A Lipid Synthesis Enzyme Confers Freezing Tolerance
Blog, Plant Physiology, Plant Physiology: On The InsideDespite major advances in understanding cold signaling, cold acclimation, and freezing protection in model and crop species, and extensive studies of natural variation in freezing tolerance in Arabidopsis accessions, the question of which genes and mechanisms underlie freezing tolerance of wild species…
Etioplasts: The Role of Digalactosyldiacylglycerol
Blog, Plant Physiology, Plant Physiology: On The InsideIn dark-grown plants, the plastids of cotyledon cells develop as etioplasts. Etioplasts contain unique internal lattice membrane structures called prolamellar bodies (PLBs) and lamellar prothylakoids (PTs). PLBs accumulate protochlorophyllide (Pchlide), a chlorophyll intermediate, in a complex with NADPH…
Summer fun: how plants beat the heat
Blog, The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: News
By Adam Phillips. Reprinted from It Ain't Magic, The RIKEN Global Communications Team https://itaintmagic.riken.jp/hot-off-the-press/plants-beat-heat
It seems like I’ve been writing a lot about plants recently. The truth is that I hardly have enough time to write about all the cool plant…
A pretty plant of summer produces a promising anti-diabetes compound
Blog, The Plant CellDiscovery of the biosynthetic pathway of a plant metabolite lays the groundwork for its use as an anti-diabetes drug
Roughly half of the western medicines used today were derived from naturally occurring plant metabolites. Plants produce over 200,000 of these specialized metabolites, but identifying…
Recognizing Plant Physiology first authors: Inês Carqueijeiro
Plant Physiology: Author ProfilesInês Carqueijeiro, featured first author of Two tabersonine 6,7-epoxidases start synthesis of lochnericine-type alkaloids in Catharanthus roseus
Current Position: Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Tours
Education: PhD in Plant Biochemistry at the University of Porto (2013), MS in Plant Biology…
Moonlighting NAD+ Malate Dehydrogenase is Essential for Chloroplast Biogenesis
The Plant Cell, The Plant Cell: In BriefSome proteins are put to work in more than one job, in a form of evolutionary improvization. They are often described as "moonlighting" proteins, referring to the practice of people taking a second job, typically after dark, to help pay the bills. A classic example of a moonlighting protein is the…
P-HYDROXYPHENYLPYRUVATE DIOXYGENASE from Medicago sativa Is Involved in Vitamin E Biosynthesis and Abscisic Acid-Mediated Seed Germination (OA)
Plant Science Research WeeklySci. Rep. Vitamin E has been shown to scavenge singlet oxygen, reduce lipid oxidation by-products and inhibit lipid peroxidation, thereby helping plant defenses against various stresses.
In this study, the authors identified MsHPPD as a key gene for vitamin E biosynthesis in alfalfa – an important…
Aldehyde Dehydrogenases Function in the Homeostasis of Pyridine Nucleotides in Arabidopsis thaliana (OA)
Plant Science Research WeeklySci. Rep. Aldehyde dehydrogenase enzymes (ALDHs) are very common proteins involved in the oxidation of aliphatic and aromatic aldehydes to their corresponding carboxylic acids, using NAD and NADP as electron acceptors.
In this paper the authors explore the hypothesis that ALDHs are also important…
A Lectin Receptor Kinase as a Potential Sensor for Extracellular Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide in Arabidopsis thaliana (OA)
Plant Science Research WeeklyeLife Besides its role as an enzyme cofactor, NAD is also a plant signaling molecule. In particular, it leaks from wounded areas and activates defense pathways in the neighboring tissue, an effect that can be mimicked by application of extracellular NAD.
The presence of a sensing mechanism for extracellular…