Winkelmüller, Entila, Anver et al. uncover the considerable variation in gene expression patterns in closely related Brassicaceae species during pattern triggered immunity. Plant Cell  By Thomas M. Winkelmüller, Frederickson D. Entila, Shajahan Anver, and Kenichi Tsuda  Background: Plants are surrounded by many microorganisms. To react to these microbes, plants have... Read more

Haber et al. developed an automated microplate system to continuously monitor levels of reactive oxygen species in planta. Plant Cell. https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koab068. By Zechariah Haber and Shilo Rosenwasser, The Robert H. Smith Institute of Plant Sciences and Genetics in Agriculture, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Background: As sessile organisms, plants must... Read more

Zhicheng Wu, co-first author of “The circadian-controlled PIF8-BBX28 module regulates petal senescence in rose flowers by governing mitochondrial ROS homeostasis at night” Current Position: Ph.D candidate Education: Ph.D candidate at China Agricultural University Non-scientific Interests: Playing badminton, Roller skating Brief bio: While studying for a master’s degree in Zhongkai University... Read more

Yi Zhang, co-first author of “The circadian-controlled PIF8-BBX28 module regulates petal senescence in rose flowers by governing mitochondrial ROS homeostasis at night” Current Position: Postdoctoral research in the joint project, FAFU-UCR Joint Centre, Haixia Institute of Science and Technology. Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China The Waksman Institute... Read more

Neha Rai, first author of “Perception of solar UV radiation by plants: photoreceptors and mechanisms” Current Position: Post Doc in Prof. Roman Ulm’s lab at the Department of Botany and Plant Biology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland Education: Ph.D. in Plant Biology, University of Helsinki (Finland); M.Sc. in Plant Biology and... Read more

According to FAO, only a hundred out of several thousands edible plants contribute to the global food system. Specifically, twelve species dominate food production worldwide; more than a half of our daily calorie intake comes from four seed crops (maize, soybean, rice and wheat). Although the agricultural relevance of a... Read more

Pathogens often appropriate iron from their hosts, as acquisition of iron is vital to sustain life for most organisms. As demonstrated in this paper by Xing et al., an effector protein, AvrRps4, from a common bacterial plant pathogen, Pseudomonas syringae, directly interacts with BRUTUS (BTS), an iron sensing protein in... Read more

Desert plants must produce seeds that can withstand incredibly high temperatures. Nevertheless, different species of cacti –one of the most emblematic plant groups of these ecosystems– exhibit variable responses to extreme temperatures. In this fascinating paper, Visscher and colleagues conduct a thorough characterization of the seeds of five Cactaceae species... Read more

Considering that atmospheric nitrogen (N) and N deposition have increased due to human activities, understanding the effects of this element in plant communities has become increasingly important. Still, the role of germination traits in these changes at the community level is poorly understood. Here, Liu and colleagues assess the effects... Read more

Calcium (Ca2+) signaling regulates a host of stress and developmental responses in plants. Apart from increases in cytosolic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]Cyt.), organellar signals play a key role in shaping the cytosolic signaling events. In an attempt to understand the Ca2+ dynamics in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), Resentini and colleagues analyzed... Read more

In spite of the considerable excitement that accompanies the first genomic sequence of a species, that sequence usually represents a single individual or inbred accession – the real excitement comes from comparisons between individuals or accessions. These pan-genomic analyses provide insights into the sources of genetic variability. Here, Qin et... Read more

Plasmodesmata, the tubular connections that form continua between neighboring cells in plants, play vital roles in long-distance transport of ions, RNA, proteins, and small molecules. While it is known that plasmodesmata are permeable to phytohormones, including auxin, the physiological significance of plasmodesmata-mediated auxin transport remains underappreciated. Though carrier-mediated transport is... Read more

The Plant Cell has published a Focus Issue on the Biology of Plant Genomes. This Focus Issue includes reviews and research articles that highlight some of the most important recent advances in plant genomics and foreshadow future discoveries. Although Arabidopsis is represented in this article collection (with articles focused on... Read more

Focus Issue: Focus on the Biology of Plant Genomes The Plant Cell has published a Focus Issue on the Biology of Plant Genomes. This Focus Issue includes reviews and research articles that highlight some of the most important recent advances in plant genomics and foreshadow future discoveries. Although Arabidopsis is... Read more

Minjie Qian, first author of “Downsizing in plants – UV light induces pronounced morphological changes in the absence of stress” Current Position:  Lecturer, Hainan University, China Education: PhD in Pomology at Zhejiang University, China; joint training PhD in biochemistry at Örebro University, Sweden; B.S. in Horticulture at Zhejiang University, China... Read more

NSF has released a Dear Colleague Letter highlighting an RFP for PIs on active awards. Learn more about this new program in this letter from NSF Communications Specialist Jared Dashoff. The National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO) recognizes the importance of early-career research experiences, especially for individuals... Read more

ASPB has signed on a letter to Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, Ranking Member John Boozman, Chairman Patrick Leahy, Vice Chairman Richard Shelby, Chairman Jeff Merkley, and Ranking Member John Hoeven expressing support for the America Grows Act of 2021 (S.1371), a bipartisan bill Senators Durbin and Moran have recently introduced that... Read more

ASPB is pleased to be a signee in support of funding of $11.5 billion to support America’s agricultural research infrastructure.  As you consider new initiatives to support rural America and investments in the agricultural economy, we strongly urge you to include a federal agricultural research infrastructure investment of $11.5 billion... Read more

ASPB is pleased to be a signee in support of creating a Foundation for Energy Security and Innovation (FESI), which would fill a critical gap in successfully transitioning new energy technologies into the market and meeting the nation’s energy security and climate goals. We believe that it is time for... Read more

As part of its March meeting, members of ASPB’s Science Policy Committee (SPC) met with program staff from several federal funding agencies, including the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Biological and Environmental Research Program at the Department of Energy (DOE),... Read more