COMMENTARY:

Sowing the Seeds of Dialogue: Public Engagement through Plant Science

David Lally, Eric Brooks, Frans E. Tax, and Erin L. Dolan

Plant Cell 2007 19: 2311-2319. First Published on August 31, 2007; 10.1105/tpc.107.053587

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IN THIS ISSUE:

Elucidating the Function of Synergid Cells: A Regulatory Role for MYB98

Nancy A. Eckardt

Plant Cell 2007 19: 2320-2321.

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IN BRIEF:

Apical Bud Formation and Dormancy Induction in Poplar

Nancy A. Eckardt

Plant Cell 2007 19: 2322.

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Adaptive Evolution among Plant Pathogenic Oomycte RXLR Effector Genes

Nancy A. Eckardt

Plant Cell 2007 19: 2322.

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CURRENT PERSPECTIVE ESSAYS:

Engineered Plant Minichromosomes: A Resurrection of B Chromosomes?

Andreas Houben and Ingo Schubert

Plant Cell 2007 19: 2323-2327. First Published on August 10, 2007; 10.1105/tpc.107.053603

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RESEARCH ARTICLES:

Large-Scale, Lineage-Specific Expansion of a Bric-a-Brac/Tramtrack/Broad Complex Ubiquitin-Ligase Gene Family in Rice

Derek J. Gingerich, Kousuke Hanada, Shin-Han Shiu, and Richard D. Vierstra

Plant Cell 2007 19: 2329-2348. First Published on August 24, 2007; 10.1105/tpc.107.051300

BTB genes encode E3 ubiquitin-ligase target recognition subunits. This study characterizes the 149-member BTB superfamily in rice and compares it to the 80-member BTB superfamily in Arabidopsis. The rice MATH-BTB family has undergone dramatic expansion accompanied by increased sequence diversification and reduced purifying selection. A possible role in innate immunity is presented.

[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] [Supplemental Data]

Adaptive Evolution Has Targeted the C-Terminal Domain of the RXLR Effectors of Plant Pathogenic Oomycetes

Joe Win, William Morgan, Jorunn Bos, Ksenia V. Krasileva, Liliana M. Cano, Angela Chaparro-Garcia, Randa Ammar, Brian J. Staskawicz, and Sophien Kamoun

Plant Cell 2007 19: 2349-2369. First Published on August 3, 2007; 10.1105/tpc.107.051037

The RXLR effectors of plant pathogenic oomycetes are shown to be under adaptive selection. Positive selection has acted for the most part on the C-terminal region consistent with the view that RXLR effectors are modular proteins, with the C-terminal domain dedicated to modulating host defenses inside plant cells.

[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] [Supplemental Data]

A Molecular Timetable for Apical Bud Formation and Dormancy Induction in Poplar

Tom Ruttink, Matthias Arend, Kris Morreel, Véronique Storme, Stephane Rombauts, Jörg Fromm, Rishikesh P. Bhalerao, Wout Boerjan, and Antje Rohde

Plant Cell 2007 19: 2370-2390. First Published on August 10, 2007; 10.1105/tpc.107.052811

The transition from growth to dormancy is part of the seasonal growth cycle in perennial plants. In a systems biology approach involving transcriptome, metabolome, and electron microscopy analyses, autumnal bud development is dissected into its molecular programs. A comparative approach identified common genes for growth-to-dormancy transitions across different plant organs.

[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] [Supplemental Data]

Allele-Specific Expression Patterns Reveal Biases and Embryo-Specific Parent-of-Origin Effects in Hybrid Maize

Nathan M. Springer and Robert M. Stupar

Plant Cell 2007 19: 2391-2402. First Published on August 10, 2007; 10.1105/tpc.107.052258

The relative expression level of maize alleles was assayed in multiple developmental stages and multiple hybrid genotypes. Assessment of transcriptional variation, cis/trans-regulatory variation, tissue-specific allelic differences, and parent-of-origin effects provide evidence for prevalent cis-acting regulatory variation that contributes to differential gene expression between genotypes and tissues.

[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] [Supplemental Data]

A WD40 Domain Cyclophilin Interacts with Histone H3 and Functions in Gene Repression and Organogenesis in Arabidopsis

Hong Li, Zengyong He, Guihua Lu, Sung Chul Lee, Jose Alonso, Joseph R. Ecker, and Sheng Luan

Plant Cell 2007 19: 2403-2416. First Published on August 17, 2007; 10.1105/tpc.107.053579

In this study, the WD40-containing cyclophilin CYP71 is identified as an essential factor for normal development in Arabidopsis. CYP71 physically interacts with histone H3 and regulates the level of histone methylation of target loci, thus affecting gene expression. CYP71 is conserved among eukaryotes and may serve as a ubiquitous chromatin remodeling factor involved in epigenetic silencing.

[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] [Supplemental Data]

MicroRNA-Mediated Regulation of Stomatal Development in Arabidopsis Claudia Kutter, Hanspeter Schöb, Michael Stadler, Frederick Meins, Jr., and Azeddine Si-Ammour Plant Cell 2007 19: 2417-2429. First Published on August 17, 2007; 10.1105/tpc.107.050377 Stomatal development in Arabidopsis involves guard cell differentiation, amplification divisions of precursor cells, and placement of stomata. This work shows that formation of higher-order stomatal complexes depends on regulation of the MADS box protein AGL16 by miR824, a recently evolved microRNA conserved in the Brassicaceae. This interaction could account for some Brassica-specific features of stomatal organization. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] [Supplemental Data] OPEN ACCESS ARTICLE

Auxin Synthesized by the YUCCA Flavin Monooxygenases Is Essential for Embryogenesis and Leaf Formation in Arabidopsis

Youfa Cheng, Xinhua Dai, and Yunde Zhao

Plant Cell 2007 19: 2430-2439. First Published on August 17, 2007; 10.1105/tpc.107.053009

Genetic analysis of various combinations of yuc mutants and polar auxin transport mutants pin1 and aux1 establish that auxin synthesized by the YUC flavin monooxygenases is essential for the establishment of the basal body region during embryogenesis and the formation of embryonic and postembryonic organs.

[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] [Supplemental Data]

The Arabidopsis Transcription Factor MYB77 Modulates Auxin Signal Transduction

Ryoung Shin, Adrien Y. Burch, Kari A. Huppert, Shiv B. Tiwari, Angus S. Murphy, Tom J. Guilfoyle, and Daniel P. Schachtman

Plant Cell 2007 19: 2440-2453. First Published on August 3, 2007; 10.1105/tpc.107.050963

This study provides new insight into the regulation of auxin-responsive gene expression in plant cells. Biochemical and genetic analyses show that MYB77 interacts with auxin response factors (ARFs) to modulate auxin-responsive gene expression affecting lateral root growth under low potassium conditions.

[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] [Supplemental Data]

N-Acylethanolamine Metabolism Interacts with Abscisic Acid Signaling in Arabidopsis thaliana Seedlings Neal D. Teaster, Christy M. Motes, Yuhong Tang, William C. Wiant, Matthew Q. Cotter, Yuh-Shuh Wang, Aruna Kilaru, Barney J. Venables, Karl H. Hasenstein, Gabriel Gonzalez, Elison B. Blancaflor, and Kent D. Chapman Plant Cell 2007 19: 2454-2469. First Published on August 31, 2007; 10.1105/tpc.106.048702 N-acylethanolamines (NAEs) are important lipid mediators in the endocannabinoid signaling pathway, which influences a variety of physiological processes in vertebrates. This work indicates that NAEs, which are also endogenous metabolites in plants, act in concert with abscisic acid in the negative regulation of seed germination and early seedling establishment. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] [Supplemental Data] OPEN ACCESS ARTICLE

A Downstream Mediator in the Growth Repression Limb of the Jasmonate Pathway Yuanxin Yan, Stéphanie Stolz, Aurore Chételat, Philippe Reymond, Marco Pagni, Lucie Dubugnon, and Edward E. Farmer Plant Cell 2007 19: 2470-2483. First Published on August 3, 2007; 10.1105/tpc.107.050708 Gain- and loss-of-function analyses coupled with physiological assays demonstrate that JASMONATE ASSOCIATED1 acts as a repressor of jasmonic acid–regulated growth retardation. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] [Supplemental Data] OPEN ACCESS ARTICLE

The SnRK1A Protein Kinase Plays a Key Role in Sugar Signaling during Germination and Seedling Growth of Rice

Chung-An Lu, Chih-Cheng Lin, Kuo-Wei Lee, Jyh-Long Chen, Li-Fen Huang, Shin-Lon Ho, Hsin-Ju Liu, Yue-Ie Hsing, and Su-May Yu

Plant Cell 2007 19: 2484-2499. First Published on August 31, 2007; 10.1105/tpc.105.037887

This work demonstrates a functional link between the SnRK1A protein kinase and the MYBS1 transcription factor as essential components in the sugar signaling pathway regulating the -amylase gene promoter. The results provide new insight into mechanisms of sugar regulation and the physiological relevance of SnRK1A in germination and seedling growth.

[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] [Supplemental Data]

Signaling from an Altered Cell Wall to the Nucleus Mediates Sugar-Responsive Growth and Development in Arabidopsis thaliana

Yunhai Li, Caroline Smith, Fiona Corke, Leiying Zheng, Zara Merali, Peter Ryden, Paul Derbyshire, Keith Waldron, and Michael W. Bevan

Plant Cell 2007 19: 2500-2515. First Published on August 10, 2007; 10.1105/tpc.106.049965

Arabidopsis HIGH SUGAR RESPONSE8 (HSR8) is found to be allelic to the MUR4 gene involved in arabinose synthesis. Genetic analyses show that nuclear-localized Pleiotropic Regulatory Locus1 (PRL1) is required for enhanced sugar responses in hsr8 mutant plants and reveal a pathway through PRL1 that signals changes in the cell wall to alter gene expression and sugar-responsive metabolic and developmental changes.

[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] [Supplemental Data]

Targeted Degradation of PSEUDO-RESPONSE REGULATOR5 by an SCF^ZTL Complex Regulates Clock Function and Photomorphogenesis in Arabidopsis thaliana

Takatoshi Kiba, Rossana Henriques, Hitoshi Sakakibara, and Nam-Hai Chua

Plant Cell 2007 19: 2516-2530. First Published on August 10, 2007; 10.1105/tpc.107.053033

Protein degradation regulates the Arabidopsis circadian clock. It is shown that the F-box protein ZEITLUPE mediates degradation of PRR5, a putative component of the central oscillator.

[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] [Supplemental Data]

Arabidopsis TRANSPARENT TESTA GLABRA2 Is Directly Regulated by R2R3 MYB Transcription Factors and Is Involved in Regulation of GLABRA2 Transcription in Epidermal Differentiation

Tetsuya Ishida, Sayoko Hattori, Ryosuke Sano, Kayoko Inoue, Yumiko Shirano, Hiroaki Hayashi, Daisuke Shibata, Shusei Sato, Tomohiko Kato, Satoshi Tabata, Kiyotaka Okada, and Takuji Wada

Plant Cell 2007 19: 2531-2543. First Published on August 31, 2007; 10.1105/tpc.107.052274

This work demonstrates that the WRKY transcription factor TTG2 functions in a regulatory cascade in the formation of trichomes and root hair. Complexes containing R2R3 MYB and bHLH transcription factors regulate the expression of TTG2, and TTG2 acts redundantly with these complexes to regulate GL2, which encodes a homeodomain protein that promotes formation of trichomes and root hairless cells.

[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] [Supplemental Data]

Genetic and Molecular Interactions between BELL1 and MADS Box Factors Support Ovule Development in Arabidopsis

Vittoria Brambilla, Raffaella Battaglia, Monica Colombo, Simona Masiero, Stefano Bencivenga, Martin M. Kater, and Lucia Colombo

Plant Cell 2007 19: 2544-2556. First Published on August 10, 2007; 10.1105/tpc.107.051797

Ovule development requires a correct balance of factors determining ovule and carpel identity. It is shown that this balance is obtained by complex formation between BELL1 and AGAMOUS. Furthermore, ovule differentiation requires the regulation of the stem cell maintenance gene WUSCHEL, the repression of which is predominantly maintained by BELL1 during ovule development.

[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] [Supplemental Data]

MYB98 Positively Regulates a Battery of Synergid-Expressed Genes Encoding Filiform Apparatus–Localized Proteins

Jayson A. Punwani, David S. Rabiger, and Gary N. Drews

Plant Cell 2007 19: 2557-2568. First Published on August 10, 2007; 10.1105/tpc.107.052076

MYB98 encodes an R2R3-MYB transcription factor required for pollen tube guidance and filiform apparatus (FA) formation by the synergid cells of the female gametophyte. This study identifies 16 MYB98-regulated genes, most of which encode Cys-rich proteins. Many of the encoded proteins are secreted into the FA, suggesting a role in FA formation or pollen tube guidance.

[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] [Supplemental Data]

The Maize Floury1 Gene Encodes a Novel Endoplasmic Reticulum Protein Involved in Zein Protein Body Formation

David R. Holding, Marisa S. Otegui, Bailin Li, Robert B. Meeley, Thao Dam, Brenda G. Hunter, Rudolf Jung, and Brian A. Larkins

Plant Cell 2007 19: 2569-2582. First Published on August 10, 2007; 10.1105/tpc.107.053538

This work reports the cloning of maize Floury1 (Fl1), which encodes a novel zein protein body membrane protein with three predicted transmembrane domains and a C-terminal plant-specific domain of unknown function. It is shown that FL1 likely participates in protein body formation by facilitating the localization of 22-kD -zein and that this is essential for the formation of vitreous endosperm.

[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] [Supplemental Data]

A Germ Cell–Specific Gene of the ARGONAUTE Family Is Essential for the Progression of Premeiotic Mitosis and Meiosis during Sporogenesis in Rice

Ken-Ichi Nonomura, Akane Morohoshi, Mutsuko Nakano, Mitsugu Eiguchi, Akio Miyao, Hirohiko Hirochika, and Nori Kurata

Plant Cell 2007 19: 2583-2594. First Published on August 3, 2007; 10.1105/tpc.107.053199

Cytological analyses of retrotransposon-tagged lines show that the rice MEL1 gene of the ARGONAUTE family plays important roles in germ cell mitosis, faithful meiosis progression, and maintenance of copy number of rDNA repeats.

[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] [Supplemental Data]

Two Arabidopsis Phragmoplast-Associated Kinesins Play a Critical Role in Cytokinesis during Male Gametogenesis

Yuh-Ru Julie Lee, Yan Li, and Bo Liu

Plant Cell 2007 19: 2595-2605. First Published on August 24, 2007; 10.1105/tpc.107.050716

Two homologous microtubule motor kinesins in Arabidopsis, Kinesin-12A and Kinesin-12B, localize at juxtaposing plus ends of antiparallel microtubules in the middle of the phragmoplast. Postmeiotic development of the male gametophyte is severely inhibited in the absence of both kinesins, indicating that they jointly play a key role in the organization of phragmoplast microtubules during cytokinesis in the microspore.

[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

A Ribonuclease III Domain Protein Functions in Group II Intron Splicing in Maize Chloroplasts

Kenneth P. Watkins, Tiffany S. Kroeger, Amy M. Cooke, Rosalind E. Williams-Carrier, Giulia Friso, Susan E. Belcher, Klaas J. van Wijk, and Alice Barkan

Plant Cell 2007 19: 2606-2623. First Published on August 10, 2007; 10.1105/tpc.107.053736

Chloroplasts harbor numerous group II introns, ribozymes whose activity is facilitated by proteins in vivo. This study shows that RNC1, a protein with catalytically inactive RNAse III domains, promotes the splicing of many group II introns in chloroplasts and is bound to those introns in vivo. RNC1 functions both together with and independently of previously described chloroplast splicing factors.

[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] [Supplemental Data]

Cell-Type Specificity of the Expression of Os BOR1, a Rice Efflux Boron Transporter Gene, Is Regulated in Response to Boron Availability for Efficient Boron Uptake and Xylem Loading

Yuko Nakagawa, Hideki Hanaoka, Masaharu Kobayashi, Kazumaru Miyoshi, Kyoko Miwa, and Toru Fujiwara

Plant Cell 2007 19: 2624-2635. First Published on August 3, 2007; 10.1105/tpc.106.049015

Os BOR1 is a plasma membrane–localized efflux boron transporter from rice that is essential for xyelm loading of boron. This study shows that the cell-type specificity of Os BOR1 expression depends on the boron status, providing an example of a mineral-nutrient transporter whose tissue-specific expression pattern changes depending on nutritional conditions.

[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

The Organization of High-Affinity Ammonium Uptake in Arabidopsis Roots Depends on the Spatial Arrangement and Biochemical Properties of AMT1-Type Transporters

Lixing Yuan, Dominique Loqué, Soichi Kojima, Sabine Rauch, Keiki Ishiyama, Eri Inoue, Hideki Takahashi, and Nicolaus von Wirén

Plant Cell 2007 19: 2636-2652. First Published on August 10, 2007; 10.1105/tpc.107.052134

Ammonium uptake across the plasma membrane of plant roots is mediated by AMT-type transporters. By generating triple and quadruple amt mutants in Arabidopsis, this study shows that four individual AMTs that differ in cell type–specific expression and substrate affinity contribute to high-affinity ammonium influx with different nitrogen-dependent transport capacities.

[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] [Supplemental Data]

Thiol-Based Regulation of Redox-Active Glutamate-Cysteine Ligase from Arabidopsis thaliana

Leslie M. Hicks, Rebecca E. Cahoon, Eric R. Bonner, Rebecca S. Rivard, Jeanne Sheffield, and Joseph M. Jez

Plant Cell 2007 19: 2653-2661. First Published on August 31, 2007; 10.1105/tpc.107.052597

This work employs mass spectrometry and site-directed mutagenesis to examine the redox response of Arabidopsis glutamate-cysteine ligase (GCL), which catalyzes the first step in glutathione biosynthesis, and shows that thiol-based regulation of GCL provides a posttranslational mechanism for modulating enzyme activity in response to the in vivo redox environment.

[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

UV-B Promotes Rapid Nuclear Translocation of the Arabidopsis UV-B–Specific Signaling Component UVR8 and Activates Its Function in the Nucleus

Eirini Kaiserli and Gareth I. Jenkins

Plant Cell 2007 19: 2662-2673. First Published on August 24, 2007; 10.1105/tpc.107.053330

The Arabidopsis protein UVR8 confers UV protection by orchestrating expression of a range of genes. This article shows that UV-B light stimulates the rapid translocation of UVR8 into the nucleus. However, nuclear translocation is not sufficient for UVR8 function; UV-B is additionally required for UVR8 to regulate gene expression in the nucleus.

[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Magnaporthe grisea Cutinase2 Mediates Appressorium Differentiation and Host Penetration and Is Required for Full Virulence Pari Skamnioti and Sarah J. Gurr Plant Cell 2007 19: 2674-2689. First Published on August 17, 2007; 10.1105/tpc.107.051219 The rice blast fungus employs secreted cutinase2 (Cut2) for surface sensing, germling differentiation, and host penetration. The cut2 mutant displays anomalous morphogenesis, forms fewer penetration pegs, and is poorly pathogenic. Developmental and pathogenicity defects are restored by synthetic cutin monomers, cAMP and DAG. Cut2 is an upstream activator of cAMP/PKA and DAG/PKC signaling pathways. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] [Supplemental Data] OPEN ACCESS ARTICLE

CORRECTIONS:

Correction

Plant Cell 2007 19: 2690. First Published on August 31, 2007; 10.1105/tpc.107.190860

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Correction

Plant Cell 2007 19: 2691-2692. First Published on August 24, 2007; 10.1105/tpc.107.190861

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Correction

Plant Cell 2007 19: 2693-2694. First Published on August 31, 2007; 10.1105/tpc.107.190862

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