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Article
| Open Access
BCL7A and BCL7B potentiate SWI/SNF-complex-mediated chromatin accessibility to regulate gene expression and vegetative phase transition in plants
This study uncovers the specialized function of previously elusive BCL7 subunits of SWI/SNF complexes in eukaryotes and reveals the mechanism whereby plants memorize the juvenile identity through SWI/SNF-mediated control of chromatin accessibility.
- Yawen Lei
- , Yaoguang Yu
- & Chenlong Li
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Article
| Open Access
Primase promotes the competition between transcription and replication on the same template strand resulting in DNA damage
Resolving R-loops caused by transcription-replication conflicts (TRCs) is vital to genome stability in organisms. Here, the authors show that the chloroplast-localized primase ATH intensifies template strand competition and exacerbates the Head-On TRCs induced DNA damage.
- Weifeng Zhang
- , Zhuo Yang
- & Qianwen Sun
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Article
| Open Access
Cell geometry regulates tissue fracture
The epidermal surface of leaves and flower petals often display cells with wavy geometries. Here the authors provide evidence that this pattern represents an energy-efficient mechanism to protect plants from deleterious surface fissures and toughen the plants’ protective surface.
- Amir J. Bidhendi
- , Olivier Lampron
- & Anja Geitmann
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Article
| Open Access
Control of compound leaf patterning by MULTI-PINNATE LEAF1 (MPL1) in chickpea
Pinnate compound leaves sequentially produce their leaflets along the longitudinal axes. The study identifies the MPL1 gene as a key regulator in orchestrating an acropetal pattern of leaflet formation during the chickpea pinnate leaf development.
- Ye Liu
- , Yuanfan Yang
- & Liangliang He
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Article
| Open Access
Epidermal injury-induced derepression of key regulator ATML1 in newly exposed cells elicits epidermis regeneration
In many plants, only the outermost cells are specified into the epidermis, with underlying mechanisms unknown. Here, the authors show that a key epidermis identity gene is activated in surface cells, via positional cues involving mechanical signals.
- Hiroyuki Iida
- , Ari Pekka Mähönen
- & Shinobu Takada
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Article
| Open Access
Dichotomy of the BSL phosphatase signaling spatially regulates MAPK components in stomatal fate determination
In Arabidopsis, BSL1 localizes to the cell cortex and activates the MAPKK Kinase YDA to inhibit stomatal production. Here the authors show that three other BSL proteins BSL2, BSL3, and BSU1 act in the nucleus to deactivate MPK6 and promote stomatal formation.
- Xiaoyu Guo
- , Xue Ding
- & Juan Dong
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Article
| Open Access
Cytokinin regulates vegetative phase change in Arabidopsis thaliana through the miR172/TOE1-TOE2 module
The antagonistic activities of miR156 and miR172 regulate juvenile-to-adult phase transition during plant shoot growth. Here the authors show that cytokinin promotes this transition by increasing miR172 abundance which in turn represses the activity of the transcriptional regulators TOE1 and TOE2.
- Sören Werner
- , Isabel Bartrina
- & Thomas Schmülling
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Article
| Open Access
BLADE-ON-PETIOLE genes temporally and developmentally regulate the sheath to blade ratio of rice leaves
Despite the importance of proximal-distal patterning of leaves in cereal productivity, the underlying molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, the authors find that the ratio of sheath to blade in rice leaf shifts depends on the expression levels of BLADE-ON-PETIOLE genes.
- Taiyo Toriba
- , Hiroki Tokunaga
- & Junko Kyozuka
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Article
| Open Access
Phytochrome-interacting factors directly suppress MIR156 expression to enhance shade-avoidance syndrome in Arabidopsis
Plants employ developmental strategies to avoid shade and compete with neighbors for light. Here, Xie et al. show that phytochrome-interacting factors, which are regulated in a light-dependent manner, directly repress MIR156 genes and promote the expression of SPL genes to enhance shade-avoidance responses.
- Yurong Xie
- , Yang Liu
- & Haiyang Wang
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Article
| Open Access
Leaf onset in the northern hemisphere triggered by daytime temperature
Recent warming has significantly advanced leaf onset in the northern hemisphere. Here, the authors show asymmetric effects of daytime and nighttime temperature change on the timing of leaf onset.
- Shilong Piao
- , Jianguang Tan
- & Josep Peñuelas
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Article
| Open Access
Oriented cell division shapes carnivorous pitcher leaves of Sarracenia purpurea
The pitcher-shaped leaf of the carnivorous plant Sarracenia purpurea acts as a pitfall trap to capture small animals. Here, Fukushima et al. analyse pitcher leaf development and propose that this unusual shape evolved from ancestral planar leaves through changes in the orientation of cell division.
- Kenji Fukushima
- , Hironori Fujita
- & Mitsuyasu Hasebe
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Article
| Open Access
Transcriptional control of ROS homeostasis by KUODA1 regulates cell expansion during leaf development
During plant development, organ size is controlled by cell proliferation and expansion, but the molecular mechanisms involved are unclear. Here, Lu et al.show that leaf cell expansion is controlled by the KUA1 transcription factor that acts in a circadian manner and modulates the expression of genes encoding cell wall-localized peroxidases.
- Dandan Lu
- , Ting Wang
- & Jos H.M. Schippers
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Article
| Open Access
Developmentally based scaling of leaf venation architecture explains global ecological patterns
The size of dicotyledon leaves and their venation vary enormously across ecosystems. In this study, using 485 plant species, scaling relationships are presented between vein traits and leaf size, and explained based on a developmental algorithm that demonstrates why smaller leaves persist in drier areas.
- Lawren Sack
- , Christine Scoffoni
- & Thusuong Tran
Rewiring of a KNOXI regulatory network mediated by UFO underlies the compound leaf development in Medicago truncatula