Review: How plants repurposed cytokinin signaling for life on land
Plant Science Research WeeklyWhen plants first moved onto land, they encountered challenges that aquatic ancestors never faced, including heat, dehydration, and rapidly changing environmental conditions. This review by Wang et al., explores how cytokinin signaling, a pathway best known for regulating plant growth and development,…
Founders review: Forty years of research into hormone mimics, inhibitors, and agrochemicals
Plant Science Research WeeklyThis review, by Tadao Asami, looks back at his career as a scientist who designs and synthesizes small, physiologically active molecules with applications in research and agriculture. It’s an impressive history documenting how the methods used for such rational design have evolved over the past five…
Alone or together: BRI1 signaling controls root growth in a cell-autonomous manner
Plant Science Research WeeklyRoot growth is controlled by a dense network of hormone signals working in shared and distinct root zones and cell types. Brassinosteroids (BR) control root growth through activated signaling in vascular and epidermal tissues, but it is unclear how BR signals in each tissue contribute and whether there…
RAF-like protein kinases mediate a deeply conserved, rapid auxin response
Plant Science Research WeeklyThe definition of a phytohormone has not always been clear, though most plant biologists agree that phytohormones can be defined as endogenous molecules capable of triggering signaling cascades and associated responses by binding to specific receptors. They have been extensively studied in flowering…
Psst! Pass it on: How the message to make a new root alters gene expression
The Plant Cell: In a NutshellGala et al. perform single cell RNA sequencing to reveal molecular details about lateral root initiation.
By Amy Lanctot, Hardik Gala, Jennifer Nemhauser
University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
Background: Roots anchor the plant in place and allow it take up needed water and nutrients.…