Plant Biology

Members of the ELMOD protein family specify formation of distinct aperture domains on the Arabidopsis pollen surface

1. Yuan Zhou
2. Prativa Amom
3. Sarah H Reeder
4. Byung Ha Lee
5. Adam Helton
6. Anna A Dobritsa

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  How pollen apertures are formed is not well understood. By studying Arabidopsis mutants producing pollen with aberrant aperture numbers, the authors identify proteins from the ELMOD protein family as important regulators for aperture formation. They use genetics, transgenic constructs, and site-directed mutagenesis to pinpoint important residues for protein function in this process, and show that changes in expression levels of one protein can have dramatic effects on patterning. This paper will interest scientists interested in cell polarity, patterning, and evolution of diverse morphologies. This is also the first study of the ELMOD protein family, whose potential GTPase activating activities have not yet been investigated in plants.

  (This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. Reviewer #1 and Reviewer #2 agreed to share their names with the authors.)

Reviewed by eLife

A Bivalent Chromatin Controls Timing of Expression of Camalexin Biosynthesis Genes in Response to a Pathogen Signal in Arabidopsis

1. Kangmei Zhao
2. Deze Kong
3. Benjamin Jin
4. Christina D. Smolke
5. Seung Y. Rhee

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  This study proposes the identification of "bivalent chromatin" in genes associated with the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites in Arabidopsis and describes an investigation into the role of chromatin states in the regulation of the major Arabidopsis phytoalexin. Perturbation of either H3K27me3 or H3K18ac levels using mutants were used to show that there were effects on the expression of these metabolic genes. It has previously been shown that H3K27me3 and H3K18ac colocalize in the Arabidopsis genome and that genes targeted by PRC2/H3K27me3 in Arabidopsis are enriched for genes that respond to the environment and/or developmental cues. Therefore, the reported changes to the regulation of these genes in defective mutants are as expected, although the finding of this study will still be of interest to those working on pathogen-induced changes to plant metabolism.

  (This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. The reviewers remained anonymous to the authors.)

Reviewed by eLife

The Induction of Pyrenoid Synthesis by Hyperoxia and its Implications for the Natural Diversity of Photosynthetic Responses in Chlamydomonas

1. Peter Neofotis
2. Joshua Temple
3. Oliver L. Tessmer
4. Jacob Bibik
5. Nicole Norris
6. Eric Poliner
7. Ben Lucker
8. Sarathi Wijetilleke
9. Alecia Withrow
10. Barbara Sears
11. Greg Mogos
12. Melinda Frame
13. David Hall
14. Joseph Weissman
15. David M. Kramer

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  Many algae, such as Chlamydomonas, form a pyrenoid under certain conditions to enable high photosynthetic rates during inorganic carbon limitation. The data presented here support that hydrogen peroxide, a common by-product of hyperoxia and CO2 limitation, induces pyrenoid formation in Chlamydomonas, even when CO2 levels are high. Although the underlying genetic mechanisms remain unresolved, these observations offer an exciting starting point to dissect the molecular components that drive pyrenoid formation. Therefore, this paper is of interest to a broad audience of scientists working in the areas of photosynthesis, synthetic biology of agriculture, and algal biotechnology.

  (This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. The reviewers remained anonymous to the authors.)

Reviewed by eLife

Expression of a CO2-permeable aquaporin enhances mesophyll conductance in the C4 species Setaria viridis

1. Maria Ermakova
2. Hannah Osborn
3. Michael Groszmann
4. Soumi Bala
5. Andrew Bowerman
6. Samantha McGaughey
7. Caitlin Byrt
8. Hugo Alonso-cantabrana
9. Steve Tyerman
10. Robert T Furbank
11. Robert E Sharwood
12. Susanne von Caemmerer

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  The conductance of CO2 into the chloroplast from the intercellular airspace is a key limitation to rates of net photosynthesis. Despite its importance, past work has been contradictory in what does and does not affect this mesophyll conductance. This paper takes a unique and multi-pronged approach to resolving the mechanisms of mesophyll conductance and proposing a transgenic approach for increasing it in C4 plants.

  (This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. Reviewer #2 agreed to share their name with the authors.)

Reviewed by eLife

Control of Arabidopsis shoot stem cell homeostasis by two antagonistic CLE peptide signalling pathways

1. Jenia Schlegel
2. Gregoire Denay
3. Rene Wink
4. Karine Gustavo Pinto
5. Yvonne Stahl
6. Julia Schmid
7. Patrick Blümke
8. Rüdiger GW Simon

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  Vertical patterning of the shoot meristem is regulated by a well-characterized feedback loop involving the CLAVATA3 peptide, the CLAVATA1 receptor-like kinase and the WUSCHEL transcription factor. Cell loss from the Peripheral Zone of the meristem, due to production of lateral organs, requires a compensatory size increase of the stem cell domain, i.e. there is a need to understand how stem cell activities in the Central Zone and Organizing Center are coordinated to regulate organ initiation and cell differentiation in the Peripheral Zone. The authors identify a new signaling pathway to control shoot meristem function in Arabidopsis, suggesting that the peptide CLE40 and the receptor kinase-like protein BAM1 act from the Peripheral Zone to stimulate stem cell fate via WUSCHEL expression, and antagonistically to the CLV pathway. The model is novel and exciting and will be of interest to plant scientists as well as those interested in developmental patterning. Some additional evidence is required to fully sufficient to support all claims in the manuscript.

  (This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. Reviewer #1 agreed to share their name with the authors.)

Reviewed by eLife

The structure and flexibility analysis of the Arabidopsis synaptotagmin 1 reveal the basis of its regulation at membrane contact sites

1. Juan L Benavente
2. Dritan Siliqi
3. Lourdes Infantes
4. Laura Lagartera
5. Alberto Mills
6. Federico Gago
7. Noemí Ruiz-López
8. Miguel A Botella
9. María J Sánchez-Barrena
10. Armando Albert

Reviewed by Review Commons

Computational modeling of cambium activity provides a regulatory framework for simulating radial plant growth

1. Ivan Lebovka
2. Bruno Hay Mele
3. Xiaomin Liu
4. Alexandra Zakieva
5. Theresa Schlamp
6. Nial Rau Gursanscky
7. Roeland MH Merks
8. Ruth Großeholz
9. Thomas Greb

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  The paper presents a sequence of models, simulating with increasing accuracy the production of phloem and xylem in a cross-section of a generalized circularly symmetric plant organ. The results may serve as a stepping stone for the construction of predictive models.

  (This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. Reviewer #2 agreed to share their name with the authors.)

Reviewed by eLife

Production of ORF8 protein from SARS-CoV-2 using an inducible virus-mediated expression system in suspension-cultured tobacco BY-2 cells

1. Tomohiro Imamura
2. Noriyoshi Isozumi
3. Yasuki Higashimura
4. Shinya Ohki
5. Masashi Mori

Reviewed by ScreenIT

Rapid expression of COVID-19 proteins by transient expression in tobacco

1. Penelope Lindsay
2. Amanda Ackerman
3. Yinan Jian
4. Oliver Artz
5. Daniele Rosado
6. Tara Skopelitis
7. Munenori Kitagawa
8. Ullas V. Pedmale
9. David Jackson

Reviewed by ScreenIT

Genomic basis of drought resistance in Fagus sylvatica

1. Markus Pfenninger
2. Friederike Reuss
3. Angelika Kiebler
4. Philipp Schönnenbeck
5. Cosima Caliendo
6. Susanne Gerber
7. Berardino Cocchiararo
8. Sabrina Reuter
9. Nico Blüthgen
10. Karsten Mody
11. Bagdevi Mishra
12. Miklós Bálint
13. Marco Thines
14. Barbara Feldmeyer

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  This study uses a genome-wide association approach combining pool-seq data with whole-genome resequencing, which provides a cost-effective means to scale genome-wide association studies to a larger number of individuals, to dissect the genetic basis of drought resistance in several German populations of European beech. European beech is an ecologically important forest tree species and drought resistance is a trait that is likely to be becoming increasingly relevant to the survival of these trees as climate change leads to more frequent and prolonged periods of drought. Knowledge of the genetic basis of such variation existing within current populations can help with management of those populations in the face of increasing threats, especially when such information is used to develop tools for predicting individuals that are likely to have the highest chances of survival, and to suggest hypotheses regarding traits and genetic material which will be important for the future of forests.

  (This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. Reviewer #1 and Reviewer #3 agreed to share their names with the authors.)

Reviewed by eLife