Review: Postzygotic reproductive isolation established in the endosperm: mechanisms, drivers and relevance ($) (Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B)
Plant Science Research WeeklyIn this fascinating review, Köhler and colleagues show us that the seed endosperm is not only a nutritive tissue that supports embryo growth, it also nourishes the course of plant evolution. When closely related species or species with different ploidy levels hybridize, endosperm development deviates…
LEAFY is a pioneer transcription factor and licenses cell reprogramming to floral fate (Nature Comms)
Plant Science Research WeeklyMaster transcription factors (TFs) can activate specific genetic programs to reprogram cellular fate in the context of open chromatin. A special class of these proteins known as pioneer TFs are defined by their ability to trigger cell fate reprogramming by binding their cognate cis motifs in a nucleosome…
Longer telomeres, earlier flowering: Natural variation in plant telomere length is associated with flowering time (Plant Cell)
Plant Science Research WeeklyTelomeres (from Greek words meaning "end part") are highly repetitive DNA sequences at chromosome ends that guard against degeneration during cell division. Though all eukaryotes possess telomeres, extensive interspecific variation exists for telomere lengths (300bp in yeast to 150kb in tobacco). Telomere…
TERMINAL FLOWER 1-FD complex target genes and competition with FLOWERING LOCUS T (Nat. Commun.)
Plant Science Research WeeklyThe onset of reproductive development is tightly regulated in response to environmental cues as early and delayed flowering greatly affects seed production. In Arabidopsis, the timing of flower formation is controlled by members of the Phosphatidyl Ethanolamine-Binding Protein (PEBP) family: TERMINAL…
Review: La vie en roses, lilies, and other flowers: the floral microbiome (Annu. Rev. Ecol. Evol. Syst.)
Plant Science Research WeeklyBeyond their beautiful colors, fragrances and shapes, flowers also can host a great variety of life forms. A diverse community of bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and other organisms live in the flowers. A recent work by Rachel Vannette summarizes the current studies about the floral microbiome, highlighting…
A peptide pair coordinates regular ovule initiation patterns with seed number and fruit size (Curr. Biol.)
Plant Science Research Weekly
In Arabidopsis pistils, ovule primordia differentiate from the placenta - meristematic tissue within the two fused carpels - in parallel rows with a regular spacing of 2-4 cells. Since fruit growth and ovule formation determine the maximum number of seeds enclosed in a silique, these two processes…
Review. Imaging flowers: a guide to current microscopy and tomography techniques to study flower development (J. Exp. Bot.)
Plant Science Research WeeklyFlowers bear the reproductive organs and determine the reproductive success of plants by producing fruits and seeds. Flowers usually include four whorls of organs: sepals, petals, stamen and carpel. In this review, Prunet and Duncan discuss various microscopic and tomographic techniques to image flower…
A protoxylem-specific NAC transcription factor modulates heat and drought stress in maize (PNAS)
Plant Science Research Weekly
Excessive heat and water deficit coincide with flowering and result in developmental defeats such as male floral organs browning, infertile pollen, and failure in fertilization: a syndrome known as “tassel blasting” in maize. The genetic pathway underlying tassel blasting is not well characterized.…
Slow development restores the fertility of photoperiod-sensitive male-sterile plant lines (Plant Physiol.)
Plant Science Research WeeklyThere are many well-known advantages to hybrid seeds. However, one obstacle is the tendency of some plants to self-pollinate. The development of genetically male-sterile lines greatly facilitates hybrid seed production, as the maternal male-sterile plant cannot self-fertilize and depends on donor pollen…