Flavodiiron proteins enhance the rate of CO2 assimilation in Arabidopsis under fluctuating light intensity (Plant Physiol)
Plant Science Research WeeklyPlants must adjust to varying levels of light in order to optimize photosynthetic rates; too little electron transport and plants will incur an energetic penalty, while excessive excitation of photosystem I leads to photodamage. During high light conditions, the increase in DpH acts as a brake on electron…
Carbon flux through photosynthesis and central carbon metabolism show distinct patterns between algae, C3, and C4 plants (Nature Plants)
Plant Science Research WeeklyPhotosynthesis is an attractive target for improving crop yields, and tailoring downstream photosynthesis-associated metabolism is a relatively unexplored path for achieving this. Chlorella ohadii is the fastest growing photosynthetic organism identified, has high photosynthetic rates, and can survive…
Structural organization of the spongy mesophyll (New Phytol.)
Plant Science Research WeeklyDespite a large variation in leaf morphology, laminar leaf anatomy is largely conserved, comprising two developmentally distinct mesophyll tissues, the palisade and spongy mesophyll. Spongy mesophyll cells along with intercellular spaces form an interconnected network to maximize the surface area for…
Anchoring Membranes in Cyanobacteria
The Plant Cell: In a NutshellOstermeier et al. introduce AncM, a new factor for structuring the photosynthetic membrane system in cyanobacteria. Plant Cell https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koab253
By Matthias Ostermeier, Steffen Heinz and Jörg Nickelsen at Molecular Plant Science at LMU Munich
Background: Cyanobacteria are…
Transcriptome sequencing of a novel albino mutant of hexaploid sweetpotato (Plant Mol Biol Rep)
Plant Science Research WeeklyAlbino plants lack chlorophyll, which means that they cannot photosynthesize. These kinds of plant are unique and can offer information as to the molecular mechanism of chlorophyll degradation and photosynthesis in plants. Here, Arisha et al. explored the differences in gene expression patterns of seedling…
Review. Chloroplast development in green plant tissues: The interplay between light, hormones, and transcriptional regulation (New Phytol.)
Plant Science Research WeeklyChloroplasts are indispensable for plant growth and physiological performance; not only for photosynthesis but also for many biochemical processes. Due to the endosymbiont origin of the chloroplast, chloroplast development requires sophisticated machinery to relay the signals between the nuclear and…
Photosynthesis genes in the chloroplast help to direct species formation in Oenothera
The Plant Cell: In a NutshellZupok et al. demonstrate that photosynthesis genes encoded on the chloroplast genome can establish hybridization barriers. Plant Cell. (2021) https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koab155
By Arkadiusz Zupok, Danijela Kozul and Stephan Greiner, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Potsdam/Golm,…
Keeping an “i-on” chloroplast gene expression
The Plant Cell: In a NutshellDeTar et al. examined whether disruption of ion homeostasis affects plastid gene expression and chloroplast development.
Rachael Ann DeTar and Hans-Henning Kunz both at School of Biological Sciences at Washington State University & Plant Biochemistry at LMU Munich
Background: Proteins that…
Radical Information - Daily Stress and When the Light is Just Too Strong…
The Plant Cell: In a NutshellHaber et al. developed an automated microplate system to continuously monitor levels of reactive oxygen species in planta. Plant Cell. https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koab068.
By Zechariah Haber and Shilo Rosenwasser, The Robert H. Smith Institute of Plant Sciences and Genetics in Agriculture, The…