Recent Posts

Review. Milestones in understanding phosphorus uptake, transport, sensing, use, and signaling

Phosphorus (P) is an essential nutrient and critical component of nucleic acids, phospholipids, and other molecules. Yang et al. provide a historical (since 1996) overview of the processes controlling its uptake and use. Plants take up P from the rhizosphere primarily in the form of orthophosphate (Pi).…

Review: CEP hormones at the nexus of nutrient acquisition and allocation, root development, and plant–microbe interactions

C-TERMINALLY ENCODED PEPTIDE (CEP) is a multigene family of peptide hormones originally described as systemic long-distance signals in response to nitrogen limitation. Over the years since the discovery of these peptide hormones, the literature on CEP biology has expanded the repertoire of developmental…

HSL1 and BAM1/2 impact epidermal cell development by sensing distinct signaling peptides (Nature Comms)

Cell-to-cell communication is crucial for coordinating plant immunity, development, and environmental adaptations. The main players in sensing signaling molecules are membrane receptor kinases such as Leucine Rich Repeat Receptor Kinases (LRR-RKs). In some cases these receptors detect peptide signals.…

GABA signalling modulates stomatal opening to enhance plant water use efficiency and drought resilience (Nature Comms)

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a non-protein amino acid produced by animals and plants, but is its function conserved across kingdoms? In mammals, GABA acts as chemical messenger in the central nervous system by inhibiting neurotransmission. In plants, GABA accumulates in response to stress but its…

Natural variation identifies a Pxy gene controlling vascular organization and formation of nodules and lateral roots in Lotus japonicus (New Phytol.)

Symbiosis between legumes and nitrogen-fixing bacteria such as Mesorhizobium loti requires an exchange of signals. Plants recognize both specific nod factors (lipochitooligosaccharides) as well as cell-surface exopolysaccharides through distinct pathways. The M. loti exoU mutant fails to properly form…

Not PTI or ETI: PTI and ETI (Nature)

Two very exciting papers have come out this week in Nature that address a long-standing question about the relative contributions of two different plant immunity pathways. PTI (pathogen-triggered immunity) recognizes conserved pathogen signatures at the plant cell surface; a model system for PTI is the…

Redox regulation of NADP-malate dehydrogenase is vital under fluctuating light environment (PNAS)

Redox switches regulate photosynthetic reactions and are mediated by conserved cysteine pairs, activated by reduction under light and deactivated by oxidation in the dark. Those reactions are mediated by thioredoxins (Trx). Usually, only plastidic and not cytosolic isozymes show these redox switches.…

Regulation of ACD6 ion channel-like protein by small peptides (bioRxiv)

ACCELERATED CELL DEATH 6 (ACD6) positively regulates the signaling of the plant defense hormone salicylic acid (SA). It was originally identified by the study of natural variation in defense responses of Arabidopsis thaliana. The naturally hyperactive ACD6-Est-I allele confers broad-spectrum disease…

Review. The Fast and The Furious: Rapid long-range signaling in plants (Plant Physiol)

Plants possess a complex series of local and systemic signaling networks driven by multiple stimuli. They translate this information into plant-wide response to coordinate their physiology and development.  Here, Johns et al. review these communication pathways, which function across different scales…