Featured
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Article
| Open Access
SHR and SCR coordinate root patterning and growth early in the cell cycle
Quantitative time-resolved microscopy analysis of SHR and SCR dynamics in single cells of living Arabidopsis roots shows that these transcription factors coordinate formative and proliferative cell divisions early in the cell cycle.
- Cara M. Winter
- , Pablo Szekely
- & Philip N. Benfey
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Matters Arising
| Open Access
Reply to: Cold induction of nuclear FRIGIDA condensation in Arabidopsis
- Pan Zhu
- & Caroline Dean
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Matters Arising
| Open Access
Cold induction of nuclear FRIGIDA condensation in Arabidopsis
- Zhicheng Zhang
- , Xiao Luo
- & Yuehui He
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Article |
A pan-grass transcriptome reveals patterns of cellular divergence in crops
Complementary single-cell and single-nucleus transcriptomic analyses of Zea mays, Sorghum bicolor and Setaria viridis root cells provide insights into the evolution of cell types and gene modules that control key traits in these important crop species.
- Bruno Guillotin
- , Ramin Rahni
- & Kenneth D. Birnbaum
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Article |
Glucose-driven TOR–FIE–PRC2 signalling controls plant development
Glucose signalling via TOR controls growth and differentiation through regulation of genome-wide histone methylation via FERTILIZATION-INDEPENDENT ENDOSPERM (FIE).
- Ruiqiang Ye
- , Meiyue Wang
- & Jen Sheen
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Article |
Structures and mechanisms of the Arabidopsis auxin transporter PIN3
Arabidopsis thaliana PIN3 structures reveal the molecular mechanisms of the transport of indole-3-acetic acid and the inhibition of polar auxin transport by N-1-naphthylphthalamic acid.
- Nannan Su
- , Aiqin Zhu
- & Jiangtao Guo
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Article
| Open Access
Structures and mechanism of the plant PIN-FORMED auxin transporter
Structural and biophysical analysis of the Arabidopsis thaliana auxin transporter PIN8 reveal that PIN transporters export auxin using an elevator mechanism.
- Kien Lam Ung
- , Mikael Winkler
- & Bjørn Panyella Pedersen
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Article |
Monocotyledonous plants graft at the embryonic root–shoot interface
Intra- and inter-specific grafting is possible in most orders of monocotyledonous plants, and this process could be used to combat diseases that affect crops, such as Panama disease in bananas.
- Gregory Reeves
- , Anoop Tripathi
- & Julian M. Hibberd
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Article |
Developmental and biophysical determinants of grass leaf size worldwide
Relationships between leaf size and vein architecture in more than 1,700 grass species worldwide show that grasses native to colder and drier climates have shorter and narrower leaves that provide them with physiological advantages.
- Alec S. Baird
- , Samuel H. Taylor
- & Lawren Sack
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Article |
The TOR–EIN2 axis mediates nuclear signalling to modulate plant growth
In Arabidopsis, phosphorylation of EIN2 by TOR kinase in the presence of glucose prevents the nuclear localization of EIN2, showing that the glucose–TOR–EIN2 axis regulates the transcriptome independently of ethylene signalling pathways.
- Liwen Fu
- , Yanlin Liu
- & Yan Xiong
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Article |
An SHR–SCR module specifies legume cortical cell fate to enable nodulation
Repurposing of an SHR–SCR stem cell program in the legume root cortex enables rhizobial symbiosis.
- Wentao Dong
- , Yayun Zhu
- & Ertao Wang
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Article |
A network of transcriptional repressors modulates auxin responses
Genes encoding the class A auxin-response factor group of plant transcriptional activators reside in constitutively open chromatin, enabling their continual regulation by transcriptional repressors to modulate auxin signalling throughout development.
- Jekaterina Truskina
- , Jingyi Han
- & Teva Vernoux
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Article |
Antagonistic regulation of the gibberellic acid response during stem growth in rice
Stem growth in rice is regulated by an accelerator gene and a decelerator gene in parallel with gibberellic acid, and the opposite selection of these genes has led to adaptations to different environments.
- Keisuke Nagai
- , Yoshinao Mori
- & Motoyuki Ashikari
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Article |
Plant 22-nt siRNAs mediate translational repression and stress adaptation
Characterization of 22-nucleotide short interfering RNAs in plants finds that they accumulate in response to environmental stress, causing translational repression, inhibition of plant growth and enhanced stress responses.
- Huihui Wu
- , Bosheng Li
- & Hongwei Guo
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Article |
RGF1 controls root meristem size through ROS signalling
RITF1, a newly identified plant transcription factor, links signalling through the peptide hormone RGF1 to the balance of reactive oxygen species and thereby enhances the stability of another transcription factor, PLETHORA2, a master regulator of root stem cells.
- Masashi Yamada
- , Xinwei Han
- & Philip N. Benfey
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Letter |
An apical hypoxic niche sets the pace of shoot meristem activity
Hypoxia in the shoot meristem of Arabidopsis links the regulation of metabolic activity to development by inhibiting proteolysis of a substrate of the N-degron pathway, which controls class-III homeodomain-leucine zipper transcription factors.
- Daan A. Weits
- , Alicja B. Kunkowska
- & Francesco Licausi
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Letter |
TMK1-mediated auxin signalling regulates differential growth of the apical hook
In Arabidopsis thaliana, a newly identified auxin signalling pathway that involves TMK1 protein cleavage and IAA32 and IAA34 transcriptional repressors mediates complex developmental outcomes by allowing distinct interpretations of varying concentrations of cellular auxin.
- Min Cao
- , Rong Chen
- & Tongda Xu
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Letter |
High levels of auxin signalling define the stem-cell organizer of the vascular cambium
In the roots of Arabidopsis thaliana, cells with xylem identity and high levels of auxin signalling function as organizer cells that direct neighbouring vascular cambial cells to act as stem cells.
- Ondřej Smetana
- , Riikka Mäkilä
- & Ari Pekka Mähönen
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Letter |
Mobile PEAR transcription factors integrate positional cues to prime cambial growth
Radial growth in the roots of Arabidopsis, which is mediated by gene expression activated by the mobile PEAR1 and PEAR2 transcription factors, is initiated around protophloem-sieve-element cell files of procambial tissue.
- Shunsuke Miyashima
- , Pawel Roszak
- & Ykä Helariutta
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Letter |
A male-expressed rice embryogenic trigger redirected for asexual propagation through seeds
Misexpression of the sperm-cell-expressed transcription factor BABY BOOM1 in the rice egg cell induces embryo development without fertilization, establishing the feasibility of asexual reproduction in crops and potentially enabling the clonal propagation of hybrids through seeds.
- Imtiyaz Khanday
- , Debra Skinner
- & Venkatesan Sundaresan
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Letter |
Transcriptional regulation of nitrogen-associated metabolism and growth
The yeast one-hybrid network for nitrogen-associated metabolism in Arabidopsis reveals the transcription factors that regulate the architecture of root and shoot systems under conditions of changing nitrogen availability.
- Allison Gaudinier
- , Joel Rodriguez-Medina
- & Siobhan M. Brady
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Letter |
A molecular rheostat adjusts auxin flux to promote root protophloem differentiation
The coordinated action of BREVIS RADIX (BRX) and PROTEIN KINASE ASSOCIATED WITH BRX (PAX) regulates auxin flux during the development of protophloem sieve elements in the root meristem of Arabidopsis.
- P. Marhava
- , A. E. L. Bassukas
- & C. S. Hardtke
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Letter |
Diffusible repression of cytokinin signalling produces endodermal symmetry and passage cells
In an Arabidopsis model, repression of cytokinin in the root meristem produces a distinct population of xylem-pole endodermal cells, which resist suberization to become passage cells that enable transport across the otherwise-impermeable endodermis.
- Tonni Grube Andersen
- , Sadaf Naseer
- & Niko Geldner
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Letter |
Embryonic epigenetic reprogramming by a pioneer transcription factor in plants
The seed-specific transcription factor LEC1 promotes an active chromatin state at the floral repressor FLC and activates its expression in the Arabidopsis pro-embryo, thus reversing the winter cold-induced silenced state that is inherited from gametes.
- Zeng Tao
- , Lisha Shen
- & Yuehui He
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Letter |
In vivo FRET–FLIM reveals cell-type-specific protein interactions in Arabidopsis roots
Imaging in living Arabidopsis roots reveals that protein complexes can change their conformation in a cell-type-dependent manner to regulate specific gene expression programs leading to precise specification and maintenance of particular cell fates within the root meristem.
- Yuchen Long
- , Yvonne Stahl
- & Ikram Blilou
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Article |
Discovery of nitrate–CPK–NLP signalling in central nutrient–growth networks
In response to nitrate, Ca2+-sensor protein kinases (CPKs) act as master regulators to coordinate downstream signalling responses that are essential for shoot growth and root establishment in Arabidopsis.
- Kun-hsiang Liu
- , Yajie Niu
- & Jen Sheen
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Article |
Competitive binding of antagonistic peptides fine-tunes stomatal patterning
An investigation of the molecular mechanism of stomatal development and patterning finds an unexpected signalling mechanism: two signalling peptides (STOMAGEN, a positive regulator of stomatal development; and EPF2, a negative regulator of this process) use the same receptor kinase, ERECTA, to fine-tune stomatal development.
- Jin Suk Lee
- , Marketa Hnilova
- & Keiko U. Torii
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Letter |
Primary transcripts of microRNAs encode regulatory peptides
Plant primary microRNA (miRNA) transcripts (pri-miRNAs) are not just a source of miRNAs but can also encode regulatory peptides (miPEPs) that enhance the accumulation, and so the effect, of the corresponding mature miRNAs—an observation that may have agronomical applications.
- Dominique Lauressergues
- , Jean-Malo Couzigou
- & Jean-Philippe Combier
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Article |
An Arabidopsis gene regulatory network for secondary cell wall synthesis
The full complement of transcriptional regulators that affect synthesis of the plant secondary cell wall remains largely undetermined; here, the network of protein–DNA interactions controlling secondary cell wall synthesis of Arabidopsis thaliana is determined, showing that gene expression is regulated by a series of feed-forward loops to ensure that the secondary cell wall is deposited at the right time and in the right place.
- M. Taylor-Teeples
- , L. Lin
- & S. M. Brady
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Letter |
Inhibition of cell expansion by rapid ABP1-mediated auxin effect on microtubules
In roots and dark-grown hypocotyls of Arabidopsis thaliana, ABP1-mediated auxin signalling induces swift re-orientation of the microtubule cytoskeleton from transverse to longitudinal, thus inhibiting cell expansion.
- Xu Chen
- , Laurie Grandont
- & Jiří Friml
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Letter |
Control of plant stem cell function by conserved interacting transcriptional regulators
Here, plant HAM proteins are shown to physically interact with the transcription factor WUSCHEL and the related WOX proteins, with this interaction driving downstream transcriptional programs and determining the activities of stem cells.
- Yun Zhou
- , Xing Liu
- & Elliot M. Meyerowitz
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Letter |
Epigenetic reprogramming that prevents transgenerational inheritance of the vernalized state
The Arabidopsis thaliana floral repressor FLC is epigenetically silenced by prolonged cold in a process called vernalization and then is reactivated before the completion of seed development; a histone demethylase, ELF6, is now shown to be involved in reactivating FLC in reproductive tissues, allowing the resetting of FLC expression and thus the requirement for vernalization in each generation.
- Pedro Crevillén
- , Hongchun Yang
- & Caroline Dean
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Letter |
Non-equivalent contributions of maternal and paternal genomes to early plant embryogenesis
A functional assessment of paternal gene activation in Arabidopsis confirms that paternal genome activation does not occur in one early discrete step, shows that maternal and paternal genomes do not make equivalent contributions to early plant embryogenesis, and uncovers an unexpectedly large effect of hybrid genetic background on paternal gene activity.
- Gerardo Del Toro-De León
- , Marcelina García-Aguilar
- & C. Stewart Gillmor
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Letter |
OSCA1 mediates osmotic-stress-evoked Ca2+ increases vital for osmosensing in Arabidopsis
Osmotic stress is known to induce a transient increase in cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration [Ca2+]i in plants, and now OSCA1 is identified as a long-sought Ca2+ channel that mediates [Ca2+]i increases—mutants lacking OSCA1 function have impaired osmotic Ca2+ signalling in guard cells and root cells, and reduced transpiration regulation and root growth under osmotic stress.
- Fang Yuan
- , Huimin Yang
- & Zhen-Ming Pei
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Letter |
PLETHORA gradient formation mechanism separates auxin responses
Through a combination of experimental and computational approaches, the interplay between the plant hormone auxin and the auxin-induced PLETHORA transcription factors is shown to control zonation and gravity-prompted growth movements in plants.
- Ari Pekka Mähönen
- , Kirsten ten Tusscher
- & Ben Scheres
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Letter |
Cytokinin signalling inhibitory fields provide robustness to phyllotaxis
The regularly spaced arrangement of plant organs around the stem known as phyllotaxis depends on auxin-based inhibitory fields; this study identifies another hormone-based inhibitory field downstream of auxin which is generated by movement of the cytokinin signalling inhibitor ARABIDOPSIS HISTIDINE PHOSPHOTRANSFER PROTEIN 6 and regulates the periodicity of organ production.
- Fabrice Besnard
- , Yassin Refahi
- & Teva Vernoux
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Outlook |
Plant breeding: Discovery in a dry spell
Improved crops have helped farmers maintain yields in times of drought. But as climate change looms, will the gains keep coming?
- Michael Eisenstein
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Letter |
Naturally occurring allele diversity allows potato cultivation in northern latitudes
A genetic study of natural variation in potato tuberization onset, an important phenotype for breeding potatoes adapted to different global day lengths, has revealed a role for StCDF1, a member of the DOF family of transcription factors.
- Bjorn Kloosterman
- , José A. Abelenda
- & Christian W. B. Bachem
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Letter |
A transcriptomic hourglass in plant embryogenesis
As it develops from a single-celled zygote to a mature plant embryo, the thale cress Arabidopsis thaliana passes through a stage during which phylogenetically very ancient genes are preferentially expressed, showing that animals and plants have independently acquired the developmental hourglass as a similar way of managing gene expression as they pass through embryogenesis, even though their morphological development is very different.
- Marcel Quint
- , Hajk-Georg Drost
- & Ivo Grosse
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Letter |
Maternal and paternal genomes contribute equally to the transcriptome of early plant embryos
Transcriptome sequencing and analysis of hybrid embryos show that in contrast to early animal embryogenesis, early plant embryogenesis is mostly under zygotic control.
- Michael D. Nodine
- & David P. Bartel
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Letter |
Control of flowering and storage organ formation in potato by FLOWERING LOCUS T
- Cristina Navarro
- , José A. Abelenda
- & Salomé Prat
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Research Highlights |
New light shed on leaf growth
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Letter |
A novel protein family mediates Casparian strip formation in the endodermis
- Daniele Roppolo
- , Bert De Rybel
- & Niko Geldner
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Letter |
Stem-cell-triggered immunity through CLV3p–FLS2 signalling
- Horim Lee
- , Ok-Kyong Chah
- & Jen Sheen
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Letter |
Ancestral polyploidy in seed plants and angiosperms
- Yuannian Jiao
- , Norman J. Wickett
- & Claude W. dePamphilis
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Letter |
Regulation of heterochromatic DNA replication by histone H3 lysine 27 methyltransferases
DNA replication occurs only once per cell cycle, and numerous pathways prevent re-replication. Here it is shown that mutations in ARABIDOPSIS TRITHORAX-RELATED PROTEIN5 (ATXR5) and ATXR6 — which encode histone methyltransferases — lead to re-replication of specific genomic locations, notably those corresponding to transposons and other repetitive and silenced elements. ATXR5 and ATXR6 are proposed to be components of a pathway that prevents over-replication of heterochromatin in Arabidopsis.
- Yannick Jacob
- , Hume Stroud
- & Steven E. Jacobsen
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Letter |
Spatiotemporal regulation of cell-cycle genes by SHORTROOT links patterning and growth
In higher animals and plants, the processes of growth and patterning are coordinated. In this study, the authors study patterning in Arabidopsis root and show that two key regulators of root organ patterning directly control the transcription of specific components of the cell-cycle machinery. This study provides a direct link between developmental regulators, components of the cell-cycle machinery and organ patterning.
- R. Sozzani
- , H. Cui
- & P. N. Benfey
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News & Views |
Roots respond to an inner calling
In plant roots, patterning of two types of water-conducting xylem tissue is determined by a signalling system that involves the reciprocal dance of a mobile transcription factor and mobile microRNAs.
- Ben Scheres
Mechanisms of calcium homeostasis orchestrate plant growth and immunity
Small RNAs are on the move