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A chromatin-based, RNA interference (RNAi)-independent mechanism re-establishes DNA methylation on heterochromatic transposable elements that lost silent marks in previous generations. Multiple factors including CG methylation and H2A.W replacement influence the efficiency of this methylation reprogramming mechanism.
The peel of fruits represents a major defensive barrier. A new study analysing comprehensive transcript and metabolite data from tomato skin provides mapping of the genomic regions allowing for the coordinated regulation of metabolism, development and fungal defence at an exquisite resolution.
1-Aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) has emerged as a signalling molecule in its own right, regulating distinct plant processes independently from its conversion to ethylene. Now it seems that ACC signalling has been steering plant development for hundreds of millions of years, predating the diversification of seed plants.
Mothers and fathers contribute equally to the early embryonic transcriptome in plants, but the full extent of parental control of embryogenesis is unknown. Now it has been reported that expression of parental alleles can vary across cell types.
Polar cell growth requires spatiotemporal regulation of Rho of plants (ROPs) small G proteins in membrane domains. In addition to localized activation of membrane-anchored ROPs, a mechanism for their local inactivation has now been identified.
Rubisco is a complex, ubiquitous protein composed of eight large and eight small subunits. By assembling Rubisco in bacterial cells, the specific characteristics of individual small subunits have been investigated with a view to engineering more efficient carbon fixation.
Plant roots have to orchestrate their growth pattern to access available nutrients. Root architecture is governed by auxin that locally steers growth and development of lateral roots, thereby increasing the uptake capacity. A new mechanism for ammonium acquisition by influencing cellular auxin import has been defined.
Quinones are small secondary metabolites synthesized by a broad range of organisms. Perception of these aromatic molecules in plants involves membrane-bound LRR-RLKs to induce downstream cellular responses in plants such as calcium fluxes, specific gene expression and MAPK activation.
A new model system for C4 plants has been established based on an indoor-cultivated rapid-cycling foxtail millet mutant xiaomi. This mutant, together with its reference genome and an efficient transformation protocol, paves the way for understanding the unique and interesting biology of C4 photosynthesis.
The excess application of nitrogen fertilizer in agriculture and the limitation of nitrogen uptake by crops raise the alarm about the urgency to breed crops with higher nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). Recently, a novel strategy has been developed to enhance NUE and crop production by manipulating nitrate remobilization.
Salicylic acid (SA) is an essential hormone for plant immune responses. In Arabidopsis, SA is perceived by two groups of receptors, NPR1 and NPR3/4, which play opposite roles in regulating defence gene expression. How SA binds to its receptors is now revealed by crystal structure analysis.
Alternative splicing provides a fundamental and ubiquitous mechanism of gene regulation. Stimuli-induced retention of introns introduces novel proteoforms with altered signalling output: full-length CPK28 blocks immune signalling, while a truncated variant, lacking calcium responsiveness, promotes it.
Analysis of genomic and phenotypic data in Helianthus species demonstrates that large chromosomal regions contribute to multiple traits associated with distinct ecotypes.
Exudates released from plant roots can recruit beneficial microorganisms that boost plant growth and immunity. In Arabidopsis thaliana and tomato, active DNA demethylation regulates the production of myo-inositol, a root exudate which recruits a specific plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium.
Identifying protein components of the nuclear envelope is a slow and challenging process. Now a proximity labelling technique adapted for plants reveals novel protein components in this under-researched membrane.
A negative-strand RNA virus is engineered to express both CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) and single-guide RNAs, enabling gene editing as the virus infects the plant.
The diel cycle controls the rhythmic changes in photosynthesis. Now, magnesium levels in the chloroplast are shown to follow a diurnal rhythmic change, and a transporter appears to facilitate such a fluctuation, thereby fine-tuning plant photosynthesis on a diel basis.
The critical epigenetic features that characterize remethylable and non-remethylable loci in Arabidopsis determine the capacity of RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM)-targeted genomic regions to form stable epialleles.
