Plant sciences articles within Nature

Featured

  • Letter |

    Plants and animals sense intruding pathogens by using proteins that recognize diverse microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs) and initiate innate immune responses. Early signalling responses in the host include calcium influx, an oxidative burst and transcriptional reprogramming. Here, four calcium-dependent protein kinases are described that function as calcium sensors, act as convergence points for various MAMPs, and are crucial for transcriptional reprogramming and oxidative burst in plants.

    • Marie Boudsocq
    • , Matthew R. Willmann
    •  & Jen Sheen

  • News & Views |

    The photosynthetic apparatus of cryptophyte algae is odd — its pigments are farther apart than is expected for efficient functioning. A study into how this apparatus works so well finds quantum effects at play.

    • Rienk van Grondelle
    •  & Vladimir I. Novoderezhkin

  • Article |

    Form I Rubisco, one of the most abundant proteins in nature, catalyses the fixation of atmospheric CO2 in photosynthesis. The limited catalytic efficiency of Rubisco has sparked extensive efforts to re-engineer the enzyme to enhance agricultural productivity. To bring this goal closer, the formation of cyanobacterial form I Rubisco is now analysed by in vitro reconstitution and cryo-electron microscopy.

    • Cuimin Liu
    • , Anna L. Young
    •  & Manajit Hayer-Hartl

  • News & Views |

    The key enzyme in photosynthesis, Rubisco, is a relic of a bygone age. The ability to assemble Rubisco in the test tube offers the prospect of genetically manipulating the enzyme to make it fit for the modern world.

    • R. John Ellis

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