Autophagy “eats” paternal mitochondria in rice
Plant Science Research WeeklyIn plants, maternal inheritance of mitochondria is a common phenomenon, resulting from the elimination of paternal mitochondrial DNA during pollen development or by the degradation of paternal mitochondria after fertilization. A recent study by Aini et al. provides new insights into the fate of paternal…
Metagenomic insights into the ancestor of eukaryotes
Plant Science Research WeeklyThe awesome power of metagenomics is providing fascinating insights into the origins of life. Tracing backwards from today’s life forms we can identify features that were likely present in the last universal common ancestor (LUCA), as well as the last eukaryotic common ancestor (LECA), which arose…
Running on empty: How does the absence of mtDNA shape mitochondrial movement and connectivity?
Plant Science Research WeeklyMitochondria move within cells to support bioenergetic function and enable sharing of content, including mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Since not all plant mitochondria carry a full set of, or any mtDNA, sharing may allow genetic material to spread across the population. This creates a connected network…
PPR767 controls mitochondrial RNA editing to regulate growth and drought tolerance in rice
Plant Science Research WeeklyMitochondria are vital energy-producing organelles that depend on precise RNA processing for function. In this study, Peng et al. identify PPR767, a mitochondria-localized E-type pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) protein in rice, as a key regulator of plant architecture and drought tolerance. Loss-of-function…
Co-evolution of the RNA editing factor PPR78 and its targets
The Plant Cell: In a NutshellLesch et al. reveal that the mitochondrial RNA editing factor PPR78 of Physcomitrium patens is conserved among mosses despite the loss of its two known C-to-U editing sites due to the additional editing target ccmFNeU1465RC.
https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koad292
By Elena Lesch, Volker Knoop…
In tune with power: Mitochondrial regulation of energy with TOR
Plant Science Research WeeklyAs seedlings grow, they continuously fine-tune the balance between plant growth and energy consumption for better plant fitness. Mitochondria are essential to generate energy. Here, Canal et al. generated single mutants for a gene involved in the mitochondrial respiratory chain – CYTOCHROME C-1 (CYTC-1),…
Turnover of Complex I is regulated by FTSH3 that recognises the PSST subunit
The Plant Cell: In a NutshellGhifari et al. explore the mechanisms of Complex I disassembly and turnover.
https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koad128
Abi S. Ghifari and Monika W Murcha
School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia
Background: Oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) is the central process of…
Intracellular neighborhood watch - mitochondria help the endoplasmic reticulum to cope with reductive stress
The Plant Cell: In a NutshellFuchs et al. report that reductive stress triggers retrograde signaling to safeguard the endoplasmic reticulum by boosting mitochondrial respiratory capacity. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koac017
By Philippe Fuchs, Markus Schwarzländer
Background: A strict division into specialized…
A mitochondrial RNA processing protein mediates plant immunity to a broad spectrum of pathogens by modulating the mitochondrial oxidative burst (Plant Cell)
Plant Science Research WeeklyPhytophthora are a group of oomycete pathogens that infect a wide range of plants and cause disease in many important crop species. Large scale mutant screens have previously been used to identify Arabidopsis thaliana mutants with enhanced resistance to P. parasitica. Here, Yang and colleagues investigate…