Footprints of parasitism in the genome of the parasitic flowering plant Cuscuta campestris (Nature Comms)
Plant Science Research WeeklyEven without knowing a lot about parasitic plants, you can probably guess some of the insights that come from the first parasitic plant genomic sequence. Because parasitic plants get their nutrients from another organism (functionally, they become heterotrophic), you might expect they would gradually…
Genome assemblies of maize lines Mo17 and W22: Extensive intraspecific variation, and resource for functional biology (Nature Genetics)
Plant Science Research WeeklyThe maize genome is largely composed of transposable elements, which is one reason maize has been such a powerful genetic model. However, these transposons also mean that there is a great deal of genetic variability between inbred lines, which can contribute to heterosis (hybrid vigor). In a pair of…
Genome-scale sequence disruption following biolistic transformation in rice and maize (bioRxiv)
Plant Science Research WeeklyThe two classic approaches to introducing DNA into a plant’s genome are by harnessing Agrobacterium tumefaciens’ fascinating gene-transfer skill, or by shooting the new DNA into the cell using a “biolistic” (gun) approach. Because of Agrobacterium’s restricted choice of hosts, the biolistic…
Co-expression networks for strawberry flower and fruit development
Plant Science Research WeeklyThe diploid strawberry (Fragaria vesca) is a useful model system for understanding non-climacteric ripening and seed-to-fruit cross-tissues communication. Previously, spatial and temporal transcriptome data from the strawberry fruit and flowers was generated. Shahan and colleagues combine the transcriptome…
Aquatic fern genomes provide insight into land plant evolution and symbiosis (Nature Plants)
Plant Science Research WeeklyLand plants evolved from freshwater charophytic algae over ~450 million years ago and have since diverged into the plethora of embryophyte genera that we see today. Genomics efforts have classically focused on key angiosperm species representing experimental model systems and/or agriculturally important…
Review. Brachypodium: A monocot grass model system for plant biology (Plant Cell)
Plant Science Research WeeklyBrachypodium distachyon is an annual C3 grass that has become an important model species. Scholthof et al. review the genetic tools and resources (sequences and mutants) as well as robust protocols for transformation that have been developed for it. The presence of wild and perennial species within the…
Review: The rice genome revolution: from an ancient grain to Green Super Rice ($) (Nat. Rev. Genetics)
Plant Science Research WeeklyRice is one of the major staple crops in the world as it is an essential component of diets and livelihoods. Populations in poor regions that are highly dependent on rice (Africa and South Asia) will increase dramatically by 2050, revealing the urgent need to find tools to prevent a future humanitarian…
Regulatory Divergence in the Stress Response of Tomato
The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In BriefHumans have domesticated crops for thousand of years by artificially selecting plants for numerous traits including morphology, lower toxicity or higher yield. As a result, plant domestication often altered plant fitness and resistance to stress under controlled conditions (Meyer & Purugganan 2013).…
Genes responsible for deceleration of circadian rhythms during tomato domestication (PNAS)
Plant Science Research WeeklyDomestication of crop plants is intimately linked to the modulation of the plants circadian rhythms, allowing adaptation to new agricultural environments. Deceleration of the clock has been instrumental in tomato domestication; however the underlying molecular mechanisms are not fully understood. In…