Articles in 2021

To us, donning a thick coat in the height of summer might seem a silly idea. To plants, it can be a matter of life and death.

TT2 is identified as a negative regulator of thermotolerance. It triggers Ca²⁺ signalling upon heat stress, which is then decoded by SCT1–CaM interaction. SCT1 reduces the transcription of its target OsWR2, thereby causing reduction in wax biosynthesis.

Plants adapt to drought stress by reshaping their root architecture, a process in which abscisic acid signalling plays a key role. A recent study defines the mechanism by which abscisic acid signalling mediates sucrose transport from shoots to roots, thus modulating root growth under drought stress.

Incorporation of multiple-nucleotide substitution in prime-editing guide RNAs greatly boosts editing efficiency in rice and maize, advancing precise genome editing in plants.

A study finds that N-terminal RT–Cas9 nickase fusion, versus the commonly applied C-terminal fusion, and multiple-nucleotide substitutions in prime editing guide RNAs can synergistically and greatly enhance the efficiency of prime editor 3 in rice and maize.

Carbon flux through photosynthesis and central carbon metabolism show distinct patterns between algae, C₃ and C₄ plants.

During drought stress, a plant’s root:shoot ratio is increased. The sucrose transporters SWEET11 and 12 are rapidly phosphorylated upon drought and abscisic acid treatments, enhancing sugar loading of phloem and supporting enhanced root growth.

Plant malectin-like receptor kinases (also known as CrRLK1Ls) have functions in plant development such as pollen tube growth and cell wall integrity sensing. This Perspective reviews recent evidence suggesting a critical role of these receptors in plant immunity.

Machine-learning algorithms for protein structure prediction can now generate models directly from sequences. However, photosynthetic assemblies represent a challenge due to additional levels of complexity arising from their multi-protein nature and presence of cofactors.