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Defence genes must be switched off when pathogen pressure is weak to favour growth and development programmes. Three RNA helicases participate in this repression by controlling how stress-specific mRNAs are stabilized and translated.
The authors investigate the mechanisms behind floral arrest in Arabidopsis. Despite what was previously believed, they show that it is not a global process but a locally regulated mechanism, driven by the export of auxin from fertile fruits.
RuBisCO is believed to be the most abundant enzyme on earth, and catalyses a critical step in carbon fixation. Assisted by different assembly factors, including Raf1, RuBisCO assembles into the holoenzyme comprising eight large subunits (RbcL) and eight small subunits (RbcS). Here, the researchers resolve high-resolution protein structures of the cyanobacterial RuBisCO octameric complex that reflect different steps of its assembly.
The shape of plant organs shows low variability. Sepals of the same age look the same. Here the authors identify one transcription factor (DRMY1) crucial for sepal size reproducibility, and its effect on initiation timing and growth of the organ.
While numerous explanations for reduced pest incidence in organic farms have been noted, plant resistance remains understudied. This article demonstrates tomato resistance to leafhoppers through soil and microbial health.
A reconstruction of the genomic history of japonica and indica rice over 9,000 yr with geographic, environmental, archaeobotanical and paleoclimate data.
The PDK1 lipid-dependent kinase controls PIN1 and auxin transport through a phosphorylation cascade that includes AGC-type kinase D6PK. The double pdk1 mutant reveals auxin-related phenotypes such as reduced gravitropism and lateral roots.
Plant leaf structure is classified as either simple or compound. A simple leaf is a single leaf, whereas a compound leaf is composed of several leaflets emerging from a single compound leaf primordia. Liangliang He, Yu Liu and colleagues have identified a regulator of compound leaf formation in Medicago truncatula, leading to the discovery of an undefined class of eudicot-specific BEL1-like homeodomain proteins and a molecular framework controlling trifoliate leaf patterning.
The authors demonstrate the negative role of GOLVEN peptides during lateral root initiation in Arabidopsis, at the very early stage of the first asymmetric cell division of lateral root founder cells, and identify the receptors for these peptides.
The PDK1 lipid-dependent kinase controls PINs and auxin transport through a phosphorylation cascade that includes AGC-type kinase PAX. The double pdk1 mutant reveals auxin-related phenotypes in vascular development.
Global meta-analysis of plant species diversity effects on trophic levels of ecosystem functioning, finding beneficial impacts from increased diversity.
The structures of four plant phytochrome sensory modules, including an A-type phytochrome, illuminate the function of these red/far-red photoreceptors and suggest the existence of a nuclear localization signal specific to the phytochrome A lineage.
Heat stress damages photosystems, especially photosystem II (PSII), thus affecting photosynthetic efficiency. To counteract the thermal damage, a new bioengineering strategy is introduced by expressing a PSII subunit D1 under the control of a heat-responsive promoter in the nuclear genome. The strategy has been tested and found to be effective in Arabidopsis, tobacco and rice.
A novel optical sensor for hydrogen peroxide, based on DNA-wrapped single wall carbon nanotubes, is developed and validated in plants. It can be used in non-model species to study the kinetics of systemic H2O2 propagation in response to wounding.
Apertures are thin areas on the wall of pollen grains where pollen tubes can penetrate. The number and configuration of pollen apertures vary drastically in different plant species. Here, Xu Zhang and colleagues identify a novel aperture factor that is essential for the formation of pollen aperture and for reproduction in rice.
Temperature-dependent translational enhancement of PIF7 promotes gene expression for thermomorphogenesis in Arabidopsis during warm daytime. This enhanced translation is mediated by an RNA hairpin which shifts conformation at higher temperatures.
The Arabidopsis clock component ELF4 protein moves from shoots to roots to regulate the circadian clock in roots in a temperature-dependent manner. Low temperature increases the mobility of ELF4 and thus leads to a slow-paced root clock.
Potassium, one of the most important ions, is stored in the vacuole. A new mechanism for potassium homeostasis and release from this vacuolar store relies on the CBL–CIPK calcium sensing module, which activates the tonoplastic two-pore K+ channel.
Five genome-wide approaches are integrated to give a comprehensive picture of jasmonic acid signalling networks in Arabidopsis. New genes, validated by mutant analysis, and important connections with other pathways are revealed.
Analyses of three high-quality genomes of Anthoceros hornworts place hornworts as a sister clade to the lineage including liverworts and mosses, and provide insights into the unique biological features of hornworts.