Review. Decoding resilience: Ecology, regulation, and evolution of biosynthetic gene clusters
Plant Science Research WeeklyAlthough clusters of functionally related genes are common in prokaryotes, until recently it was thought that they were not a feature of eukaryotic genomes. However, several studies have identified biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) in plants. Many of these gene clusters include sets of enzymes that act…
Review: A century of studying plant secondary metabolism—From “what?” to “where, how, and why?”
Plant Science Research WeeklyPhytochemicals, also known as plant secondary metabolites, play primary roles in plant development, structure, and response to the environment. Their metabolism has been studied for over a century. In a new review, Dixon and Dickinson discuss past and recent advances in understanding the identity, localization,…
Bacterial tolerance to host-exuded specialized metabolites structures the maize root microbiome
Plant Science Research WeeklyBenzoxazinoids (BXs) are alkaloid specialized metabolites produced by important crops like maize. Their role in shaping the root and rhizosphere microbiomes and in plant defense against pest and pathogens is well known, although the mechanism remains unknown. One of the major BXs produced by maize is…
The genetic basis of nitrogen responses in Arabidopsis thaliana
The Plant Cell: In a NutshellElla Katz1 and Dan J. Kliebenstein1,2.
1Department of Plant Sciences, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
2DynaMo Center of Excellence, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Background: Nitrogen is an essential element for plant growth and development. Nitrogen availability and form…