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A study examining a genetic data set including dozens of genera containing crop species and their wild relatives shows that domesticated species experienced more polyploidy events than their wild relatives, and domestication followed polyploidization.
The brassinolide biosynthesis enzyme CYP85A2 is controlled by farnesylation (post-translational addition of an isoprenoid tail), which impacts Arabidopsis sensitivity to abscisic acid and drought.
The Casparian strip (CS) is a hydrophobic endodermal barrier isolating the cortex from the vasculature in the roots. A visual genetic screen identifies SCHENGEN1, a novel receptor-like kinase crucial for the integrity and positioning of the CS.
More drought episodes are expected due to climate change. The authors test how beech tree metabolism is affected by drought, and show that the recovery is dependent on root carbon storage and increased sink activity in the rhizosphere.
Genetic resistance to pathogens is costly, but plants maintain R-gene diversity. The authors show that, in the absence of disease, both resistant and susceptible alleles of RPS2 provide a fitness benefit compared with an artificial deletion.
Intensive agricultural activity can degrade ecosystems, and restoration takes decades. This field study shows that soil inocula promote ecosystem restoration, and different inocula (such as grassland/heathland) can steer restoration towards different targets.
The widespread trichomes in plants have been known to bear multiple forms and functions. Now a study reveals a previously unknown function of trichomes in controlling the development of flower bud shape by linking together young petals.
The relationship between the two complexes HRD1 and DOA10 in the ER-associated protein degradation system has remained largely unknown. Now, a study shows that the HDR1 complex negatively regulates a component of the DOA10 complex in both plants and animals.
Cellular membranes have specific lipidic compositions that influence their biophysical properties. PtdIns4P accumulates in the plasma membrane and modifies its inner surface charge, which controls the localization and function of signalling proteins.
Chloroplasts come from ancient bacteria and are still able to divide, thanks to a contractile ring composed of FtsZ1/2 proteins. An analysis of this mechanism reveals that, similarly to tubulin, FtsZ proteins heteropolymerize to form filaments.
A study using population genomic data of domesticated and wild maize shows that purifying selection plays a major role in shaping maize diversity, and the efficacy of purifying selection increased following post-domestication population expansion.
The desert moss Syntrichia caninervis maximizes water collection in dry environments by collecting water droplets from fog using the tiny hairs on the end of its leaves and passing them down through the plant, rather than taking water up through the roots.
As photosynthesis requires water, its transport to and within leaves is a potential determinant of photosynthetic productivity. This comparison of 30 species of Viburnum shows how variations in venation architecture constrain photosynthetic rate.
Two high-quality genomes of petunia wild parents reveal two rounds of hexaploidization in the evolution of Petunia lineage and provide insights into the diversity of floral patterns and pollination systems — enhancing the model value of this genus.
FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) is a mobile florigenic signal in plants. But how it moves across long distances through tissues and organs is not very well known. Here the authors show that a protein called NaKR1 regulates the movement of FT in Arabidopsis.
A high-quality rubber tree genome reveals insights into the evolution of rubber biosynthesis and ethylene stimulation in rubber production. Together with transcriptome data, this study provides valuable data for the research and breeding of rubber trees.
One major transition in early plant development is de-etiolation of the young seedling. A retrograde signal from plastids and the light perception pathway converge to antagonistic regulators (ABI4 and HY5) that optimize this transition.
Phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) is a key enzyme that connects primary and secondary metabolic pathways. In the grass Brachypodium, one PAL can use tyrosine as a substrate. This bifunctional PTAL enzyme can produce half of the cell wall lignin.
Temperature modulates flowering times. Alternative splicing, followed by nonsense-mediated mRNA decay, downregulates the thermosensitive repressor gene FLM at high temperatures, which accelerates the timing of floral transition.
Cell-type-specific DNA methylation in plants has only been studied for reproductive tissues. Now a study reports cell-type-specific methylomes of the Arabidopsis root meristem, providing insights into the epigenetic diversity between somatic cell types.