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The predicted rise in CO2 levels during this century is expected to stimulate crop yields, offsetting losses from greater drought. But this study, using free-air CO2 enrichment, shows soybean yield gains dropping to zero as drought stress increased.
A quadruple mutant of Arabidopsis lacking all four subunits of light harvesting complex I (LHCI) compensates by binding LHCII complexes to photosystem I instead. This maintained similar excitation energy transfer efficiency but with a much reduced absorption cross-section.
Leaves vary their temperatures to improve their physiological performance. Theoretical considerations predict, and data for diverse taxa show, a moderate level of leaf thermoregulation maximizing net carbon assimilation.
FLS2 is the well-known plasma membrane receptor for flg22, a specific region of bacterial flagellin. But Solanaceae can also detect flagellin through another epitope, flgII-28, thanks to the novel receptor-like kinase FLS3 now identified in tomato.
In Arabidopsis, the Polycomb proteins mediate an epigenetic memory system that is important for gene silencing via histone methylation during development. Two novel deubiquitinases, UBP12 and UBP13, have now been identified and characterized in this regulatory network.
Little is known about how hybrid taxa become established as new species. Studying floral morphology evolution in different Nicotiana allopolyploids shows transgressive shortening and broadening of the corolla accompanies hybrid species formation/hybridization.
The Casparian strip (CS) is a hydrophobic endodermal barrier isolating the cortex from the vasculature in the roots. A visual genetic screen identifies SCHENGEN1, a novel receptor-like kinase crucial for the integrity and positioning of the CS.
Genetic resistance to pathogens is costly, but plants maintain R-gene diversity. The authors show that, in the absence of disease, both resistant and susceptible alleles of RPS2 provide a fitness benefit compared with an artificial deletion.
Cellular membranes have specific lipidic compositions that influence their biophysical properties. PtdIns4P accumulates in the plasma membrane and modifies its inner surface charge, which controls the localization and function of signalling proteins.
Chloroplasts come from ancient bacteria and are still able to divide, thanks to a contractile ring composed of FtsZ1/2 proteins. An analysis of this mechanism reveals that, similarly to tubulin, FtsZ proteins heteropolymerize to form filaments.
A study using population genomic data of domesticated and wild maize shows that purifying selection plays a major role in shaping maize diversity, and the efficacy of purifying selection increased following post-domestication population expansion.
The desert moss Syntrichia caninervis maximizes water collection in dry environments by collecting water droplets from fog using the tiny hairs on the end of its leaves and passing them down through the plant, rather than taking water up through the roots.
As photosynthesis requires water, its transport to and within leaves is a potential determinant of photosynthetic productivity. This comparison of 30 species of Viburnum shows how variations in venation architecture constrain photosynthetic rate.
Two high-quality genomes of petunia wild parents reveal two rounds of hexaploidization in the evolution of Petunia lineage and provide insights into the diversity of floral patterns and pollination systems — enhancing the model value of this genus.
FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) is a mobile florigenic signal in plants. But how it moves across long distances through tissues and organs is not very well known. Here the authors show that a protein called NaKR1 regulates the movement of FT in Arabidopsis.
A high-quality rubber tree genome reveals insights into the evolution of rubber biosynthesis and ethylene stimulation in rubber production. Together with transcriptome data, this study provides valuable data for the research and breeding of rubber trees.
Phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) is a key enzyme that connects primary and secondary metabolic pathways. In the grass Brachypodium, one PAL can use tyrosine as a substrate. This bifunctional PTAL enzyme can produce half of the cell wall lignin.
Cell-type-specific DNA methylation in plants has only been studied for reproductive tissues. Now a study reports cell-type-specific methylomes of the Arabidopsis root meristem, providing insights into the epigenetic diversity between somatic cell types.
Non-photochemical quenching protects the photosynthetic apparatus of plants from damage in high light conditions. High-resolution time-resolved fluorescence measurements now show that the level of this photoprotection is regulated by subtle changes in the number of LHCIIs in a quenched state.
In response to biotic or abiotic stress, plants can regulate cell–cell communication by modulating plasmodesmal permeability. Here the authors show that callose synthases CalS1/8 are involved in this process.