Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Katie J. Porter, Lingyan Cao, Yaodong Chen, Allan D. TerBush, Cheng Chen, Harold P. Erickson, Katherine W. Osteryoung
Summary: The division of bacterial cells and chloroplasts is driven by a contractile Z ring formed by FtsZ. In plants, the chloroplast Z ring consists of two FtsZ proteins, FtsZ1 and FtsZ2, with complex biochemical interactions. FtsZ1 counterbalances FtsZ2 filament stability and restrains FtsZ2 self-assembly in the regulation of chloroplast Z-ring dynamics.
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Xiaomin Liu, Jinjie An, Lulu Wang, Qingqing Sun, Chuanjing An, Bibo Wu, Conghao Hong, Xiaoya Wang, Suwei Dong, Junhua Guo, Yue Feng, Hongbo Gao
Summary: Mutations in the Z1C motif of FtsZ1 result in abnormal chloroplast sizes and changes in FtsZ ring dynamics, highlighting the crucial role of this motif in regulating protein complex formation.
Review
Plant Sciences
Lingtong Liu, Tai Wang
Summary: This review discusses the cytological and metabolic differences between vegetative cells and male germ cells in angiosperms, focusing on transcriptional repression, intercellular RNA movement, and the impact of transposon element expression on male germ cells.
JOURNAL OF PLANT PHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Jia Shu, Xiaochang Yin, Yannan Liu, Yingjie Mi, Bin Zhang, Aoyuan Zhang, Hongbo Guo, Juane Dong
Summary: DNA methylation is important for epigenetic modifications and AtMBD3 is highly expressed in pollen and seeds. Two mutant alleles of AtMBD3, mbd3-1 and mbd3-2, were obtained using CRISPR/Cas9 and showed decreased pollen production and seed abortion. Transcriptome analysis revealed significant differences in gene expression between wild type and mbd3-2 mutants, including genes involved in embryo development. PBL6, a gene specifically expressed in pollen, was found to interact with AtMBD3. These findings provide insights into the function of AtMBD3 in plant fertility.
Review
Plant Sciences
Said Hafidh, David Honys
Summary: The gametophyte represents the sexual phase in the alternation of generations in plants, while the sporophyte represents the nonsexual phase. This paper reviews the evolutionary origins of the male gametophyte among land plants, particularly its ontogenesis in flowering plants, highlighting recent advances in regulatory mechanisms involved in pollen development.
ANNUAL REVIEW OF PLANT BIOLOGY, VOL 72, 2021
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Xiaorong Huang, Meng-Xiang Sun
Summary: This study reveals the essential role of H3K27me3 in vegetative cell fate commitment and germline cell fate initiation in male Arabidopsis gametophytes. H3K27me3 erasure is necessary for triggering gamete cell fate and leads to extensive cell identity transition. The findings provide experimental confirmation for the epigenetic regulation of MG cell/VC fate and support two previous hypotheses regarding germline cell fate determination.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jun Fang, Bingqi Li, Lih-Jen Chen, Vivek Dogra, Shengji Luo, Wangpin Wu, Pengcheng Wang, Inhwan Hwang, Hsou-Min Li, Chanhong Kim
Summary: This study reveals a related component of TIC236, CRL, which is involved in plastid division and plant stress responses. The findings highlight the interconnectedness between plastid protein import, plastid division, and plant stress responses.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Alexander I. MacLeod, Parth K. Raval, Simon Stockhorst, Michael R. Knopp, Eftychios Frangedakis, Sven B. Gould
Summary: The first plastid evolved from an endosymbiotic cyanobacterium in the common ancestor of the Archaeplastida. Hornworts, a group of bryophytes, have unique characteristics in their plastid development pathways and gene content, which have reverted back to a monoplastidic phenotype due to the loss of two plastid division-associated genes.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Diana Moreira, Ana Lucia Lopes, Jessy Silva, Maria Joao Ferreira, Sara Cristina Pinto, Sara Mendes, Luis Gustavo Pereira, Silvia Coimbra, Ana Marta Pereira
Summary: This study analyzed the expression patterns of six individual AGPs in Arabidopsis tissues, revealing their presence in both male and female reproductive organs and suggesting their potential roles in plant reproduction.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Lian Zhou, Zuzana Vejlupkova, Cedar Warman, John E. Fowler
Summary: Members of the LARP family contain a conserved La module associated with RNA-binding activity. Analysis of the maize gene ZmLARP6c1, specific to pollen, suggests its role in pollen-specific RNA regulation. Mutant plants with an inserted Ds-GFP element in the ZmLARP6c1 gene displayed reduced transmission as males, but not as females, indicating an important regulatory function during male gametophyte development.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Luiz M. Cabral, Hana P. Masuda, Helkin F. Ballesteros, Janice de Almeida-Engler, Marcio Alves-Ferreira, Karen L. G. De Toni, Fernanda M. Bizotto, Paulo C. G. Ferreira, Adriana S. Hemerly
Summary: This study investigates the role of the plant-exclusive protein ABAP1 in plant reproduction, showing that it regulates cell division and differentiation processes in both male and female gametophytes by binding to specific transcription factors and repressing their target genes.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Juanita Gutierrez-Valencia, Marco Fracassetti, Robert Horvath, Benjamin Laenen, Aurelie Desamore, Andreas D. Drouzas, Magne Friberg, Filip Kolar, Tanja Slotte
Summary: The study found that intra-sexual competition shapes the evolution of pollen-expressed genes, with the intensity of sexual selection decreasing as self-fertilization rates increase.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Review
Plant Sciences
Mohan B. Singh, Neeta Lohani, Prem L. Bhalla
Summary: Endoplasmic reticulum stress is characterized by disruptions in protein folding leading to accumulation of unfolded proteins, triggering a protective response known as the unfolded protein response. In plants, ER stress plays a critical role in adaptation to various environmental stresses, especially in pollen development, where it is constitutively active. Specific ER stress-related genes are upregulated in sperm cells, and disruption in ER stress response can lead to abnormal pollen development and increased susceptibility to heat stress in male gametophytes.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Dan Zhou, Ting Zou, Kaixuan Zhang, Pingping Xiong, Fuxing Zhou, Hao Chen, Gongwen Li, Kaiyou Zheng, Yuhao Han, Kun Peng, Xu Zhang, Shangyu Yang, Qiming Deng, Shiquan Wang, Jun Zhu, Yueyang Liang, Changhui Sun, Xiumei Yu, Huainian Liu, Lingxia Wang, Ping Li, Shuangcheng Li
Summary: This study reports the identification of a male-sterile mutant of DEFECTIVE EXINE AND APERTURE PATTERNING1 (DEAP1) in rice. DEAP1 is involved in rice pollen aperture development and may affect exine formation and aperture patterning, providing new insights into the molecular functions of plant FLAs in male fertility.
JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE PLANT BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Jiang Chang, Fanyu Zhang, Haiyang Qin, Peng Liu, Jianfeng Wang, Shuang Wu
Summary: This study identified a gene in a tomato mutant that affects chloroplast division, encoding a DnaJ heat shock protein crucial for maintaining chloroplast numbers. The research suggested that chloroplasts may partially divide in meristematic cells, and that light could promote chloroplast development independently of SlACR6. These findings highlight the importance of SlACR6 in chloroplast division and uncover new mechanisms of chloroplast development.
HORTICULTURE RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Keiji Nishioka, Yusuke Kato, Shin-ichiro Ozawa, Yuichiro Takahashi, Wataru Sakamoto
Summary: Protein phosphorylation plays a crucial role in regulating photosynthetic activities in organisms. The Phos-tag technology allows for a comprehensive assessment of protein phosphorylation in the thylakoid membrane of Arabidopsis, making it a useful biochemical tool for studying in vivo protein phosphorylation.
PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH
(2021)
Editorial Material
Plant Sciences
Wataru Sakamoto
PLANT AND CELL PHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
Editorial Material
Plant Sciences
Wataru Sakamoto
PLANT AND CELL PHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hideki Takanashi, Mitsutoshi Shichijo, Lisa Sakamoto, Hiromi Kajiya-Kanegae, Hiroyoshi Iwata, Wataru Sakamoto, Nobuhiro Tsutsumi
Summary: This study conducted QTL analyses on spikelet- and grain-related traits in sorghum, revealing that most spikelet organ length- and width-related traits are partially controlled by the dwarf genes Dw1 and Dw3, while these genes have limited impact on the regulation of grain size. The identified QTLs provide insights into the genetic basis of spikelet- and grain-related traits in sorghum.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tilak Kumar Gupta, Sven Klumpe, Karin Gries, Steffen Heinz, Wojciech Wietrzynski, Norikazu Ohnishi, Justus Niemeyer, Benjamin Spaniol, Miroslava Schaffer, Anna Rast, Matthias Ostermeier, Mike Strauss, Juergen M. Plitzko, Wolfgang Baumeister, Till Rudack, Wataru Sakamoto, Joerg Nickelsen, Jan M. Schuller, Michael Schroda, Benjamin D. Engel
Summary: This study reveals the structures of cyanobacterial VIPP1 rings using cryo-electron microscopy, showing how VIPP1 monomers flex and interweave to form basket-like assemblies. The research also demonstrates the essential role of VIPP1 lipid binding in resisting stress-induced damage, as mutations in hydrophobic surfaces lead to extreme thylakoid swelling under high light. Additionally, cryo-CLEM observations provide insights into how VIPP1 coats encapsulate membrane tubules within chloroplasts.
Article
Plant Sciences
Saki Fukushima, Kae Akita, Tomoko Takagi, Keiko Kobayashi, Nobuko Moritoki, Hajime Sugaya, Shin-Ichi Arimura, Haruko Kuroiwa, Tsuneyoshi Kuroiwa, Noriko Nagata
Summary: The study used advanced SEM technology to observe complex mitochondrial structures in etiolated cotyledons of Arabidopsis thaliana, including the presence of giant mitochondria. These giant mitochondria were only found in dark conditions and rapidly increased in number after germination.
Article
Plant Sciences
Yuki Okegawa, Natsuki Tsuda, Wataru Sakamoto, Ken Motohashi
Summary: Light-dependent activation of chloroplast enzymes is crucial for the rapid induction of photosynthesis. Two pathways, the Fd/Trx pathway and the NTRC pathway, in the Trx system play central roles in this process. This study reveals the involvement of the PGR5-dependent pathway in the NTRC pathway and the partial restoration of Trx-dependent reduction of thiol enzymes by PGR5, providing insights into the regulation of electron partitioning during the induction of photosynthesis.
PLANT AND CELL PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Yuki Okegawa, Wataru Sakamoto, Ken Motohashi
Summary: Redox regulation of chloroplast proteins is crucial for photosynthesis, with the thioredoxin system playing a central role. Lack of either Trx f or Trx m delays the reduction of Calvin cycle enzymes, while lack of both Trxs further delays the initiation of photosynthesis. Trx f is necessary for the rapid activation of the Calvin cycle, while Trx m regulates the PGR5-dependent cyclic electron transport.
JOURNAL OF PLANT RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Hideki Takanashi, Hiromi Kajiya-Kanegae, Asuka Nishimura, Junko Yamada, Motoyuki Ishimori, Masaaki Kobayashi, Kentaro Yano, Hiroyoshi Iwata, Nobuhiro Tsutsumi, Wataru Sakamoto
Summary: In this study, the DOMINANT AWN INHIBITOR (DAI) gene, encoding an ALOG family protein, was identified and characterized in sorghum. DAI is a duplicated gene in sorghum that inhibits awn development by suppressing cell proliferation and elongation. Heterologous expression of DAI in rice also inhibits awn elongation.
PLANT AND CELL PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Hiroshi Yamatani, Takeshi Ito, Kenji Nishimura, Tetsuya Yamada, Wataru Sakamoto, Makoto Kusaba
Summary: This study reveals the mechanism of regulating chlorophyll and LHCP levels via the GLK-BCM pathway in Arabidopsis and lettuce through genetic and functional analysis.
Editorial Material
Plant Sciences
Wataru Sakamoto
PLANT AND CELL PHYSIOLOGY
(2023)
Editorial Material
Genetics & Heredity
Wataru Sakamoto, Tsuneaki Takami
Summary: The inheritance mode of organelle DNAs in mitochondria and plastids is controlled by cold temperature and DNA amount in pollen.
TRENDS IN GENETICS
(2023)
Review
Plant Sciences
Wataru Sakamoto, Tsuneaki Takami
Summary: Plastids play a crucial role in angiosperms and exhibit non-Mendelian inheritance due to their evolution as endosymbionts. Inheritance of plastids in angiosperms can be either maternal or biparental. Maternal inheritance is mainly attributed to the stochastic segregation of maternal plastids after fertilization, while biparental inheritance involves plastid changes during pollen development. Recent research suggests that low temperature and plastid DNA degradation mediated by the organelle exonuclease DPD1 significantly influence paternal leakage in biparental inheritance.
PLANT AND CELL PHYSIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Yuki Okegawa, Nozomi Sato, Rino Nakakura, Ryota Murai, Wataru Sakamoto, Ken Motohashi
Summary: Plants use various photoprotective mechanisms to cope with sudden increases in light intensity. Redox regulation by thioredoxin (Trx) systems is also involved in this process. However, the functions of x- and y-type Trxs in response to fluctuating light conditions are not well understood.
Article
Plant Sciences
Shin Taketa, Momoko Hattori, Tsuneaki Takami, Eiko Himi, Wataru Sakamoto
Summary: Barley albino lemma 1 (alm1) mutants exhibit chlorophyll-deficient hulls and reduced spike photosynthesis. The ALM1 gene encodes HvGLK2, a GARP subfamily transcription factor, with mutations in important regions affecting chloroplast structure. HvGLK2 plays nonredundant roles compared to HvGLK1, with more severe phenotypes observed in barley mutants.
PLANT AND CELL PHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
