Plant development articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    The LEC1 transcription factor is expressed in both embryo and endosperm during seed development. Here the authors show that LEC1 expression in the endosperm is necessary and sufficient for embryo maturation and that LEC1 protein is trafficked to the embryo to activate seed maturation.

    • Jingpu Song
    • , Xin Xie
    •  & Yuhai Cui

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Plants undergo morphological changes collectively termed thermomorphogenesis when exposed to elevated temperature. Here the authors show that the SPA1 kinase regulates distinct thermomorphogenic responses according to tissue type by interactions with PIF4 and HY5 in shoots and roots, respectively.

    • Sanghwa Lee
    • , Wenli Wang
    •  & Enamul Huq

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Light promotes stomatal development in plants. Here Wang et al. show that light stimulates stomatal development via the HY5 transcription factor which induces expression of STOMAGEN, a mesophyll-derived secreted peptide, that in turn leads to stabilization of a master regulator of stomatal development in the epidermis.

    • Shenqi Wang
    • , Zimin Zhou
    •  & On Sun Lau

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Existing studies of the chromatin accessibility, the primary mark of regulatory DNA, in Arabidopsis are based mainly on bulk samples. Here, the authors report the regulatory landscape of Arabidopsis thaliana roots at single-cell resolution.

    • Michael W. Dorrity
    • , Cristina M. Alexandre
    •  & Josh T. Cuperus

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Plant somatic embryogenesis (SE) can be triggered by hormone application or overexpression of certain transcription factors such as BBM. Here Karami et al. show that AHL15 is required for induction of downstream BBM targets and promotes heterochromatin decondensation and endomitosis during the induction of SE.

    • Omid Karami
    • , Arezoo Rahimi
    •  & Remko Offringa

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The WUSCHEL transcription factor promotes plant stem cell proliferation. Here the authors show that the maize Bif3 mutant contains a duplication of the ZmWUS1 locus leading to cytokinin hypersensitivity and overproliferation at the shoot meristem demonstrating the role of WUSCHEL in maize and how structural variation can impact plant morphology.

    • Zongliang Chen
    • , Wei Li
    •  & Andrea Gallavotti

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Auxin gradients regulate plant root growth and development. Here the authors manipulate auxin synthesis in specific root cell types and use single-cell nucleus tracking and morphokinetics to map directional auxin flow in the root and quantify the kinetics of meristem skewing.

    • Yangjie Hu
    • , Moutasem Omary
    •  & Eilon Shani

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Aspartate transcarbamoylase acts in de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis and in plants is regulated by feedback inhibition via uridine 5-monophosphate (UMP). Here Bellin et al. describe the structural basis for this feedback inhibition, showing that UMP blocks the active site by binding to a plant specific UMP recognition loop.

    • Leo Bellin
    • , Francisco Del Caño-Ochoa
    •  & Santiago Ramón-Maiques

  • Article
    | Open Access

    B class AP3/PI and AGL6-like MADS proteins determine lips and sepals/petals identities in orchids. Here, the authors characterize the extended function of OAP3/OPI/OAGL6 in regulating the specific structure of the lateral sepals, pigmentation/senescence of the perianth and abscission of the pedicel.

    • Hsing-Fun Hsu
    • , Wei-Han Chen
    •  & Chang-Hsien Yang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Liverworts have a unique oil body organelle unrelated to lipid stores found in other eukaryotes. Here the authors show that oil body formation is analogous to that of cell plates, relying on periodic redirection of the secretory pathway and a syntaxin-1 homolog, and that oil bodies contribute to defence against herbivory.

    • Takehiko Kanazawa
    • , Hatsune Morinaka
    •  & Takashi Ueda

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Grasses have diverse inflorescence morphologies, but the underlying genetic mechanisms are unclear. Here, the authors report a TCP transcription factor COM1 affects cell growth through regulation of cell wall properties and promotes branch formation in non-Triticeae grasses but branch inhibition in barley (Triticeae).

    • Naser Poursarebani
    • , Corinna Trautewig
    •  & Thorsten Schnurbusch

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Strigolactones are a newly identified, but incompletely characterized class of plant hormones play crucial roles in plant development. Here the authors show that strigolactones prevent an auxin feedback-effect on PIN-FORMED (PIN) polarity and trafficking, thereby regulating vascular tissue formation and regeneration.

    • Jing Zhang
    • , Ewa Mazur
    •  & Jiří Friml

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Sieve element differentiation in Arabidopsis roots requires two antagonistic regulators of auxin efflux, BRX and PAX. Here the authors show that together they coordinate sieve element formation by preventing cell fate bistability emerging from AUX1-mediated competition for auxin between neighboring cells.

    • Bernard Moret
    • , Petra Marhava
    •  & Kirsten H. W. ten Tusscher

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Small RNAs act to regulate gene or transposon activity during plant development. Here, the authors show that maize Dicer-like 5 is required for 24-nt phased, secondary small interfering RNA production in anthers and that dicer-like 5 mutants show abnormal tapetal development and temperature-sensitive sterility.

    • Chong Teng
    • , Han Zhang
    •  & Virginia Walbot

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Cytosolic ion gradients in growing pollen tubes are thought to be required for polar growth. Here the authors show that the Arabidopsis plasma membrane H+ ATPases, AHA6, AHA8, and AHA9, maintain tip-to-shank proton gradients, oscillations in cytosolic pH and actin organization to enable pollen tube elongation.

    • Robert D. Hoffmann
    • , Maria Teresa Portes
    •  & Michael Palmgren

  • Article
    | Open Access

    WUSCHEL is a homeodomain transcription factor that is essential for stem cell maintenance in the plant shoot apical meristem. Here, via structural and biochemical approaches, Sloan et al. show that strong WUSCHEL binding to preferential target motifs can be attributed to dimer formation that stabilizes DNA binding.

    • Jeremy Sloan
    • , Jana P. Hakenjos
    •  & Jan U. Lohmann

  • Article
    | Open Access

    In plants, branching is regulated by both hormones and external cues such as light. Here the authors show that in Arabidopsis, the phytochrome A-signaling components FHY3 and FAR1, and SMXL proteins that repress strigolactone signaling, both interact with SPL proteins to control expression of the branching regulator BRC1.

    • Yurong Xie
    • , Yang Liu
    •  & Haiyang Wang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Asymmetric division of the Arabidopsis zygote produces apical and basal cells that mainly develop into embryo and suspensor, respectively. Here, Zhou et al. show that de novo transcription and selective RNA turnover establish distinct apical and basal transcriptomes as early as the 1-cell stage of embryo development.

    • Xuemei Zhou
    • , Zhenzhen Liu
    •  & Meng-Xiang Sun

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The PIF4 transcription factor along with the phyB photoreceptor, regulates growth responses to elevated temperature in plants. Here the authors show that PIF4 expression in the epidermis, rather than the vasculature, stimulates auxin responses and thermoresponsive growth in Arabidopsis.

    • Sara Kim
    • , Geonhee Hwang
    •  & Eunkyoo Oh

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Plants regulate nitrate uptake in roots to meet nitrogen demand in shoots. Here Ota et al. identify CEPDL2, a polypeptide that is induced during nitrogen deficiency in leaves, and show that it moves via the phloem to promote high-affinity nitrate uptake and root-to-shoot nitrate transport.

    • Ryosuke Ota
    • , Yuri Ohkubo
    •  & Yoshikatsu Matsubayashi

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Developmental plasticity of plant root systems has been intensively studied, but the mechanisms underpinning robustness remain unclear. Here, the authors show that DNA-methylation-mediated transcriptional repression serves as a backup system to control lateral root development when auxin signalling is perturbed.

    • Zaigham Shahzad
    • , Ross Eaglesfield
    •  & Anna Amtmann

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Stem-cell-specific genes regulate processes such as maintenance, identity and/or division. Here, the authors show that in the Arabidopsis root TCX2, a gene expressed across different stem cell populations (a stem-cell-ubiquitous gene), controls division and identity by regulating stem-cell-type-specific networks.

    • Natalie M. Clark
    • , Eli Buckner
    •  & Rossangela Sozzani

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Spatial control of auxin signaling maintains a balance between stem-cell self-renewal and differentiation at the plant shoot apex. Here Ma et al. show that rheostatic control of auxin response by the WUSCHEL transcription factor maintains stem cells by conferring resistance to auxin mediated differentiation.

    • Yanfei Ma
    • , Andrej Miotk
    •  & Jan U. Lohmann

  • Article
    | Open Access

    In-depth functional characterization of genomes relies on comprehensive transcriptome data. Here, the authors employ four complementary RNA sequencing technologies to explore the transcription landscape across 16 tissues or different organ types in diploid A genome cotton using a newly developed computational pipeline.

    • Kun Wang
    • , Dehe Wang
    •  & Yuxian Zhu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    UV-B light suppresses the shade avoidance response in plants by reducing the abundance of PIF transcription factors by an undefined mechanism. Here the authors show that UV-B perceived by the UVR8 receptor inhibits the shade avoidance response by preventing stabilisation of PIF5 by COP1.

    • Ashutosh Sharma
    • , Bhavana Sharma
    •  & Keara A. Franklin

  • Article
    | Open Access

    SPA proteins repress plant photomorphogenesis by promoting the E3 ligase activity of COP1. Here the authors show that SPAs also act as serine/threonine kinase and are required for phyB-mediated light-dependent phosphorylation and degradation of the PIF1 transcription factor.

    • Inyup Paik
    • , Fulu Chen
    •  & Enamul Huq

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Pre-harvest sprouting reduces the yield of agriculturally important crops such as rice. Here, the authors show that mutating specific members of the MIR156 gene family can suppress pre-harvest sprouting in rice without negative effects on plant architecture, suggesting a practical route to elite crop varieties.

    • Chunbo Miao
    • , Zhen Wang
    •  & Jian-Kang Zhu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Plasmodesmata channels connect neighbouring plant cells and respond to external stimuli via changes in permeability. Here Park et al. propose that mechanical forces can displace the dumbbell-shaped ER-desmotubule complex that spans the central plasmodesmatal cylinder leading to closure of the pore.

    • Keunhwan Park
    • , Jan Knoblauch
    •  & Kaare H. Jensen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Plant embryos are connected to maternal tissue by a filamentous suspensor, analogous to an umbilical cord, but which is severed during early embryo development. Here, Shi et al. show that gibberellins can trigger suspensor cell death in tobacco via a DELLA protein that regulates expression of cell death factors.

    • Ce Shi
    • , Pan Luo
    •  & Meng-Xiang Sun

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Gas exchange for photosynthesis occurs via stomata on the leaf surface and the airspace in the underlying mesophyll tissue. Here, the authors show that stomatal function modulates mesophyll airspace formation and that their coordinated development influences water use efficiency in crops

    • Marjorie R. Lundgren
    • , Andrew Mathers
    •  & Andrew J. Fleming

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Due to reduced gibberellin sensitivity, modern rice cultivars are shorter than traditional varieties but produce more tillers and have higher yields. Here Liao et al. show that gibberellin contributes to decreased tiller number by degrading the MOC1 protein that suppresses bud outgrowth.

    • Zhigang Liao
    • , Hong Yu
    •  & Jiayang Li

  • Perspective
    | Open Access

    Cellular mechanical stress is a key determinant of cell shape and function, but how the cell senses stress direction is unclear. In this Perspective the authors propose that microtubules autonomously sense stress directions in plant cells, where tensile stresses are higher than in animal cells.

    • Olivier Hamant
    • , Daisuke Inoue
    •  & Eric Mjolsness

  • Article
    | Open Access

    SCM is a receptor-like kinase that ensures proper root patterning. Here, Song et al. find that SCM promotes the movement of CPC from non-hair cells to neighboring root epidermal cells and identify QKY as an additional facilitator of CPC mobility that acts by preventing vacuolar degradation of SCM.

    • Jae Hyo Song
    • , Su-Hwan Kwak
    •  & Myeong Min Lee

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Plants are dependent on controlled sugar uptake via Monosaccharide Transporters, such as STP10, for correct organ development, sugar accumulation in fruits and microbial defense. Here authors present the crystal structure of STP10 bound to glucose which sheds light on the fundamental principles of sugar transport in the plant-unique MST superfamily.

    • Peter Aasted Paulsen
    • , Tânia F. Custódio
    •  & Bjørn Panyella Pedersen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The shoot apical meristem (SAM) maintains stem cells and generates new leaves and flowers from its periphery. Here via spatially resolved translatome profiling, Tian et al. define distinct molecular signatures of different SAM and leaf domains and identify regulators of axillary meristem initiation.

    • Caihuan Tian
    • , Ying Wang
    •  & Yuling Jiao

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