Plant Biology

Structural basis for molecular assembly of fucoxanthin chlorophyll a/c-binding proteins in a diatom photosystem I supercomplex

1. Koji Kato
2. Yoshiki Nakajima
3. Jian Xing
4. Minoru Kumazawa
5. Haruya Ogawa
6. Jian-Ren Shen
7. Kentaro Ifuku
8. Ryo Nagao

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This important study presents a high-resolution cryoEM structure of the supercomplex between photosystem I (PSI) and fucoxanthin chlorophyll a/c-binding proteins (FCPs) from the model diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana CCMP1335, revealing subunits, protein:protein interactions and pigments not previously seen in other diatoms or red/green photosynthetic lineages. Combining structural, sequence and phylogenetic analyses, the authors provide convincing evidence of conserved motifs crucial for the binding of FCPs, accompanied by interesting speculation about the mechanisms governing the assembly of PSI-FCP supercomplexes in diatoms and their implications for related PSI-LHC supercomplexes in plants. The findings set the stage for functional experiments that will further advance the fields of photosynthesis, bioenergy, ocean biogeochemistry and evolutionary relationships between photosynthetic organisms.

Reviewed by eLife

Dihydroxyhexanoic acid biosynthesis controls turgor in pathogenic fungi

1. Naoyoshi Kumakura
2. Takayuki Motoyama
3. Keisuke Miyazawa
4. Toshihiko Nogawa
5. Katsuma Yonehara
6. Kaori Sakai
7. Nobuaki Ishihama
8. Kaisei Matsumori
9. Pamela Gan
10. Hiroyuki Koshino
11. Takeshi Fukuma
12. Richard J. O’Connell
13. Ken Shirasu

Reviewed by PREreview

Root-specific theanine metabolism and regulation at the single-cell level in tea plants (Camellia sinensis)

1. Shijia Lin
2. Yiwen Zhang
3. Shupei Zhang
4. Yijie Wei
5. Mengxue Han
6. Yamei Deng
7. Jiayi Guo
8. Biying Zhu
9. Tianyuan Yang
10. Enhua Xia
11. Xiaochun Wan
12. William J Lucas
13. Zhaoliang Zhang

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This study combines experimental and theoretical approaches to examine metabolites at the single-cell level in tea plants. The authors skilfully integrated various tools available for this type of research, and meticulously presented and illustrated every step of the survey. The overall quality of the work is convincing, and it represents an important contribution to our understanding of the compartmentalization of biosynthesis pathways.

Reviewed by eLife

Root cap cell corpse clearance limits microbial colonization in Arabidopsis thaliana

1. Nyasha Charura
2. Ernesto Llamas
3. Concetta De Quattro
4. David Vilchez
5. Moritz K Nowack
6. Alga Zuccaro

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This study investigated the involvement of programmed cell death (PCD) in Arabidopsis thaliana root cap cells and its effect on microbial colonization. The authors have reported the importance of timely corpse clearance in the root cap and a root cap-specific transcription factor in controlling microbial colonization by beneficial fungi. By demonstrating the connection between transcriptional control of PCD and microbial colonization, this study provides fundamental insights into how relationships are established and regulated at the root-microbiome interface. The strength of the evidence presented is convincing, providing a foundation for further research concerning the spatial and temporal dynamics of microbiome recruitment along the root axis.

Reviewed by eLife

BRI1-mediated removal of seed coat H3K27me3 marks is a brassinosteroid-independent process

1. Rishabh Pankaj
2. Rita B. Lima
3. Guan-Yu Luo
4. Sinah Ehlert
5. Gerardo del Toro-de León
6. Heinrich Bente
7. Pascal Finger
8. Hikaru Sato
9. Duarte D. Figueiredo

Reviewed by Review Commons

Arabidopsis CNL receptor SUT1 confers immunity in hydathodes against the vascular pathogen Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris

1. Nanne W. Taks
2. Marieke van Hulten
3. Jeroen A. van Splunter-Berg
4. Sayantani Chatterjee
5. Floris D. Stevens
6. Misha Paauw
7. Sebastian Pfeilmeier
8. Harrold A. van den Burg

Reviewed by PREreview

Pectin methylesterase activity is required for RALF1 peptide signalling output

1. Ann-Kathrin Rößling
2. Kai Dünser
3. Chenlu Liu
4. Susan Lauw
5. Marta Rodriguez-Franco
6. Lothar Kalmbach
7. Elke Barbez
8. Jürgen Kleine-Vehn

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This fundamental study provides convincing evidence for pectin modification as a requirement for RALF peptide signalling altering the apoplastic pH, adding further support for a key role of RALF peptides in linking the assembly and dynamics of the extracellular matrix with cellular activity and function. Data that have been added in comparison to a previous version have enhanced the study. The study should be of interest to anyone studying signaling and specifically to plant cell biologists.

Reviewed by eLife

A new level of RNA-based plant protection: dsRNAs designed from functionally characterized siRNAs highly effective against Cucumber mosaic virus

1. Marie Knoblich
2. Torsten Gursinsky
3. Selma Gago-Zachert
4. Claus Weinholdt
5. Jan Grau
6. Sven-Erik Behrens

Reviewed by PREreview

Immune signaling induced by plant Toll/interleukin-1 receptor (TIR) domains is thermostable

1. Héloïse Demont
2. Céline Remblière
3. Laurent Deslandes
4. Maud Bernoux

Reviewed by PREreview

OsNF-YB7 inactivates OsGLK1 to inhibit chlorophyll biosynthesis in rice embryo

1. Zongju Yang
2. Tianqi Bai
3. Zhiguo E
4. Baixiao Niu
5. Chen Chen

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This paper provides important insights into the role of rice OsNF-YB7, an ortholog of Arabidopsis LEC1, in chlorophyll biosynthesis, uncovering the genetic and molecular basis for negative regulation of chlorophyll production in the rice embryo. Mutational analysis, gene expression profiles and protein interaction combine for convincing evidence that OsNF-YB7 represses chlorophyll biosynthesis.

Reviewed by eLife