Table of Contents

The downregulation of DE-ETIOLATED1 (DET1) results in tomato fruits with the simultaneous elevation of multiple nutritional antioxidants. Characterization through the analysis and integration of large-scale metabolomic and transcriptomic data sets reveals a coordinated activation of core metabolic processes underlying DET1 loss of function in developing tomato fruit.

This work examines role of sulfite reductase (SiR) in assimilatory reduction of inorganic sulfate to sulfide. Reduced sulfite reductase activity results in growth retardation and severe perturbations of sulfur, nitrogen, and carbon metabolism, demonstrating that, surprisingly, SiR plays a role in controlling flux in the assimilatory sulfate reduction pathway.

This work uses electron cryotomography to study the three-dimensional supramolecular organization of photosystem II and ATP synthase within the thylakoid membrane. It finds photosystem II as dimers in grana stacks, whereas ATP synthases are monomers located on minimally curved stromal thylakoids or grana end membranes but are absent from the highly curved grana margins, in clear contrast to the situation in mitochondria.

The downregulation of DE-ETIOLATED1 (DET1) results in tomato fruits with the simultaneous elevation of multiple nutritional antioxidants. Characterization through the analysis and integration of large-scale metabolomic and transcriptomic data sets reveals a coordinated activation of core metabolic processes underlying DET1 loss of function in developing tomato fruit.

The authors imaged fungal transformants secreting fluorescent effector fusion proteins in first-invaded rice cells. Two effectors that accumulated in biotrophic interfacial complexes were translocated into the invaded cell's cytoplasm. Depending on rice cell type and effector size, the translocated effectors moved into adjoining uninvaded rice cells, potentially preparing them for fungal entry.

This study shows that the independent origin of syringyl lignin in the lycophyte Selaginella involved the elaboration of a biochemical pathway that bypasses four steps of the canonical lignin biosynthetic pathway established in flowering plants.

This article describes the localization and organization of several members of a family of proteins known as the reticulons that reside in the membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), which is responsible for synthesizing proteins for export out of the cell. The reticulons reside in the ER membrane, interact with each other, and induce curvature to make these ER compartments tubular in structure.

The downregulation of DE-ETIOLATED1 (DET1) results in tomato fruits with the simultaneous elevation of multiple nutritional antioxidants. Characterization through the analysis and integration of large-scale metabolomic and transcriptomic data sets reveals a coordinated activation of core metabolic processes underlying DET1 loss of function in developing tomato fruit.

This work examines the interaction between jasmonate (JA) and light signaling. It finds that attenuation of shade responses by low red/far-red light requires the JA signal component COI1 and that some responses to JA are partly dependent on the light signal component phyA. The JA and phyA pathways are integrated through stability of the repressor protein JAZ1.

A whole-genome analysis of MIRNA from Arabidopsis thaliana and close relative Arabidopsis lyrata suggests that evolutionarily young MIRNA are diverging in sequence and function more rapidly than are more deeply conserved MIRNA. These and other results shed light on the birth, divergence, and death of MIRNA genes in plants.

The TCP family is a group of plant-specific transcription factors whose DNA binding properties have not been studied in detail. Here, we examine TCP4 by both biochemical and structural analyses to describe the DNA binding mechanisms of this family of proteins and predict a fold that the domain might adopt.

This work examines the effect of a DnaJ homolog, Arabidopsis J3, on the activity of the plasma membrane H⁺-ATPase, showing that J3 affects activity of the ATPase by direct interaction with and inactivation of a repressor protein kinase, Salt Overly Sensitive2-Like Protein Kinase5.

This study exploits the recent production of a draft nuclear genome sequence for Arabidopsis lyrata to examine evolution of plant MIRNA and p4-siRNA loci between two congenic Brassicaceae species. The results indicate that many MIRNAs and most p4-siRNA hot spots are rapidly changing and evolutionarily transient within the Arabidopsis genus.

This work shows how a specific class of small RNAs respond to auxin and quantitatively regulate root branching, an important adaptive trait in plants. These small RNAs and their target transcription factors form a self-regulatory gene network through multiple feedback loops. This ensures a quantitative control of lateral root development and modulation of auxin effects.

The TCP family is a group of plant-specific transcription factors whose DNA binding properties have not been studied in detail. Here, we examine TCP4 by both biochemical and structural analyses to describe the DNA binding mechanisms of this family of proteins and predict a fold that the domain might adopt.

VND7 has been shown to regulate differentiation of xylem vessels. This work identifies VND-INTERACTING2 (VNI2), encoding a NAC domain transcription factor, as a protein that interacts with VND7 and demonstrates that VNI2 inhibits transcriptional activation activities of VND7 and negatively regulates xylem vessel differentiation.

The Arabidopsis histidine kinase CKI1 is essential for female gametogenesis and is able to activate cytokinin signaling by unknown mechanisms. This study shows that CKI1 acts upstream of HISTIDINE PHOSPHOTRANSFER PROTEINS to regulate downstream signaling events in a cytokinin receptor-independent manner and demonstrates that CKI1-AHP signaling is essential for plant growth and development.

This study examines secretory and endocytotic trafficking in Arabidopsis by tracking the movement of a brassinosteroid receptor and a boron exporter through the endomembrane system. Both endocytotic and secretory cargo travel through the trans-Golgi network/early endosome (TGN/EE), and the TGN/EE is shown to be an independent organelle that only transiently associates with the Golgi.

The Arabidopsis histidine kinase CKI1 is essential for female gametogenesis and is able to activate cytokinin signaling by unknown mechanisms. This study shows that CKI1 acts upstream of HISTIDINE PHOSPHOTRANSFER PROTEINS to regulate downstream signaling events in a cytokinin receptor-independent manner and demonstrates that CKI1-AHP signaling is essential for plant growth and development.

Using large-scale quantitative analysis, this work reveals that grain shape and size are independent traits in both modern and primitive wheat and are under the control of distinct genetic components. Moreover, the phenotypic diversity in grain morphology found in modern commercial wheat is the result of a recent and severe bottleneck.

This work analyzes the surprising result that Nicotiana benthamiana transformed with RNA-dependent RNA polymerase 1 from Nicotiana tabacum (Nt-RDR1) is hypersusceptible to several viruses. It provides evidence supporting a dual role for RDR1 in contributing to salicylic acid–mediated antiviral defense at the same time as it suppresses RDR6-mediated antiviral RNA silencing.

This work analyzes the surprising result that Nicotiana benthamiana transformed with RNA-dependent RNA polymerase 1 from Nicotiana tabacum (Nt-RDR1) is hypersusceptible to several viruses. It provides evidence supporting a dual role for RDR1 in contributing to salicylic acid–mediated antiviral defense at the same time as it suppresses RDR6-mediated antiviral RNA silencing.

Single-electron reductions of host plant benzoquinones are catalyzed by a parasitic plant quinone oxidoreductase. This is one of the first steps in the haustorium development signal transduction pathway.

The downregulation of DE-ETIOLATED1 (DET1) results in tomato fruits with the simultaneous elevation of multiple nutritional antioxidants. Characterization through the analysis and integration of large-scale metabolomic and transcriptomic data sets reveals a coordinated activation of core metabolic processes underlying DET1 loss of function in developing tomato fruit.

This work examines the effect of a DnaJ homolog, Arabidopsis J3, on the activity of the plasma membrane H⁺-ATPase, showing that J3 affects activity of the ATPase by direct interaction with and inactivation of a repressor protein kinase, Salt Overly Sensitive2-Like Protein Kinase5.

This work analyzes the surprising result that Nicotiana benthamiana transformed with RNA-dependent RNA polymerase 1 from Nicotiana tabacum (Nt-RDR1) is hypersusceptible to several viruses. It provides evidence supporting a dual role for RDR1 in contributing to salicylic acid–mediated antiviral defense at the same time as it suppresses RDR6-mediated antiviral RNA silencing.

This study examines secretory and endocytotic trafficking in Arabidopsis by tracking the movement of a brassinosteroid receptor and a boron exporter through the endomembrane system. Both endocytotic and secretory cargo travel through the trans-Golgi network/early endosome (TGN/EE), and the TGN/EE is shown to be an independent organelle that only transiently associates with the Golgi.

The downregulation of DE-ETIOLATED1 (DET1) results in tomato fruits with the simultaneous elevation of multiple nutritional antioxidants. Characterization through the analysis and integration of large-scale metabolomic and transcriptomic data sets reveals a coordinated activation of core metabolic processes underlying DET1 loss of function in developing tomato fruit.

A whole-genome analysis of MIRNA from Arabidopsis thaliana and close relative Arabidopsis lyrata suggests that evolutionarily young MIRNA are diverging in sequence and function more rapidly than are more deeply conserved MIRNA. These and other results shed light on the birth, divergence, and death of MIRNA genes in plants.

Using large-scale quantitative analysis, this work reveals that grain shape and size are independent traits in both modern and primitive wheat and are under the control of distinct genetic components. Moreover, the phenotypic diversity in grain morphology found in modern commercial wheat is the result of a recent and severe bottleneck.

This study describes the isolation and characterization of the maize CNR gene family. It provides evidence that CNR1 affects plant size as a negative regulator of cell number, suggesting potential for application to crop improvement.

This work examines role of sulfite reductase (SiR) in assimilatory reduction of inorganic sulfate to sulfide. Reduced sulfite reductase activity results in growth retardation and severe perturbations of sulfur, nitrogen, and carbon metabolism, demonstrating that, surprisingly, SiR plays a role in controlling flux in the assimilatory sulfate reduction pathway.

This article describes the localization and organization of several members of a family of proteins known as the reticulons that reside in the membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), which is responsible for synthesizing proteins for export out of the cell. The reticulons reside in the ER membrane, interact with each other, and induce curvature to make these ER compartments tubular in structure.

This study describes the creation of a binary protein–protein interaction map of core cell cycle proteins of Arabidopsis thaliana using two complementary interaction assays, yeast two-hybrid and bimolecular fluorescence complementation. It integrates this map with expression data and describes 357 protein–protein interactions, of which 293 are previously unreported.

This study describes the creation of a binary protein–protein interaction map of core cell cycle proteins of Arabidopsis thaliana using two complementary interaction assays, yeast two-hybrid and bimolecular fluorescence complementation. It integrates this map with expression data and describes 357 protein–protein interactions, of which 293 are previously unreported.

This study describes the isolation and characterization of the maize CNR gene family. It provides evidence that CNR1 affects plant size as a negative regulator of cell number, suggesting potential for application to crop improvement.

Single-electron reductions of host plant benzoquinones are catalyzed by a parasitic plant quinone oxidoreductase. This is one of the first steps in the haustorium development signal transduction pathway.

Single-electron reductions of host plant benzoquinones are catalyzed by a parasitic plant quinone oxidoreductase. This is one of the first steps in the haustorium development signal transduction pathway.

A whole-genome analysis of MIRNA from Arabidopsis thaliana and close relative Arabidopsis lyrata suggests that evolutionarily young MIRNA are diverging in sequence and function more rapidly than are more deeply conserved MIRNA. These and other results shed light on the birth, divergence, and death of MIRNA genes in plants.

This work shows how a specific class of small RNAs respond to auxin and quantitatively regulate root branching, an important adaptive trait in plants. These small RNAs and their target transcription factors form a self-regulatory gene network through multiple feedback loops. This ensures a quantitative control of lateral root development and modulation of auxin effects.

The authors imaged fungal transformants secreting fluorescent effector fusion proteins in first-invaded rice cells. Two effectors that accumulated in biotrophic interfacial complexes were translocated into the invaded cell's cytoplasm. Depending on rice cell type and effector size, the translocated effectors moved into adjoining uninvaded rice cells, potentially preparing them for fungal entry.

This work identifies the Ser residues located in three evolutionarily conserved TPRXS(N/S) motifs within the PIN1 auxin efflux carrier hydrophilic loop as substrates of the PINOID kinase. It shows that reversible phosphorylation of these Ser residues by PINOID and possibly other kinases is necessary and sufficient for proper PIN1 polar localization, auxin distribution, and regulated plant development.

The authors imaged fungal transformants secreting fluorescent effector fusion proteins in first-invaded rice cells. Two effectors that accumulated in biotrophic interfacial complexes were translocated into the invaded cell's cytoplasm. Depending on rice cell type and effector size, the translocated effectors moved into adjoining uninvaded rice cells, potentially preparing them for fungal entry.

VND7 has been shown to regulate differentiation of xylem vessels. This work identifies VND-INTERACTING2 (VNI2), encoding a NAC domain transcription factor, as a protein that interacts with VND7 and demonstrates that VNI2 inhibits transcriptional activation activities of VND7 and negatively regulates xylem vessel differentiation.

A whole-genome analysis of MIRNA from Arabidopsis thaliana and close relative Arabidopsis lyrata suggests that evolutionarily young MIRNA are diverging in sequence and function more rapidly than are more deeply conserved MIRNA. These and other results shed light on the birth, divergence, and death of MIRNA genes in plants.

Using an activation-tagging genetic screen, this work identified a basic helix-loop-helix–containing protein, named TCP1, as a positive regulator of the transcription of a key brassinosteroid biosynthesis enzyme DWARF4.

The Arabidopsis histidine kinase CKI1 is essential for female gametogenesis and is able to activate cytokinin signaling by unknown mechanisms. This study shows that CKI1 acts upstream of HISTIDINE PHOSPHOTRANSFER PROTEINS to regulate downstream signaling events in a cytokinin receptor-independent manner and demonstrates that CKI1-AHP signaling is essential for plant growth and development.

Viral movement proteins (MPs) enable viral pathogens to pass through cell walls by increasing the size exclusion limit (SEL) of plasmodesmata (PD). Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) MP was found to bind and sever actin filament (F-actin) in vitro, and such severing was required for CMV MP-induced increase in PD SEL.

The downregulation of DE-ETIOLATED1 (DET1) results in tomato fruits with the simultaneous elevation of multiple nutritional antioxidants. Characterization through the analysis and integration of large-scale metabolomic and transcriptomic data sets reveals a coordinated activation of core metabolic processes underlying DET1 loss of function in developing tomato fruit.

This work shows how a specific class of small RNAs respond to auxin and quantitatively regulate root branching, an important adaptive trait in plants. These small RNAs and their target transcription factors form a self-regulatory gene network through multiple feedback loops. This ensures a quantitative control of lateral root development and modulation of auxin effects.

The downregulation of DE-ETIOLATED1 (DET1) results in tomato fruits with the simultaneous elevation of multiple nutritional antioxidants. Characterization through the analysis and integration of large-scale metabolomic and transcriptomic data sets reveals a coordinated activation of core metabolic processes underlying DET1 loss of function in developing tomato fruit.