Recent Posts

Combinatorial interactions of the LEC1 transcription factor specify diverse developmental programs during soybean seed development (PNAS) ($)

LEC1 (LEAFY COTYLEDON 1) transcriptional factor regulates multiple developmental processes during different stages of seed development including macromolecule accumulation, inhibition of germination and morphogenesis. In this paper Jo et al., have uncovered the mechanism of LEC1 functioning with other…

High-temporal-resolution transcriptome landscape of early maize seed development (Plant Cell)

Seeds determine the yield and quality of the plants. In maize, seed development initiates from a double fertilization event where one pollen sperm fuses with the egg and the other with the central cell of female gametophyte to produce the progenitors of embryo and endosperm, respectively. The embryo…

3D characteristics of grain reveal differences between domesticated and wild relatives in wheat and barley (Plant J)

Grain related traits play key roles in determining the total grain yield. However, traditionally manual measurement can not investigate grain seed from multiple angles. To visualize a 3D structure of grain, X-ray based images were captured for a single spike/grain from multiple angles. Because of strong…

Regulation of seed dormancy by ETR1/RDO3 (Plant Cell)

Seed dormancy is an essential fitness trait for plants as it allows their seeds to survive adverse seasons and to synchronise their germination with the occurrence of suitable conditions. While the molecular pathways of the major phytohormones involved in seed dormancy have been largely elucidated, the…