Новости науки и практики // Май 2017

Plant genes may lack off switch, but have volume control
Scientists at the University of California, Davis have discovered that DNA sequences thought to be essential for gene activity can be expendable. Sequences once called junk sometimes call the shots instead.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-04/uoc--pgm041417.php

How plants form their sugar transport routes
In experiments on transport tissues in plants, researchers were able to identify factors of crucial importance for the formation of the plant tissue known as phloem. These factors differ from all previously known factors that trigger the specification of cells. The findings substantially expand our understanding of the metabolic processes in plants.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/04/170427135923.htm

Penn team identifies genetic target for growing hardier plants under stress
Researchers have devoted tremendous effort to engineering plants that are more effective at these tasks in order to develop hardier forms that can withstand drought or low-nutrient conditions.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-04/uop-pti042417.php

Should I fight or should I grow? Cytokinins in defence-growth trade-offs
In paper are discussed the mechanisms by which the plant hormone cytokinin regulates both plant growth and response to pathogens, and document the ways in which cytokinins may connect these two processes, ultimately affecting the growth trade-offs observed in plant immunity.
https://aobblog.com/2017/03/i-fight-i-grow-cytokinins-defence-growth-trade-offs/

Electronics to control plant growth
Regulating plant physiology with organic electronics
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-04/lu-etc041317.php

Wise Plant Analysis
Weizmann Institute's WeizMass and MatchWeiz help identify plant metabolites
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-04/wios-wpa040617.php

Antiviral innate and adaptive immunity mechanisms
This review article summarises the molecular mechanisms of the antiviral immune system in plants and reports the latest breakthroughs relating to plant defence against viruses.
https://aobblog.com/2017/03/antiviral-innate-adaptive-immunity-mechanisms/

Model-based calculating tool for gene flow
A recent study published in AoB PLANTS by Wang and Lu provides a model-based calculating tool/software that can accurately calculate pollen-mediated gene flow (PMGF) frequencies of wind-pollinated plant species by including five biological and climatic parameters. The tool will be helpful for estimating transgene flow and its potential impacts, in addition to determining isolation distances between GE and non-GE crops.
https://aobblog.com/2017/04/model-based-calculating-tool-gene-flow/

Cell-size dependent progression of the cell cycle creates homeostasis and flexibility of plant cell size
Here we show that the continuously dividing fields of cells within the shoot apical meristem of Arabidopsis show dynamic regulation of mean cell size dependent on developmental stage, genotype and environmental signals. We show cell size at division and cell cycle length is effectively predicted using a two-stage cell cycle model linking cell growth and two sequential cyclin dependent kinase (CDK) activities, and experimental results concur in showing that progression through both G1/S and G2/M is size dependent.
https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms15060

Phytomer development in a C4 grass
The morphology of almost all grasses can be conceptualized as a hierarchical arrangement of subunits, termed phytomers. Therefore, knowledge of phytomer growth and development serves as a basis to elucidate the rhythm of grass growth. A recent study published in AoB PLANTS by Yang et al. provides systematic analyses of the process of phytomer development of Cleistogenes squarrosa, a perennial C4 grass.
https://aobblog.com/2017/03/phytomer-development-c4-grass/

The Arabidopsis Cop9 signalosome subunit 4 (CNS4) is involved in adventitious root formation
Here we report the identification and characterization of a viable allele of the Arabidopsis COP9 signalosome subunit 4 (CSN4). The allele, designated csn4-2035, suppresses the adventitious root (AR) phenotype of the Arabidopsis superroot2-1 mutant, potentially by altering its auxin signaling. Furthermore, we show that although the csn4-2035 mutation affects primary and lateral root (LR) formation in the 2035 suppressor mutant, CSN4 and other subunits of the COP9 complex seem to differentially control AR and LR development.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-00744-1

Research shows global photosynthesis on the rise
Plant photosynthesis was stable for hundreds of years before the industrial revolution, but grew rapidly in the 20th century, according to new research published today in Nature.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-04/uoc--rsg040417.php

Genome-wide identification, characterization, and expression profile of aquaporin gene family in flax (Linum usitatissimum)
In the present study, we identified aquaporin coding genes in flax by genome-wide analysis, their structure, function and expression pattern by pan-genome exploration. Analysis of RNA-seq and microarray data revealed high expression of PIPs in multiple tissues, low expression of NIPs, and seed specific expression of TIP3 in flax.
https://www.nature.com/articles/srep46137

New lettuce genome assembly offers clues to success of huge plant family
UC Davis researchers announced inNature Communicationsthat they have unlocked a treasure-trove of genetic information about lettuce and related plants, releasing the first comprehensive genome assembly for lettuce and the huge Compositae plant family.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-04/uoc--nlg041217.php

Растения ищут воду «на слух»
Почувствовав вибрации текущей воды, корни растений тянутся в ее сторону.
https://www.nkj.ru/news/31129/

New rice fights off drought
New strains of rice that are resistant to drought in real-world situations have now been developed by researchers. The study reports that transgenic rice modified with a gene from the Arabidopsis plant yield more rice than unmodified rice when subjected to stress brought by natural drought.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/04/170404084436.htm

Photos: Inside the Bizarre World of the Crested Saguaro Cactus
http://www.livescience.com/58520-crested-saguaro-cactus-photos.html