Articles in 2019

Niche differentiation has been theorized to occur in plants, but experimental validation of this mechanism of species coexistence is lacking. This study finds selection and phenotypic plasticity to be the main drivers of differentiation.

A study sequenced and analysed two genomes of basal streptophyte algae that adapt to freshwater and subaerial/terrestrial environments, respectively, providing insights into plant terrestrialization, an important evolutionary transition in the history of life.

Cultivation of high-tannin sorghum in Africa is associated with herbivore threat from red-billed quelea, but also with reduced sensation of bitterness in humans.

Gibberellin precursor GA₁₂ moves from root to shoot and participates in hypocotyl elongation at warmer temperatures.

Plant blindness is a pernicious force, even affecting the coming festive season. How can we increase the plant-based content of a well-known list of Christmas gifts?

Broomrape (Orobanche) is a parasitic plant that infects crops. Here, quantitative genetics and mapping in sunflower identify one resistance gene named HaOr7. It is a membrane receptor-like kinase that prevents attachment of the parasitic plant to the sunflower roots.

Photosystem I is trimeric in most cyanobacteria but monomeric in plants and algae; however, tetrameric photosystem I is found in many heterocyst-forming cyanobacteria and their close relatives, possibly as an adaptation to high light levels.

Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E-interacting proteins able to regulate translation have not yet been reported in plants. A study now characterizes an eIF4E-interacting protein, CERES, as a non-canonical translation initiation factor that modulates translation in plants.

The authors use natural variation in maize to identify a locus involved in shoot sodium exclusion and associated with salinity tolerance. The encoded protein is the sodium transporter ZmHAK4, and the gene is conserved in other crops.

Global analysis revealed extensive uridylation and cytidylation at the 3’ end of plant microRNA precursors.

This study revealed prevalent cytidylation and uridylation at the 3′ ends of pre-miRNAs in Arabidopsis. Moreover, the nucleotidyl transferase proteins contributing to the pre-miRNA tailing and the diverse functions of the tailing were uncovered.

Tannins in grains prevent sparrow consumption but cause bitterness for people with sensitive taste. A study uncovered genes controlling tannin presence in sorghum and revealed a coevolution among humans, sorghums and birds linked by tannins in African agroecosystems.

Mast seeding is a reproductive trait of some perennial plants that display synchronous, highly variable annual production of fruit. The drivers of mast seeding are not well understood. Here, the authors report a global-scale investigation of masting behaviour and reveal a link with nutrient economy.

High-resolution cryo-EM structures of Chlamydomonas light-harvesting complex II (LHCII)–photosystem II (PSII) supercomplexes show loosely and moderately associated LHCIIs forming multiple pathways for energy transfer to PSII reaction centres.

This Perspective assesses the opportunities and challenges for synthetic biology in revolutionizing agriculture, and highlights the resources and approaches we need to remove the barriers and propel another Green Revolution.

The 26S proteasome is conventionally viewed as a destroyer of proteins. However, it is now shown to help stabilize RNAs and thus fine-tune a plant’s anti-viral defences.