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The genome of a magnoliid, Aristolochia fimbriata, shows no evidence of whole-genome duplication, a feature uniquely shared with Amborella trichopoda, the sister species to all other angiosperms. This ancestral structure of the Aristolochia genome offers great opportunities for comparative genomics.
Real-time quantification of transcription initiation by nascent mRNA labelling reveals noisy transcriptional dynamics and a high level of inter-cell variability in transcription of environmental response genes.
Plants restructure their microbiomes as a ‘cry for help’ against biotic and abiotic stress. A recent study shows that prolonged drought stress causes a permanent shift in the rhizosphere microbiome, and provides clues to which drought-induced microbiome changes might sustain plant health.
The antinutrient pyrimidines vicine and convicine are causative agents of favism in faba bean. They have surprising biosynthetic origins in purine biosynthesis, and the generation of the antinutrient-free faba bean varieties is now on the horizon.
A study of a synthetic auxin response circuit in a heterologous system suggests that hindrance of Mediator complex function by the co-repressor TOPLESS may represent a form of promoter pausing, a mechanism that has not been described in plants before.
Ginkgo biloba is well known for its unique morphological features, key phylogenetic position and long association with humans. A refined, high-quality reference genome of G. biloba helps to fix the problems in the draft release and understand the genetic basis of some important morphological features.
The single-nucleus transcriptional atlas of Arabidopsis endosperm reveals variation in gene imprinting across endosperm compartments and cell cycle stages, and provides new evidence for the role of imprinting in balancing resource allocation in the developing seed.
Polarity cues direct tissue patterning by defining the cell division plane. Proteins containing the IQ67 calmodulin-binding domain govern cell division by establishing and maintaining cell polarity during cytokinesis.
The chloroplast-to-chromoplast transition, occurring when fruits such as tomato turn from green to red, is critical for plant development and is also important agronomically. Now we see a new route to alter the speed of this transition.
Long-distance transport is central to the mode of action of plant growth regulators. But in the case of brassinosteroids, spatiotemporal control of biosynthesis and local movements of the bioactive molecule or its precursors result in local hormone accumulation, functioning as a positional cue in root morphogenesis.
Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PI(4,5)P2) is involved in lipid-mediated intracellular signalling and the regulation of events such as cytoskeletal reorganization and membrane trafficking. An inducible PI(4,5)P2 depletion system is now available for examining its function in plant cells.
Plants can experience a range of challenges, from osmotic stress to pathogen attack, requiring different types of responses. Despite this variety, two recent studies of plant transcriptomes reveal a surprising commonality in the genes induced by stress.
In a feat of protein engineering alchemy, a FRET biosensor for tryptophan has been engineered into a direct biosensor for auxin, after a determined journey of over 2,800 steps to switch to a sensitivity appropriate for a plant hormone.
Upon first exposure to light, plants initiate the synchronized biogenesis of chlorophyll and thylakoid membranes. Two new studies have revealed a molecular view of the light-dependent step of chlorophyll synthesis within the membranes of developing angiosperm chloroplasts.
Plant defence is based on a two-tiered immune system comprising pattern-triggered immunity (PTI) and effector-triggered immunity (ETI). Effective defence against host-adapted microbial pathogens relies on mutual potentiation of immunity by both PTI and ETI components.
Root nodules that form on legumes, such as garden pea and soybean, are the salient feature of symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria. It is now shown that formation of these unique lateral root organs necessitates co-option of elements mediating radial root patterning.
Managing root nitrate transport is required by plants to meet ongoing nitrogen demands, and is coordinated by bidirectional communication between roots and shoots. Shoot-derived signals can now be directly linked to the activation of nitrate transport by CEPH, a targeted NRT2;1-specific phosphatase.
The lipid biopolymer suberin is an integral component of the root diffusion barrier, yet its deposition changes dynamically in response to both developmental and physiological cues. A new study identified GELP family proteins as strong candidates for suberin polymerases and degradases acting in suberin remodelling.
