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| Open AccessIron-binding haemerythrin RING ubiquitin ligases regulate plant iron responses and accumulation
Plants activate a gene transcription response under low iron conditions but how they sense insufficient iron levels is unclear. In this study, Kobayashi et al.identify two iron-binding proteins that possess ubiquitin ligase activity and are negative regulators of the iron deficiency response.
- Takanori Kobayashi
- , Seiji Nagasaka
- & Naoko K. Nishizawa
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Natural variation in PTB1 regulates rice seed setting rate by controlling pollen tube growth
Understanding the genetic factors that regulate panicle architecture is important for improving rice yields. In this study, Li et al. demonstrate that the gene PTB1is critical for regulating panicle seed setting rate and pollen tube growth.
- Shuangcheng Li
- , Wenbo Li
- & Ping Li
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Article
| Open AccessArabidopsis SABRE and CLASP interact to stabilize cell division plane orientation and planar polarity
Cell and planar polarity are important for the organization of cells within organisms. Pietra et al. demonstrate in Arabidopsisthat the SABRE protein is important for mediating cell and planar polarity by stabilizing the orientation of microtubules during cell division and cell elongation.
- Stefano Pietra
- , Anna Gustavsson
- & Markus Grebe
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Mitochondrial AtPAM16 is required for plant survival and the negative regulation of plant immunity
Nucleotide binding and leucine-rich repeat domain proteins (NLRs) serve as immune receptors in plants and animals. Huang et al.identify a mitochondrial inner membrane protein AtPAM16 in Arabidopsis, which contributes to negative regulation of NLR-mediated immunity.
- Yan Huang
- , Xuejin Chen
- & Xin Li
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Article
| Open AccessDraft genome of the kiwifruit Actinidia chinensis
The kiwifruit is an economically and nutritionally important fruit crop with high vitamin C content. Here, the authors report the draft genome sequence of a heterozygous kiwifruit and through comparative genomic analysis provide valuable insight into kiwifruit evolution.
- Shengxiong Huang
- , Jian Ding
- & Yongsheng Liu
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Molecular mechanism of strigolactone perception by DWARF14
Both strigolactone and DELLA plant signalling pathways have a role in shoot branching. In this study, Nakamura et al.show that DWARF14 cleaves strigolactones creating a binding surface for the DELLA protein SLR1, thereby providing a mechanism for pathway crosstalk.
- Hidemitsu Nakamura
- , You-Lin Xue
- & Tadao Asami
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Article
| Open AccessArabidopsis WAT1 is a vacuolar auxin transport facilitator required for auxin homoeostasis
The plant hormone auxin is essential for plant development and growth and is transported across cellular membranes via specialized transporter proteins. In this study, Ranocha et al. identify the first vacuolar auxin transporter, WAT1, suggesting an involvement of the vacuole in auxin signalling.
- Philippe Ranocha
- , Oana Dima
- & Deborah Goffner
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Plant immune response to pathogens differs with changing temperatures
Plants have two mechanisms to respond to infection; pattern-triggered immunity detects conserved microbial compounds, whereas effector-triggered immunity recognizes proteins secreted by pathogens. In this study, Cheng et al. report that temperature determines which of these immune systems is preferentially induced.
- Cheng Cheng
- , Xiquan Gao
- & Ping He
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Auxin-Binding Protein 1 is a negative regulator of the SCFTIR1/AFB pathway
The plant hormone auxin controls growth and development, and is recognized by auxin-binding protein 1 (ABP1) and other receptors. In this study, Tromas et al.investigate the role of ABP1 and show that the protein functions upstream of other auxin receptors and controls auxin repressors via the SCF ubiquitin ligase pathway.
- Alexandre Tromas
- , Sébastien Paque
- & Catherine Perrot-Rechenmann
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Article
| Open AccessDraft genome sequence of the mulberry tree Morus notabilis
Mulberry trees are the primary food source for silkworms, which are reared for the production of silk. In this study, He et al. present the draft genome sequence of Morus notabilisand find that it evolved significantly faster than other plants in the Rosales order.
- Ningjia He
- , Chi Zhang
- & Zhonghuai Xiang
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A node-based switch for preferential distribution of manganese in rice
Mineral delivery to plant tissues must be tightly controlled to prevent tissue toxicity. Here, Yamaji et al. describe a manganese transporter in rice that delivers manganese to young leaves and panicles at low metal concentrations, while at high concentrations the metal is transported to older tissues due to rapid degradation of the transporter.
- Naoki Yamaji
- , Akimasa Sasaki
- & Jian Feng Ma
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Article
| Open AccessIncreasing functional modularity with residence time in the co-distribution of native and introduced vascular plants
Understanding how species assemblages change over time is crucial for conservation. Here, the authors assess the changes of compartmentalized structure in native and alien species across millennia, and show that older assemblages can form more functionally distinctive modules than younger ones.
- Cang Hui
- , David M. Richardson
- & Vojtěch Jarošík
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Social amoeba farmers carry defensive symbionts to protect and privatize their crops
The social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum displays a primitive form of agriculture with some clones carrying bacteria to seed out food crops. Brock et al. now demonstrate that these farmers also carry non-food bacteria that harm competing non-farmer amoeba clones, protecting the crop from exploitation.
- Debra A. Brock
- , Silven Read
- & Joan E. Strassmann
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Article
| Open AccessWhole-genome sequencing reveals untapped genetic potential in Africa’s indigenous cereal crop sorghum
Sorghum is a drought-resistant food and feed cereal crop used by over half a billion of the world’s poorest people. Here the authors present high-coverage resequencing genome data of 44 sorghum lines of varying geographic and taxonomic origin, which include a number of sorghum wild relatives.
- Emma S. Mace
- , Shuaishuai Tai
- & Jun Wang
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In vivo formation of double-stranded T-DNA molecules by T-strand priming
Agrobacterium uses a single-stranded DNA molecule–T-strand–to transform host plants, but the mechanism of insertion into the host genome is unclear. Here, the authors find that T-strand to double-stranded T-DNA conversion, which precedes integration into the genome, may be initiated by the host DNA repair machinery.
- Zhuobin Liang
- & Tzvi Tzfira
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FLOWERING LOCUS C in monocots and the tandem origin of angiosperm-specific MADS-box genes
MADS-box genes regulate flowering plant development, but their evolutionary origins are unclear. Here, Ruelens et al.show that three major, apparently flowering plant-specific, MADS-box gene clades are derived from a single ancestral tandem duplication, and identify FLOWERING LOCUS C-like genes in cereals.
- Philip Ruelens
- , Ruud A. de Maagd
- & Kerstin Kaufmann
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Mutation in the seed storage protein kafirin creates a high-value food trait in sorghum
Sorghum is an important crop species for the African continent but the grain is difficult to digest. The authors of this study examine a previously identified sorghum mutant known for improved digestion and find that the mutant is the result of a point mutation in the seed-processing protein kafirin.
- Yongrui Wu
- , Lingling Yuan
- & Joachim Messing
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Forecasting flowering phenology under climate warming by modelling the regulatory dynamics of flowering-time genes
Climate change and increasing temperature have an impact on the flowering time of plants but models predicting these effects are lacking. Satake et al. provide a model based on differential gene expression to predict the response of plants to warmer temperatures and find that the flowering period is shortened.
- Akiko Satake
- , Tetsuhiro Kawagoe
- & Hiroshi Kudoh
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Root-derived CLE glycopeptides control nodulation by direct binding to HAR1 receptor kinase
Symbiotic bacteria form nodules with plant roots and this is controlled by CLE-RS genes found in the plant. In this study, the CLE-RS2gene product is shown to be a glycopeptide that can travel from the roots to the shoot of plants and binds to the receptor kinase HAR1.
- Satoru Okamoto
- , Hidefumi Shinohara
- & Masayoshi Kawaguchi
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Mechanism for full-length RNA processing of Arabidopsis genes containing intragenic heterochromatin
Transposable elements found within transcribed regions of genes are often compacted into heterochromatin. Using Arabidopsisas a model, these authors show that the protein, IBM2, is required for correct processing of genes that contain intragenic heterochromatin.
- Hidetoshi Saze
- , Junko Kitayama
- & Tetsuji Kakutani
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A poly(A)-specific ribonuclease directly regulates the poly(A) status of mitochondrial mRNA in Arabidopsis
The control of RNA stability is essential for gene regulation in eukaryotes. Hirayama et al. demonstrate that poly(A)-specific ribonuclease and bacterial-type poly(A) polymerase control mitochondrial mRNA poly(A) status in Arabidopsis, showing that a unique system regulating mitochondrial function operates in plants.
- Takashi Hirayama
- , Takakazu Matsuura
- & Shimpei Hayashi
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The effects of carbon dioxide and temperature on microRNA expression in Arabidopsis development
An increase in the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide and warmer temperatures can alter plant growth and development. Here the authors show that these conditions can also elicit significant changes in microRNAs expression, including some which might induce early flowering in Arabidopsis.
- Patrick May
- , Will Liao
- & Qiong A. Liu
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Article
| Open AccessGroup A PP2Cs evolved in land plants as key regulators of intrinsic desiccation tolerance
Abscisic acid plays an essential role in the induction of vegetative desiccation tolerance in bryophytes. Here the authors show that elimination of protein phosphatases 2C is sufficient for the mossPhyscomitrella patensto survive desiccation without the assistance of abscisic acid.
- Kenji Komatsu
- , Norihiro Suzuki
- & Yoichi Sakata
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| Open AccessA Munc13-like protein in Arabidopsis mediates H+-ATPase translocation that is essential for stomatal responses
In plants, stomatal opening controls the uptake of carbon dioxide and water loss, and is controlled by an H+ATPase. This study reports the identification of PATROL1, a gene that controls the subcellular localisation of the H+ATPase, and is involved in the regulation of stomata.
- Mimi Hashimoto-Sugimoto
- , Takumi Higaki
- & Koh Iba
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Article
| Open AccessGenetic control of inflorescence architecture during rice domestication
Transition from a spread panicle typical of ancestral wild rice to the compact panicle of present cultivars was a crucial event in rice domestication. Here the authors show that this panicle architecture is controlled by the transcription factor OsLG1 and that a mutation in its regulatory region led to the compact panicle phenotype.
- Zuofeng Zhu
- , Lubin Tan
- & Chuanqing Sun
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Two FLX family members are non-redundantly required to establish the vernalization requirement in Arabidopsis
FLCandFRI are two genes required for vernalization in Arabidopsis. In this study, the authors identified a new gene—FLL4—that is required for the upregulation of FLC, and found that fll4mutants flower more rapidly.
- Joohyun Lee
- & Richard M. Amasino
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| Open AccessImproving palm oil quality through identification and mapping of the lipase gene causing oil deterioration
Lipase in the mesocarp of oil palm fruits reduces the quality of oil and leads to decreased yield. In this study, the authors identify the gene encoding the mesocarp lipase, raising the possibility of breeding palm genotypes that produce better quality oil.
- F. Morcillo
- , D. Cros
- & V. Arondel
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Article
| Open AccessAnalysis of elite variety tag SNPs reveals an important allele in upland rice
Quantitative trait loci mapping has traditionally been used to discover desirable alleles in plants. In this study, Lyu et al. use a comparative genome approach to identify an allele that is prevalent in upland rice varieties and alters the function of a protein involved in abscisic acid biosynthesis.
- Jun Lyu
- , Shilai Zhang
- & Wen Wang
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Caesium accumulation in yeast and plants is selectively repressed by loss of the SNARE Sec22p/SEC22
The active uptake of radiocaesium by plants via potassium transport systems results in contamination of food supplies. Here, the authors show that loss of the v-SNARE protein Sec22p/SEC22 specifically reduces the accumulation of Cs+in yeast and plants by repressing its deposition to vacuoles.
- Stephan Dräxl
- , Johannes Müller
- & Anton R. Schäffner
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| Open AccessPhosphorylation of BLUS1 kinase by phototropins is a primary step in stomatal opening
Blue light stimulates stomatal opening in Arabidopsis by activating phototropins. By screening for mutants that lack this response, the authors isolate the protein kinase blus1, and show that its phosphorylation by phototropin-1 promotes guard cell signalling and stomatal opening.
- Atsushi Takemiya
- , Naoyuki Sugiyama
- & Ken-ichiro Shimazaki
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| Open AccessSolar spectral conversion for improving the photosynthetic activity in algae reactors
Algae beds are a promising resource for bio-energy and gas production, but their productivity is often limited by solar energy harvesting efficiency. Wondraczek et al. promote algal growth by using photoluminescent phosphor, which shifts the light spectrum to better match the algal adsorption band.
- Lothar Wondraczek
- , Miroslaw Batentschuk
- & Christoph J. Brabec
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Wheat Mds-1 encodes a heat-shock protein and governs susceptibility towards the Hessian fly gall midge
Hessian flies are wheat parasites that seize control of the metabolic pathways of their hosts. Liu et al. identify the wheat gene, which encodes a small heat-shock protein, as a major susceptibility gene for infestation by the Hessian fly.
- Xuming Liu
- , Chitvan Khajuria
- & Ming-Shun Chen
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Article
| Open AccessTwo distinct secretion systems facilitate tissue invasion by the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae
Understanding how fungal pathogens deliver proteins to diverse plant compartments is critical for developing disease control. Giraldo et al. demonstrate that the blast fungus possesses distinct secretion systems for proteins targeted to compartments inside or outside living rice cells.
- Martha C. Giraldo
- , Yasin F. Dagdas
- & Barbara Valent
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| Open AccessArabidopsis FLC clade members form flowering-repressor complexes coordinating responses to endogenous and environmental cues
Flowering time is a critical developmental transition for a plant’s reproductive success and it depends on endogenous and environmental signals. Here Gu et al.show that MADS-domain floral repressors form protein complexes that coordinate Arabidopsis responses to these cues and regulate its flowering time.
- Xiaofeng Gu
- , Chau Le
- & Yuehui He
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Article
| Open AccessMechanism of microtubule array expansion in the cytokinetic phragmoplast
Plant cell division is driven by the expansion of the phragmoplast, a characteristic structure that forms in the middle of the plant cell during cytokinesis. Murata et al. use genetic and cell imaging approaches to clarify the microtubule behaviour that leads to phragmoplast expansion.
- Takashi Murata
- , Toshio Sano
- & Mitsuyasu Hasebe
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| Open AccessFork sensing and strand switching control antagonistic activities of RecQ helicases
RecQ helicases are enzymes that play a central role in maintaining genome stability in the DNA repair cascade. Klaue et al. show that RecQ2 and RecQ3 from Arabidopsis thalianaprocess DNA by, respectively, unwinding and rewinding forked DNA substrates, using a frequent strand switching mechanism.
- Daniel Klaue
- , Daniela Kobbe
- & Ralf Seidel
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Article
| Open AccessCyclic electron flow is redox-controlled but independent of state transition
The switch from linear to cyclic electron flow has long been thought to rely on the migration of antenna proteins from Photosystem II to Photosystem I. Takahashi et al. report that this is not the case and that cyclic electron flow is tuned by the intrachloroplastic redox power.
- Hiroko Takahashi
- , Sophie Clowez
- & Fabrice Rappaport
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Taller plants have lower rates of molecular evolution
Rates of molecular evolution vary significantly between species, but the reasons behind this variation remain unclear. Lanfear et al.show that height accounts for one-fifth of the rate variation measured in plant genomes, and suggest that is because taller plants copy their genomes less frequently.
- Robert Lanfear
- , Simon Y. W. Ho
- & Andrew P. Allen
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A protein phosphatase 2A complex spatially controls plant cell division
Spatial positioning of the division plane in plant cells is determined premitotically by the preprophase band of microtubules. Spinner et al. show that its formation in Arabidopsisrequires a PP2A complex containing FASS and TON1 which is recruited to cortical microtubules by the TRM protein family.
- Lara Spinner
- , Astrid Gadeyne
- & Martine Pastuglia
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Genomic islands of divergence are not affected by geography of speciation in sunflowers
Differentiated genomic regions among conserved loci, known as speciation islands, are believed to form because of reduced inter-population gene flow near loci under divergent selection. Renault et al.show that reduced recombination, rather than slower gene flow, accounts for the formation of these regions in sunflowers.
- S. Renaut
- , C. J. Grassa
- & L. H. Rieseberg
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Article
| Open AccessAtALMT9 is a malate-activated vacuolar chloride channel required for stomatal opening in Arabidopsis
Aluminium-activated malate transporters are exclusive to plants, regulating the transport of ions across the membranes on which they are expressed. De Angeli and colleagues show that AtALMT9 acts as a vacuolar chloride channel that is activated by cytosolic malate, and that this regulates stomata aperture.
- Alexis De Angeli
- , Jingbo Zhang
- & Enrico Martinoia
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Nuclear retention of the transcription factor NLP7 orchestrates the early response to nitrate in plants
Nitrate is both an important nutrient and a signalling molecule crucial for plant life. Here Marchive et al. report that NLP7 acts as an upstream transcriptional regulator of plant early responses to nitrate through active exportation from the nucleus in absence of nitrate.
- Chloé Marchive
- , François Roudier
- & Anne Krapp
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Reconciliation of marine and terrestrial carbon isotope excursions based on changing atmospheric CO2 levels
Carbon isotope excursions (CIEs) measured in marine and terrestrial substrates indicate large-scale changes in the global carbon cycle. Schubert and Jahren show that larger-amplitude CIEs measured in terrestrial substrates reflect increased carbon isotope fractionation by land plants under elevated atmospheric CO2.
- Brian A. Schubert
- & A. Hope Jahren
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Environmental variability promotes plant invasion
Environmental conditions are likely to become more temporally variable with global environmental change. Parepa et al. show that temporal variability on soil nutrient availability strongly promotes plant invasion and consequently can be a strong driver of ecological changes.
- Madalin Parepa
- , Markus Fischer
- & Oliver Bossdorf
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Arabidopsis NIN-like transcription factors have a central role in nitrate signalling
Nitrate is a signalling molecule that modulates the expression of a wide range of genes and regulates growth and development in plants. Konoshi and Yanagisawa identify a family of Nin-like transcription factors that bind the nitrate-responsive cis-element and regulate the plant's response to this nutrient.
- Mineko Konishi
- & Shuichi Yanagisawa
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Article
| Open AccessWhole-genome sequencing of Oryza brachyantha reveals mechanisms underlying Oryza genome evolution
The wild rice species can be used as germplasm resources for this crop’s genetic improvement. Here Chen and colleagues report the de novo sequencing of the O. brachyanthagenome, and identify the origin of genome size variation, the role of gene movement and its implications on heterochromatin evolution in the rice genome.
- Jinfeng Chen
- , Quanfei Huang
- & Mingsheng Chen
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| Open AccessThe interaction between OsMADS57 and OsTB1 modulates rice tillering via DWARF14
Tillering is a multigenic complex trait that influences grain yield in cereal; however, the molecular network for its regulation remains unclear. Guo et al.show that OsMADS57, a transcription factor controlled by miR444a, interacts with OsTEOSINTE BRANCHED1 and targets DWARF14 to control tillering in rice.
- Siyi Guo
- , Yunyuan Xu
- & Kang Chong
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Article
| Open AccessGreater efficiency of photosynthetic carbon fixation due to single amino-acid substitution
Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase, the key enzyme of C4 photosynthesis, evolved from an ancestral isoform in C3 plants and has a reduced feedback inhibition. Paulus et al.show that enhanced inhibitor tolerance of C4 phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase is achieved by a single amino-acid exchange.
- Judith Katharina Paulus
- , Daniel Schlieper
- & Georg Groth
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S-nitrosylation of phosphotransfer proteins represses cytokinin signaling
The interaction between nitric oxide and the plant phytohormone cytokinin has a critical role in regulating adaptation growth. Here Feng et al. find that nitric oxide-mediated S-nitrosylation of a phosphotransfer protein inhibits its phosphorylation, thereby repressing cytokinin signalling.
- Jian Feng
- , Chun Wang
- & Jianru Zuo
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