Recent Posts

When posttranslational modifications meet splicing to regulate stress responses

Agrofoglio et al. explore how the methylation of arginine residues on a key splicing factor affects alternative splicing. Julieta Mateos, María José Iglesias, Yamila Agrofoglio. IFIBYNE-UBA-CONICET https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koae051 Background: Plants are constantly subjected to a variety…

A fresh mechanism for drought tolerance in apple

Niu, Jiang, Cao et al. discover the role of a ferredoxin-NADP+ oxidoreductase gene in drought tolerance in apple. Background: Global climate change and rapid population growth have been increasing the shortage of water resources, enhancing the effects of natural disasters such as drought. Drought…

Bypassing reproductive barriers in hybrid seeds

Huc et al. discover a method for bypassing the triploid block via chemically induced epimutagenesis using 5-Azacytidine. Background: Hybridization of plants with different chromosome numbers is often hindered by reproductive barriers established after fertilization. This is because the correct balance…
Headshot of Thelma Madzima. In the background are a series of pipette tip boxes and a mini vortexer.

URM Plant Scientist Highlights - Thelma Madzima (she/her)

Dr. Thelma Madzima (she/her) is one of very few Black faculty in the USA who are plant molecular biologists. Originally from Zimbabwe, Thelma immigrated to the US at the age of 17 to attend college. She received her B.S. in Plant Science and Plant Biotechnology from Fort Valley State University, a historically…