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The V-ATPase impaired in the det3 mutant acidifies trans-Golgi network/early endosome, and is needed for exocytosis of cargo vesicles, which are involved in recycling important membrane proteins such as the brassinoid receptor and cellulose synthase.
Plants lack the retrograde motor dynein. Although kinesin-14 from Physcomitrella patens is a minus-end-directed motor, it is not individually processive. But four or more molecules acting together can transport liposomes and may substitute for dynein in plants.
Plant somatic cells are totipotent, but once differentiated, must keep their own identity and function. Chromatin regulator PRC2 represses downstream transcription factors and prevents dedifferentiation and division of fully mature root hair cells.
Transgenic American cotton resistant to lepidopteran pests increases yields and revenues while reducing pesticide use compared to non-GM varieties. However, when grown without artificial irrigation the economic benefits over Asiatic cotton are less clear.
Gibberellin is a major hormone in plant growth. Mixing old-style grafting with modern molecular genetics in Arabidopsis shows that the GA12 precursor is the chemical form of gibberellin undergoing long-distance transport across plant organs.
The balance of beneficial and detrimental effects of nitrogen-fixing plants hinges on the degree to which plants regulate fixation to meet their needs. Legumes show a large diversity of fixation regimes due to differing evolutionary strategies.
Invasive Centaurea solstitialis (yellow starthistle) is larger than in its native range as declines in native competitors make water more available. Such opening of niches may be a factor in the widespread success of invasives.
Innate immunity is the first layer of defence in plants. However, pathogens inject effectors that supress this mechanism. Here the authors show that photosynthesis is a key component of plant defence, and that chloroplasts are targeted by pathogens.
Biogenesis of miRNAs involves the transcription of primary miRNAs and subsequent processing by DCL proteins. Now it is revealed that the Elongator complex couples the two processes by mediating the chromatin association of both primary miRNAs and the protein DCL1.
The natural variation in an Arabidopsis population contributed to variation in root-associated bacteria. This variation affected the plants’ fitness showing that small host-mediated changes in the microbiome can have large effects on host health.
Orchid seeds are conventionally thought to be wind dispersed. However, extensive observation with motion sensor cameras shows that birds such as the brown-eared bulbul eat and disperse the seeds of at least one orchid, Cyrtosia septentrionalis.
Expressing the Pseudomonas ethylene-forming enzyme (Efe) in Synechocystis 6803 causes it to produce ethylene. Tracer experiments and metabolic modelling show that this is achieved by plasticity of fluxes through the tricarboxylic acid cycle.
Analysis of a new Arabidopsis mutant shows that SGT1b protein associates with chaperones to stabilize jasmonate receptor Col1 and auxin hormone F-box receptor TIR1. This study highlights the importance of chaperone complexes in hormone signalling.
The mechanisms of sepal/petal/lip determination in orchids remain obscure. Now a study reveals competition between two protein complexes containing different AP3/AGL6 homologues determine the formation of the complex perianth patterns in orchids.
Natural rubber is composed of extremely long polymers of isoprene. In dandelion, a potential alternative source of latex for industry, a rubber transferase activator, homologous to the human Nogo-B receptor, is necessary for this synthesis.
Studies of plants on a series of Australian sand dunes show that leaves and roots have different approaches to coping with phosphorus limitation. While leaves concentrate on using phosphorus efficiently, roots take on rich and diverse nutrient-acquisition strategies.
Plant species diversity regulates the productivity and stability of natural ecosystems and their resilience to disturbance. Experiments in a managed grassland suggest that whereas species diversity promotes livestock fodder production, genetic diversity enhances the temporal stability of that production.
A gene that helps protect potatoes from destructive late blight is identified in a wild relative. It encodes a membrane receptor-like protein, the first discovered in this system, and makes cultivated potato plants more resistant to a broad range of pathogens.
Plant cell organelles interact dynamically, most notably during photosynthesis. A femtosecond laser technology, that creates localized micro-shockwaves, is used to precisely analyse adhesion forces between peroxisomes, mitochondria and chloroplasts.
The mechanism of how plant growth is controlled during the reproductive phase is not well understood. Now a study reveals a new miRNA-dependent module integrating auxin signalling and developmental pathways to promote Arabidopsis fruit morphogenesis.