Volume 4 Issue 2, February 2018

The recently published reference genome of Aegilops tauschii provides new insights into the originator of the D genome donor of hexaploid wheat. This will be a foundation for exploring the genomic diversity underpinning adaptive traits in wheat, and ultimately advance wheat improvement efforts.

A new genome sequence of the enigmatic seed plant Gnetum montanum reveals a nuclear genome that is as distinct as the rest of its biology.

High-throughput chromosome conformation capture studies comparing diploid and polyploid cotton varieties revealed evidence for stereotypical changes in chromatin contacts upon polyploidization.

A major transitional step in Earth’s history was the conquest of land by plants, which fundamentally changed carbon cycling and elevated oxygen levels. In a moss model of early land plants, three out of six MIKC^C-type MADS-box transcription factors ensure external water conduction and the function of motile sperm.

Auxin-induced callus formation, known as a type of cell reprogramming, involves several transcription factors that act in lateral root initiation for plant development. Now, a new partnership of transcription factors is identified to reveal the regulatory network of auxin-induced cell reprogramming.

Examination of wild cereal seed concentration at sites in Saharan Africa, and whether their traits of ‘weediness’ led to use and cultivation by humans from the eighth millennium bc.

The evolution and phylogenetic placement of gnetophytes have remained elusive. The draft genome for a gnetophyte, Gnetum montanum, is now reported. Comparative analyses identify genomic features distinguishing gnetophytes from other gymnosperms.

Knowledge of three-dimensional (3D) genome structure and how polyploidization shapes it remains poor. A study now characterizes and compares 3D genomes for diploid and tetraploid cotton, showing how allopolyploidization affects 3D genome architecture and transcriptional regulation.

UVB light photoreceptor UVR8 physically interacts with WRKY36 in nuclei. WRKY36 promotes hypocotyl elongation by inhibiting HY5 transcription. UVR8 inhibits WRKY36 binding to the HY5 promoter.

Plants have remarkable regeneration ability under the control of phytohormones such as auxin and cytokinin. Here, the researchers identify a heterodimer that consists of two key transcription factors mediating the auxin-induced callus formation.

The transition from darkness to light alters thylakoid membrane architecture and the organization of photosynthetic complexes. Structured illumination microscopy shows increased but smaller grana, with consequences for photosynthetic efficiency and quenching.