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Photorespiration was considered to be wasteful because it reduces photosynthetic efficiency. However, here a modified photosynthesis model, which incorporates photorespiratory nitrogen assimilation, suggests that photorespiration also has beneficial effects on carbon uptake.
The phloem is the system of ‘blood vessels’ that translocates carbohydrates from the leaves to different plant organs. Here, using new structural imaging and pressure measuring tools, the researchers show interesting phloem structural changes that ensure a passive transport mechanism in tall trees.
Current genetic modification methods require regeneration using tissue culture. This study now reports a type of transformation technology, pollen magnetofection, that allows production of transgenic seeds in multiple species in a fast, culture-free manner.
The Deg/HtrA family of ATP-independent serine proteases functions in a wide range of regulatory pathways. Here, the crystal structure of Arabidopsis Deg9 shows a novel oligomeric assembly of this nuclear-localized protease, an interesting octamer.
The wild grass Aegilops tauschii is a wheat progenitor. A high-quality genome sequence, along with methylome and transcriptome data, provides insights on domestication and the effect of transposons, and offers a resource for wheat improvement.
It is rarely reported that copy number variants (CNVs) might influence plant phenotypes. A genetic analysis now shows that a CNV silences the expression of the downstream FZP gene in rice and improves the yield by increasing the number of spikelets per panicle.
The molecular basis underlying transgene susceptibility to silencing remains elusive. Now, using multiple examples, a study shows that higher GC content of coding sequences can reduce susceptibility of transgenes to heritable silencing.
RIN has long been considered a major regulator for ripening induction in tomato as rin mutants fail to ripen. Now, a study shows that the rin allele is a gain-of-function, rather than null, mutation. RIN is not required for ripening initiation.
Gibberellin (GA) is a plant hormone that plays an irreplaceable role in regulating growth and development. Now, the first fluorescent GA biosensor has been developed to visualize GA distributions at cellular resolution in Arabidopsis.
The first crystal structures of TPT, a membrane transporter that exports the Calvin cycle intermediates from chloroplasts and plays fundamental roles in nearly all photosynthetic eukaryotes, have now been resolved in complex with different substrates.
It remains unknown how the central metabolite acetyl-CoA affects histone acetylation in plants. Chen et al. now show that cytosolic acetyl-CoA promotes histone acetylation predominantly at H3K27 in Arabidopsis.
A study of botanical gardens around the world and the diversity of the species contained therein, with conclusions addressed to how to improve representation of plant species outside of their native sites.
Whether phenotypic mean values and plasticity share similar genetic architectures remains elusive. A study examining multiple traits in a maize NAM population using GWAS showed that genes underlying mean and plasticity measures form distinct groups.
Mechanical heterogeneity due to differences in methyl-esterification of cell wall pectins is sufficient to produce asymmetric leaf morphology, as predicted by a mathematical model and validated in Arabidopsis and tomato.
A study reports a high-efficient approach, ssDRIP-seq, for genome-wide identification of chromatin R-loops. Using this approach, researchers present the first genome-wide profile of Arabidopsis R-loops, showing that the R-loop is a common chromatin feature.
Assembly of polyploid plant genomes has been technically challenging. Now, a study presents a half haplotype-resolved hexaploid genome of sweet potato, Ipomoea batatas, using a novel haplotyping method.
PopP2 is an effector from the YopJ family, present in plant and animal bacterial pathogens. Here, its structure is determined in complex with inositol hexaphosphate (IP6) and bound to its target, the WRKY domain of the RRS1-R plant immune receptor.
Increasing the accuracy of crop productivity estimates is key to ensuring global food security. This Article develops temperature response functions that reduce error in grain yield by 19% to 50%.
Leaf cuticle thickness can infer leaf mass area (LMA) of fossil plants. Gymnosperms from East Greenland show forests of low LMA taxa being replaced by high LMA taxa across the Triassic–Jurassic boundary as a result of CO2-induced global warming.
PILS are emerging auxin transporters that can modulate the intracellular auxin distribution in Arabidopsis. The authors now link these proteins to a developmental process, the apical hook opening in response to light, and to phytochrome signalling.