enzymes that are widespread in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. MDH interconverts oxaloacetate and malate, using either NAD or…
The spermine synthase OsSPMS1 regulates seed germination, grain size, and yield (Plant Physiol)
Plant Science Research WeeklyPolyamines including spermine and spermidine are present in all eukaryotes and have diverse roles. In plants they have been implicated in responses ranging from abiotic and biotic stresses to grain filling. Tao et al. examined the function of OsPMS1, encoding a spermine synthase, through genetic methods…
Plant sex regions can “jump” in strawberry (PLOS Biol.)
Plant Science Research WeeklySex chromosome restructure has happened frequently during the evolution of eukaryotes, often resulting in highly differentiated sex chromosomes. However, little is known about this process in plants. The wild North American octoploid strawberries (Fragaria) have separate sexes with homomorphic, female…
Ploidy and size at multiple scales in the Arabidopsis sepal (Plant Cell)
Plant Science Research WeeklyPloidy refers to the number of genomes contained within a nucleus. Ploidy levels can increase through whole-genome duplication, which affects every cell equally, and through endoreduplication, a cell-by-cell process in which DNA synthesis is not accompanied by cytokinesis. Robinson et al. investigated…
The transcriptional landscape of polyploid wheat ($) (Science)
Plant Science Research WeeklyWheat is a tough nut to crack, as it is hexaploid, comprising three diploid genomes (the A, B and D genomes). The International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium has released a fully-annotated wheat reference genome, and Ramírez-González et al. present a thorough analysis of its transcriptome. Although…
A New Epigenetic Switch Regulating Histone Modification
Research, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In a NutshellMateo-Bonmatí et al. have found novel components of the Arabidopsis epigenetic machinery. Plant Cell (2018). https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.18.00300
By Eduardo Mateo-Bonmatí, Lucía Juan-Vicente, Riad Nadi, and José Luis Micol
Background: In multicellular organisms, most cells contain the same…
Modulating plant growth–metabolism coordination for sustainable agriculture
Plant Science Research WeeklyGreen revolution varieties of rice and wheat are dwarfed, making them resistant to lodging, and DELLA proteins contribute to this dwarfing. At the same time, green-revolution varieties are not very good at taking up nitrogen, so much of the applied fertilizer is wasted (and polluting). Li et al. have…
Genetic components of water use efficiency in the model grass Setaria
Plant Science Research WeeklyIncreasing water use efficiency is important for improving crop yields in diverse environments. This has been difficult due to the complex morphological and biochemical processes involved in water use and plant growth. Feldman and colleagues use a high-throughput phenotyping platform to monitor an interspecific…